2019 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 10
BY SENATOR THOMPSON
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To re-establish the Lake Providence Watershed Council and to provide for its membership
and responsibilities.
WHEREAS, Lake Providence, an oxbow lake formed from a bend in the Mississippi
River, is located in East Carroll Parish; and
WHEREAS, Lake Providence is a lake well known for its natural scenic beauty and
for the fact that it is an important natural resource that supports an abundance of recreational
activities, including fishing, swimming, waterskiing, boating, birding, and waterfowl
hunting; and
WHEREAS, these scenic and recreational opportunities are critical components
necessary to the economic well-being of the region surrounding the lake and to the state as
a whole; and
WHEREAS, Article IX, Section 1 of the Constitution of Louisiana declares that the
"natural resources of the state, including … water … shall be protected, conserved, and
replenished insofar as possible and consistent with the health, safety, and welfare of the
people. The legislature shall enact laws to implement this policy."; and
WHEREAS, the aquatic habitat of Lake Providence has been in a state of decline due
to a variety of causes, including runoff from the development of the surrounding land,
shoreline modifications and development, and the sediment and nutrient content of runoff
from agricultural development being deposited annually into the lake; and
WHEREAS, these causes have negatively impacted and may continue to threaten and
degrade the value of the lake as a valuable resource for wildlife habitat and as a source of
economic activity that stimulates the surrounding area and should allow for the increased
enjoyment of the lake; and
WHEREAS, the citizens of Louisiana deserve to have a restored and sustainable
Lake Providence and an essential step in that process is development and agreement on a
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practicable plan with achievable goals and measurable milestones of achievement for how
best to restore and sustain the lake, along with an estimation of cost for those restoration
efforts; and
WHEREAS, it is essential to conduct a careful and deliberate scientific study to
develop a sound and lasting solution to the deterioration of the quality of the Lake
Providence watershed and that action based on the recommendations developed in this study
be implemented as expeditiously as possible in order to preserve, protect, and enhance these
resources now and for generations to come; and
WHEREAS, there are several state and local agencies, including the Department of
Agriculture and Forestry, the Department of Environmental Quality, the Louisiana
Department of Health, and the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, with expertise,
knowledge, and resources essential to identify and evaluate the problems present in the Lake
Providence watershed; and
WHEREAS, it is important that the appropriate state and local governments work
together with all the various stakeholders interested in the restoration of Lake Providence
to identify the problems, determine solutions, and implement remedies to restore, preserve,
and enhance the health and sustainability of the Lake Providence watershed; and
WHEREAS, to achieve the goal of a restored Lake Providence watershed as quickly
and completely as possible, it is necessary to bring together the various government interests,
as well as nongovernmental stakeholder organizations who possess specialized knowledge
or whose members represent resource users in the Lake Providence watershed.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
create the Lake Providence Watershed Council, whose membership shall be as follows:
(1) The commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry or his designee
within the department.
(2) The secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality or his designee within
the department.
(3) The secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health or his designee within the
department.
(4) The secretary of the Department of Natural Resources or his designee within the
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department, who shall serve as vice chair of the council.
(5) The secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries or his designee within
the department, who shall serve as chair of the council.
(6) The state senator from Senate District 34.
(7) The state representative from House District 21.
(8) Two members appointed by the senator from Senate District 34.
(9) Two members appointed by the representative from House District 21.
(10) Two members appointed by the East Carroll Parish Police Jury.
(11) One member appointed by the East Carroll Parish Sheriff.
(12) One member appointed by the mayor of the city of Lake Providence.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of the Lake Providence Watershed
Council shall not be entitled to receive any salary, per diem, expenses, mileage, or other
emollients of the office for their service on this commission, outside of any that they may
be entitled to by virtue of their service in another public office.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the council shall, at the proper time, contact the
following federal resource agencies to solicit their views and input with respect to
completing the study requested by this Resolution:
(1) United States Army Corps of Engineers.
(2) United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
(3) United States Geological Survey.
(4) National Resources Conservation Service.
(5) United States Department of Agriculture.
(6) National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
(7) United States Environmental Protection Agency.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of the Lake Providence Watershed
Council shall meet as often as necessary to deliberate and produce a report that will identify,
review, and evaluate management strategies to facilitate the goal of improving the aquatic
habitat of Lake Providence; to provide recommendations for the optimal management and
protection of the resources within the Lake Providence watershed, including but not limited
to the following:
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(1) The study of impacts and potential impacts to water quality, excess nutrient, and
sediment run-off management, shoreline modification management, watershed conservation
measures, and innovative habitat restoration methodology.
(2) Coordination of federal, state, and local efforts to improve and protect water
quality; surface water resource management and protection policies; recommendations for
the optimal management and protection of the natural resources in the Lake Providence
watershed.
(3) Recommended changes to current procedures and practices to make the
management and protection of the natural resources in the Lake Providence watershed more
efficient, comprehensive, and sustainable.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the report shall be submitted to the House
Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on
Environmental Quality no later than May 1, 2020, and that unless the Lake Providence
Watershed Council is extended by further action of the Louisiana Legislature, it shall cease
to exist December 31, 2020.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
commissioner of agriculture and forestry, the secretary of the Department of Environmental
Quality, the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, the secretary of the
Department of Natural Resources, the secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries,
the East Carroll Parish Police Jury, the East Carroll Parish Sheriff, and the mayor of the city
of Lake Providence.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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