Shreveport, Louisiana draws its drinking water from Cross Lake, a 13-square-mile reservoir northwest of the city created in the 1920s by damming Cross Bayou. The Shreveport Water and Sewerage Department serves about 190,000 residents. It’s a system under pressure from multiple directions.
The Infrastructure Crisis
Shreveport’s water infrastructure is old — much of it dating to the mid-20th century — and the city has struggled to keep up with maintenance and replacement. Water main breaks are a regular occurrence. In recent years, the city has experienced hundreds of main breaks annually, leading to boil water advisories, low water pressure events, and service disruptions.
The American Society of Civil Engineers and various assessments have given Louisiana’s water infrastructure poor marks. Shreveport reflects that broader problem. Deferred maintenance over decades means the system now needs massive capital investment just to maintain current service levels.
Lead Service Lines
Like many Southern cities built during the early-to-mid 1900s, Shreveport has lead service lines in older neighborhoods. The city has been conducting its lead service line inventory under the EPA’s revised Lead and Copper Rule.
Louisiana’s lead problem is compounded by the state’s water chemistry. The soft, acidic water common in northwest Louisiana can be more corrosive to lead pipes than harder, more alkaline water found in other regions. Shreveport treats its water with corrosion inhibitors to reduce lead leaching, and 90th percentile lead levels have generally stayed below the EPA action level. But the combination of old lead pipes and naturally corrosive water means vigilance is required.
Cross Lake Water Quality
Cross Lake receives inflow from Cross Bayou and Red Chute Bayou, both of which drain agricultural and residential areas in northwest Louisiana. Nutrient loading from these sources drives algal growth in the lake, particularly during hot summer months.
The Shreveport treatment plant uses conventional treatment with coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, and chlorine disinfection. Seasonal changes in source water quality — high turbidity after rains, algal blooms in summer, taste and odor compounds from organic decay — keep the treatment plant busy.
Taste and odor complaints spike during summer months. The earthy or musty taste that some residents notice comes from geosmin and MIB compounds produced by algae and cyanobacteria in Cross Lake. These compounds aren’t harmful, but they affect the water’s palatability. Activated carbon treatment or point-of-use carbon filtration eliminates them.
Industrial Contamination
Northwest Louisiana has a significant oil and gas industry presence, and Shreveport-Bossier has a history of industrial manufacturing. Several contaminated sites in the area have documented groundwater contamination.
The Calumet Refining site in Shreveport and various former oil field operations have left behind petroleum hydrocarbons and associated contaminants in local groundwater. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality oversees cleanup at these sites.
For residents on the municipal system, the surface water source provides separation from groundwater contamination. But private well users in Caddo and Bossier parishes should be aware of potential contamination from oil and gas operations, especially if their wells are shallow.
Natural Gas and the Haynesville Shale
The Haynesville Shale gas play, centered in northwest Louisiana, brought a drilling boom to the Shreveport area starting in the late 2000s. While hydraulic fracturing for natural gas has generated economic benefits, it’s also raised concerns about groundwater contamination from drilling operations, wastewater disposal, and surface spills.
Studies of water quality near drilling operations in the Haynesville Shale have produced mixed results. Some private well owners have reported changes in water quality coinciding with nearby drilling activity. Louisiana’s regulatory framework for oil and gas operations provides some protections, but enforcement resources have historically been limited.
What Residents Can Do
- Run your tap. If water has been sitting in pipes for more than a few hours, flush for 2-3 minutes before drinking.
- Filter your water. An activated carbon filter handles taste, odor, chlorine, and many contaminants. For lead concerns, choose one certified to NSF/ANSI 53.
- Report water main breaks to the city immediately. They can compromise water pressure and quality in your area.
- Private well owners: Test for bacteria, nitrates, and petroleum compounds. If near drilling operations, consider a more comprehensive panel.
- Follow boil advisories. Shreveport issues them more frequently than most cities due to infrastructure issues. Take them seriously.
If you’re concerned about your water quality, a certified water treatment professional can test your water and recommend the right solution.
For more Louisiana coverage, see our report on Baton Rouge water quality.
Sources: Shreveport Water and Sewerage Department, Louisiana DEQ, EPA SDWIS, USGS, Caddo Parish Health Unit