Letter: Industry is taking our groundwater

Some time in July, my well stopped pumping water.

I tried everything possible, only to find out the water table in the Baton Rouge area has been dropping fast. To fix this I had to add 20 feet to the suction tube of my pump.

We are losing our ground water. The only way to prevent this from happening is to force the abusers (industry) from taking advantage of the public’s water! The moral to this story is, common sense does not work on industry.

Jim Welsh, commissioner of conservation, you must force through legislation and laws. Industry will not police itself! They never have and never will!

Hey, that was one hell of a study! Now do your job, Jim!

W. Piper

retired millwright

Gonzales

Comments

1) Comment by DMJ - 27/11/2012

It takes giant disasters before we'll do anything to protect the environment in the U.S. (see: BP oil spill) and, even then, we'll STILL tear out our hair and gnash teeth over it (see: BP oil spill).

2) Comment by Old Man Kensey - 27/11/2012

We talked about the levees in NOLA for twenty years before they fell. I have no doubt the commissioner will let our water supply get corrupted before realizing he could have protected it. When that happens, the pennies business saves now will be negligible to the cost we all have to bear. Cronyism is bad business..

3) Comment by phil - 27/11/2012

More needs to be done about this issue. Industries located next to the rivers should be able to use river water and not potable water from wells. When we all run out of water to drink, maybe then someone will wake up on this important issue?

4) Comment by tradewinns - 27/11/2012

baton rouge has the best tasting water i've ever had. unless you've lived elsewhere and drank that water, you may not appreciate what you have. let industry use mississippi water. it'll cost a little more.

5) Comment by DMJ - 27/11/2012

Unfortunately, with conservation and environmental quality in Louisiana, you have the fox guarding the henhouse. Just who do you think donated to their campaigns? Who do you think lobbied to get industry-friendly individuals on commissions? I'll give you a hint: they have all the money and their names rhyme with Oil and Gas.

6) Comment by Bighug - 27/11/2012

The water from deep aquifiers in this area contains so little hardness that it can be used with almost no pre-conditioning in things like boilers. That saves industry a lot of money, but It doesn't excuse them from using so much it lowers the water table.