In 2017, Louisiana helped repair septic systems threatening the Amite River. 7 years later, 805 systems were fixed and 46.9 miles were removed from the bacteria list

For years, failing septic systems contributed bacteria to a section of Louisiana's Amite River, leaving the waterway unable to meet its recreational water-quality standard. The problem began with a 2016 impairment listing after fecal coliform levels exceeded the state's threshold. Starting in 2017, septic inspections, homeowner education and repairs began addressing the pollution at its source.



By 2024, 805 malfunctioning systems had been repaired, and a 46.9-mile river segment was removed from the bacteria-impaired listing. For years, bacteria pollution had been a problem in a section of Louisiana's Amite River. The issue was tied in part to improperly maintained on-site sewage disposal systems, including household septic systems. In 2016, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality listed a 46.9-mile river segment as not supporting its primary contact recreation use because of high fecal coliform levels, as per a report by the U.S. EPA Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.


A year later, work began to tackle the problem at its source. From 2017 through 2024, Capital Resource Conservation and Development inspected home septic systems, worked with homeowners on repairs and monitored water quality in the Middle Amite River watershed.

The effort eventually helped bring fecal coliform levels below the applicable standard. In 2024, LDEQ removed the bacteria impairment from the 46.9-mile segment.

Why was the Amite River impaired?

The Middle Amite River watershed begins in East Feliciana Parish and extends south toward Denham Springs and southeastern Baton Rouge. Its northern portion is largely made up of forests, grass and pasture, and forested wetlands, while the southern portion includes more developed areas.

In rural parts of Louisiana, many homes rely on on-site sewage disposal systems when municipal wastewater treatment is unavailable.

Poorly installed or maintained systems can contribute bacteria to nearby waters. In the Amite River watershed, these systems were identified as a source of high bacteria loadings.

Water samples collected during 2013 and 2014 showed that 33.3% of samples exceeded the fecal coliform standard of 400 colonies per 100 milliliters. Two of the six samples were above that level.

For primary contact recreation to be supported, no more than 25% of monthly or near-monthly fecal coliform samples collected between May 1 and October 31 could exceed 400 colonies per 100 milliliters.

Based on those results, LDEQ listed the river segment in its 2016 assessment as not supporting its recreational use because of fecal coliform bacteria.

How did septic repairs help?

Beginning in 2017, LDEQ contracted with Capital RC&D to conduct home septic-system inspections, educate homeowners and monitor water quality.

The inspections uncovered a significant number of systems that were not functioning properly.

Capital RC&D inspected 3,295 systems and found that 895 were not operating correctly. The organization then helped identify and repair 805 of those systems.

The repairs became a central part of the effort to reduce bacteria entering the river.

LDEQ has worked with Capital RC&D through a Watershed Coordinator since 2008. The coordinator's role includes supporting watershed restoration activities in southeast Louisiana, with the broader goal of reducing nonpoint-source pollution, improving surface-water quality and maintaining healthy waters.

The septic-system work provided a direct way to address one of the identified pollution sources in the Middle Amite River watershed.

Alongside the repairs, water-quality monitoring continued. Six monitoring sites were used initially, with monthly monitoring later reduced to one site in 2021.

What changed by 2024?

The monitoring results showed improvement following the septic-system repairs.

Between May 2019 and October 2021, six of 28 fecal coliform samples exceeded 400 colonies per 100 milliliters. That represented an exceedance rate of 21%, below the 25% threshold for supporting the primary contact recreation use.

Those results indicated that the Middle Amite River was meeting the applicable recreational water-quality standard.

Based on the improved data, LDEQ removed the primary contact recreation bacteria impairment for subsegment 040302.

The change was reflected in Louisiana's 2024 water-quality assessment, removing the 46.9-mile segment from the state's bacteria-impaired listing.

The outcome followed years of inspections, homeowner education, repairs and monitoring rather than a single intervention.

Can the improvement be maintained?

The work is continuing. Inspections are scheduled to continue into 2026 to help maintain support for the river's recreational use.

The effort also highlights the importance of keeping household septic systems functioning properly in areas that depend on decentralized wastewater systems.

For the Middle Amite River, the focus on home septic systems addressed a specific source of fecal coliform pollution identified in the watershed. Of the 895 malfunctioning systems found during inspections, 805 were repaired.

The resulting monitoring data showed a lower rate of fecal coliform exceedances, falling from the 33.3% rate recorded in the earlier 2013-2014 samples to 21% during the 2019-2021 monitoring period.

That improvement supported the removal of the bacteria impairment in 2024.

The Middle Amite River's progress came through a practical combination of septic-system inspections, repairs, education and continued water-quality monitoring. The 46.9-mile segment that had been listed as impaired in 2016 was no longer classified as impaired for primary contact recreation in the 2024 assessment.

With inspections continuing into 2026, the work now centers on maintaining those gains and keeping the river's recreational use supported.

FAQs

Why was the river impaired?
High fecal coliform levels.

How many septic systems were repaired?
805 systems.