Calcasieu Estuary Watershed Database and Mapping Project Software & Data

Tumor found on Menhaden fish

The Calcasieu Estuary in southwest Louisiana is a highly productive estuarine habitat system that supports fisheries for shrimp, oysters, catfish, blue crabs, redfi sh, and menhaden.  Industrialization of the upper portion of the Calcasieu Estuary began in the 1940s with oil refineries and petrochemical industries predominating in the upper 10 miles of the 37-mile long estuary. Because of this history and accidental spills, the upper Calcasieu Estuary is contaminated with hazardous substances from Moss Lake in the south to the saltwater barrier north of Lake Charles. Portions of Bayous d'Inde, Olsen, and Verdine historically were severely contaminated, resulting in advisories against fish and shellfish consumption and swimming/water sports.

Scientists sampling in the Calcasieu Estuary

The Calcasieu Estuary watershed database and mapping project uses ArcView to show the geographic distribution of contaminant and toxicity test data from several U.S. EPA Superfund site investigations, RCRA offsite facility investigations, and other studies. Base maps depict habitat classifi cation, land use, bathymetry, industrial site locations, and other information. The project was used in combination with EPA's Fully Integrated Environmental Location Decision System (FIELDS) tool to assist in the development of a synoptic sediment and biota contaminant sampling plan.  As a result EPA, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) and the cooperative PRPs (e.g., PPG Industries, Conoco and Olin) completed sampling phases I and II. The efforts supported development of ecological and human health risk assessments associated with exposure to environmental contaminants in the Calcasieu Estuary. Both risk assessments are available for download at the U.S. EPA site below. The types of data sampled included sediment chemistry, sediment toxicity (invertebrates and fish), pore water toxicity, benthic invertebrate community structure, tissue chemistry (invertebrates and fish), and fish community status. The assessments will be used to identify areas of the estuary that should be addressed to reduce and mitigate risks due to hazardous substance exposures. The watershed project will be used by the agencies to show where risks exist in the estuary and to support remedial and restoration decision-making.

For more information on using this project:

Watershed Database and Mapping Projects An introduction to the ARD Watershed Database and Mapping Projects.

Query Manager and MARPLOT An introduction to the Query Manager and MARPLOT applications that are used extensively throughout the ARD watershed projects.

Ordering Watershed Database and Mapping Projects How to obtain a copy of the Calcasieu Estuary Watershed Project on CD-ROM.

U.S. EPA Calcasieu Estuary Initiative Visit the EPA Region 6 Calcasieu Estuary webpage for more information and resources. [leaves OR&R site]

Downloads & Publications:

Watershed Database and Mapping Projects Decision Support Tools Summary Document A PDF document describing ARD's Watershed Projects (Document format: PDF, size: 1.1 M)

Watershed Database and Mapping Projects/Calcasieu Estuary A PDF document describing ARD's Calcasieu Estuary Watershed Project (Document format: PDF, size: 1.6 M)

Query Manager Database - Calcasieu Estuary Download sediment, tissue, and toxicity data for the Calcasieu Estuary (Software format: application/ms-dos, size: 1.9 M)

MARPLOT Maps - Calcasieu Estuary Download MARPLOT map layers for the Calcasieu Estuary (Software format: application/ms-dos, size: 2.7 M)

Other Calcasieu Estuary Project Pages:

Calcasieu Estuary Watershed Database and Mapping Project Web Portal An introduction to the comprehensive Calcasieu Estuary Watershed Project web guide with information on the project background, focus areas, GIS data and tools, and resources.