Wastewater Treatment Program Under Scrutiny

Many Louisiana towns and parishes struggle with wastewater treatment and disposal, especially given the number of protected marsh areas. Residents and businesses are deeply involved in the debate over one controversial approach, and both sides argue that scientific evidence supports their position. The treatment in question is called wastewater assimilation, and the outcome of the dispute in Hammond could affect not only how wastewater is treated across the state but how companies do business as contractors with government agencies.

A water discharge pipe in Hammond stretches over 6 miles from a sewage treatment plant to the northwest part of a protected marsh. The pipeline runs over city land and is meant to reduce costs for treating wastewater. Promoters of the idea say that wastewater assimilation in wetlands allows for natural removal of pollutants, nutrients and impurities and even supports the growth of damaged wetlands areas. However, even supporters say that the water has to be treated before it is released into the marshes. If the city’s treatment process is insufficient, it could lead to greater pollution in the marsh and damage to the wetlands.