News
Updated as of April 20, 2002.

Study Area
Lots of pictures, maps, and background info on our hydrology, ecology and environment, land and resources uses, and selected sites.

Studies and Surveys
Descriptions of our projects and studies.

Publications and Data

• Publications
• Hydrologic and Chemical Data
• Maps and Geographic (GIS) Data
• Ecological Data

Personnel and Links
Have a question? Talk to us, or find other online locations of Louisiana information.

Site Map
And accessibility features.

For more information on USGS activities in Louisiana and the Nation, please visit the following websites:

NAWQA Home
Louisiana District
Water Resources Division
U.S. Department of the Interior

The Acadian-Pontchartrain Study Unit of the National Water Quality Assessment Program

Welcome to the website of the Acadian-Pontchartrain study unit of the National Water Quality Assessment Program. The National Water Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) describes the status of the ground- and surface-water resources of the nation using a nationally consistent design. NAWQA investigates water-quality information on a wide range of spatial scales, local to national in scope, a range of climates and seasonal conditions, and a variety of water-quality issues that affect large areas of the Nation. NAWQA has identified and chosen to study agricultural pesticides, nutrients, trace metals, and volatile organic compounds in urban settings, among others. This program is unique compared to other national water-quality assessment studies in that it integrates the monitoring of the quality of surface and ground waters with the study of aquatic ecosystems, and seeks to understand how natural and human factors influence water quality.

The goals of the NAWQA Program are to:

1. Describe current water-quality conditions for a large part of the Nation's freshwater streams and aquifers (water-bearing sediments and rocks).
2. Describe how water quality is changing over time.
3. Improve our understanding of the primary natural and human factors affecting water quality.

Our study area (also known as a "study unit") covers drainages of the southern half of Louisiana, encompassing the Calcasieu, Mermentau, Vermilion-Teche, Verret, Terrebonne, Barataria, and Pontchartrain drainage basins. Our studies include ground-water quality, surface-water quality, contaminants in bed sediments and tissues, and biological surveys of fish, invertebrates, algae, and their habitats. As publications and data are produced, they can be found at this website, or on the Louisiana District's publications webpage.

For more information on our studies, products, and available services and information, please select a section header on the left of the page. Or view a copy of our factsheet in Adobe PDF. (To view this document, you need the Adobe Acrobat® Reader installed on your computer. A free copy of the Acrobat® Reader may be downloaded from Adobe Systems Incorporated. The reader allows you to view and print Adobe PDF documents.)