Louisiana Water Restrictions 2026

Water restrictions across Louisiana right now

Louisiana enters 2026 in a position that few Gulf Coast states can claim heading into a warming season: no active water restrictions anywhere in the state. Neither Baton Rouge nor New Orleans — the two largest population centers and the most closely monitored municipalities in the Louisiana Department of Health's public water system registry — have issued mandatory or voluntary outdoor watering limits as of early 2026. That means residents from Shreveport in the northwest to Houma along the bayous in the southeast are drawing from their taps without restriction, a circumstance driven by a combination of above-average precipitation throughout late 2025 and favorable storage conditions in the state's principal surface water systems.

The absence of restrictions does not mean Louisiana is immune to water stress. The state's geography — low elevation, high humidity, and a network of rivers and wetlands that are heavily influenced by upstream agricultural and municipal withdrawals — creates vulnerabilities that bear little resemblance to the reservoir-depletion crises common to western states. Louisiana's water managers watch salinity intrusion from the Gulf of Mexico, subsidence-driven aquifer compaction, and industrial withdrawal rates with the same intensity that drought managers in Texas or Arizona watch storage percentages at major impoundments.

The U.S. Drought Monitor classified all of Louisiana as Normal or D0 — abnormally dry at worst in isolated parishes — at the start of 2026, with no D1 through D4 drought categories applied statewide. That designation reflects precipitation totals across the Red River basin in the northwest, the Atchafalaya basin in the south-central region, and the Lake Pontchartrain watershed around metropolitan New Orleans that all tracked at or above the 30-year normal. The Mississippi River, which flanks Baton Rouge and New Orleans for hundreds of miles, maintained gauge readings well within navigable and ecologically healthy ranges entering the year.

Municipal water systems in Louisiana are managed locally, but they operate under the umbrella of the Louisiana Department of Health's Office of Public Health, which sets water quality and adequacy standards. Utilities in cities like Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, and Alexandria have not issued any emergency declarations or conservation advisories. Parishes along the Gulf, including Terrebonne and Lafourche, are managing freshwater delivery challenges related more to storm-driven infrastructure stress from recent hurricane seasons than to drought-related shortfalls.

For Louisiana residents, the practical meaning of current conditions is straightforward: outdoor irrigation is unrestricted, car washing is permitted without time-of-day limitations, and no utility has activated tiered penalty pricing for excess use. However, water managers and environmental advocates consistently remind the public that baseline conservation habits — eliminating visible leaks, avoiding midday evaporative watering loss during summer, and choosing drought-tolerant plantings — protect the state's long-term supply security regardless of whether a restriction is formally in place.

Fines and enforcement in Louisiana

Louisiana's enforcement of water restrictions is primarily a municipal utility matter, and penalty structures vary considerably from one water system to the next. There is no statewide mandatory fine schedule established by statute for outdoor water restriction violations, which means residents should consult their local utility's drought contingency plan to understand what financial exposure they face during any future restriction period.

In Baton Rouge, the East Baton Rouge Parish Water System's drought contingency plan outlines a graduated warning structure. A first violation during Stage Two restrictions results in a written warning with no monetary penalty. A second violation within the same restriction period generates a fine of $50. Third and subsequent violations escalate to $100 per incident, and the utility reserves authority to reduce service pressure or install a flow restrictor at the meter for habitual violators at Stage Three or Stage Four.

New Orleans' Sewerage and Water Board enforces restrictions through a combination of customer service representatives and, increasingly, data analysis from its advanced metering infrastructure network. The Board has installed smart meters across large portions of the city's service area. These meters transmit usage data at hourly intervals, allowing analysts to identify accounts with sustained irrigation-period spikes during restricted hours. First-time violators typically receive a courtesy call and letter; repeat offenders face fines beginning at $75 per violation day.

Complaint-driven enforcement is the primary detection mechanism for most Louisiana utilities outside of major cities. Residents who observe neighbors violating restrictions can file reports through utility websites or by calling customer service lines. Anonymous complaints are accepted by most systems, including the Shreveport Water and Sewerage Department and the Lafayette Utilities System. Once a complaint is logged, a field inspector visits the property. If a violation is confirmed, the notice period begins.

Appeals are handled administratively rather than through courts in most Louisiana systems. A utility customer who believes they received an unjust fine may request a hearing before the utility's administrative review board, which typically convenes within 30 days of a written appeal submission. Medical necessity exceptions — for example, properties with registered outdoor medical equipment requiring continuous water flow — can receive documented exemptions from outdoor restriction schedules. Businesses with legitimate operational needs, such as commercial nurseries or food service establishments, can apply for conditional use permits during restriction periods that authorize limited exceptions from standard schedules.

HOA protections in Louisiana

Louisiana does not have a statute specifically preempting homeowners' association landscaping mandates in the context of water restrictions — a legal gap that matters practically when drought restrictions prevent residents from maintaining the lawn standards their HOA covenants require. This contrasts with states like Texas and Florida, which have enacted explicit provisions shielding residents from HOA fines during declared water restrictions.

The primary Louisiana statute governing homeowners' associations is the Louisiana Homeowners Association Act, codified at Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 9, Sections 1141.1 through 1141.9. This law, enacted in 1999 and subsequently amended, establishes the basic governance framework for residential planned communities but does not contain explicit language addressing the intersection of HOA covenants and government-imposed water restriction orders. Section 1141.8 does provide that HOA rules and restrictions cannot conflict with applicable law, which some legal interpretations have used to argue that a state-declared mandatory restriction order would supersede an HOA's turf maintenance requirement.

However, because Louisiana has not specifically tested this statutory interpretation through appellate courts in the water restriction context, the practical advice from Louisiana legal aid organizations is that residents facing HOA action during a restriction period should document their compliance with the governmental restriction order, provide written notice to the HOA that they are following a mandatory government order, and request a temporary suspension of covenant enforcement during the restriction period. Most HOA boards, when presented with a formal government restriction order, will grant informal holds on enforcement rather than risk the reputational and legal exposure of pursuing a fine against a resident complying with government law.

During the 2011 and 2012 drought periods, when parts of northwest Louisiana experienced voluntary conservation advisories, some Shreveport-area HOAs voluntarily suspended lawn appearance requirements for the duration of the advisory. No litigation resulted. The Louisiana Legislature has not advanced any bill through committee as of early 2026 that would create an explicit HOA preemption provision for water restriction compliance, leaving residents to navigate the ambiguity through HOA board communication and, if necessary, civil dispute resolution mechanisms provided under Section 1141.7 of the Act.

Where Louisiana gets its water

Louisiana sits atop one of the most water-rich landscapes in North America, yet the nature of that abundance is complicated. Surface water is plentiful, but its quality, salinity, and accessibility vary enormously across the state's diverse hydrology. The Mississippi River is the dominant freshwater source for southeastern Louisiana, including New Orleans and the communities of the River Parishes stretching from St. Charles to West Baton Rouge. The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans draws directly from the Mississippi, making it one of the largest river-fed municipal systems in the country. The East Baton Rouge Parish Water System similarly relies on the Mississippi as its primary intake.

In the northern and central portions of the state, the Red River and its tributaries — including the Saline Bayou and the Loggy Bayou — serve as critical surface water sources for Shreveport, Bossier City, and smaller communities in Sabine, Natchitoches, and Red River parishes. Caddo Lake, straddling the Louisiana-Texas border near Shreveport, contributes to regional supply for northwest Louisiana, though its water levels are sensitive to upstream withdrawals in Texas. Toledo Bend Reservoir, the largest man-made body of water in the South by surface area, lies on the Sabine River along the Louisiana-Texas border and supplies water to communities in Vernon, Sabine, and De Soto parishes.

The Atchafalaya River, the distributary of the Mississippi that carries roughly 30 percent of the combined Mississippi-Red River flow southward through the Atchafalaya Basin, serves communities in St. Mary, Iberia, and St. Martin parishes. The Vermilion River, which draws from the Atchafalaya system, serves Lafayette's Utilities and Community Services division. Lake Charles, the seat of Calcasieu Parish in southwest Louisiana, draws from the Calcasieu River and maintains local storage in Lake Charles itself, a natural tidal lake connected to the Calcasieu estuary.

Groundwater plays a critical role in north Louisiana, where the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer underlies much of the region from Bienville Parish south through Winn, Grant, and LaSalle parishes. The Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer is the primary agricultural groundwater source in northeastern Louisiana parishes like Madison, East Carroll, and Tensas. In the New Orleans metropolitan area, the shallow Mississippi River Alluvial Aquifer supplies a significant portion of non-municipal groundwater, though saltwater intrusion from the Gulf increasingly threatens its freshwater lens in coastal parishes. Subsidence — the gradual compaction of sediment layers caused by both natural processes and groundwater withdrawal — is an existential threat to aquifer sustainability in south Louisiana, where some areas sink at rates exceeding one inch per year.

How Louisiana's drought framework works

Louisiana does not operate under a single codified statewide drought response statute the way some western states do, but it maintains a structured interagency framework that coordinates action when conditions deteriorate. The Louisiana Office of Conservation, housed within the Department of Natural Resources, serves as the primary authority over groundwater withdrawals and is the lead agency when aquifer stress emerges. The Louisiana Department of Health's Office of Public Health simultaneously monitors public water system adequacy, and the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness can activate emergency protocols that override local utility decisions when a declared drought constitutes a public health threat.

The trigger metrics Louisiana uses are drawn from several overlapping data streams. The U.S. Drought Monitor's weekly classification — produced jointly by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Drought Mitigation Center — serves as the primary threshold indicator. When the Drought Monitor shows D2 (severe drought) covering more than 25 percent of the state, the Department of Natural Resources typically convenes a formal interagency drought task force. D3 (extreme drought) triggers formal conservation advisories. D4 (exceptional drought) can prompt the Governor to request a federal disaster declaration under the Stafford Act.

At the utility level, most major Louisiana water systems operate under their own internally adopted drought contingency plans. These plans generally follow a four-stage ladder. Stage One activates when a utility's source water falls to a defined threshold — often 70 percent of normal intake capacity — and calls for voluntary public conservation messaging. Stage Two, typically activated at 60 percent capacity or when a D2 Drought Monitor designation covers the service area, introduces voluntary odd-even outdoor watering schedules. Stage Three at 50 percent capacity triggers mandatory restrictions on outdoor irrigation, car washing, and ornamental water features. Stage Four, a genuine emergency level, suspends all non-essential water use and may authorize the utility to interrupt service for non-compliance.

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry tracks agricultural water stress separately through its network of weather stations affiliated with the LSU AgCenter. The AgCenter publishes weekly crop water use reports based on evapotranspiration data from stations located in major agricultural parishes including Concordia, Pointe Coupee, and St. Landry. These reports inform decisions about irrigation withdrawal permits issued under the Louisiana Groundwater Act of 1985, which established the state's registration system for large-volume groundwater users drawing more than 50,000 gallons per day.

Parish-level emergency declarations can also accelerate drought response independently of state action. Jefferson Parish, St. Tammany Parish, and East Baton Rouge Parish all have charter authority to declare local water emergencies and impose mandatory restrictions without waiting for state authorization, though they must coordinate with the Department of Health to ensure public water system compliance standards are maintained throughout any restriction period.

Conservation programs in Louisiana

Despite the absence of current restrictions, Louisiana operates several active conservation programs through state agencies, utility authorities, and university extension services designed to reduce baseline water demand before drought conditions emerge.

The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources administers the Water Conservation and Efficiency Grant Program, which provides cost-sharing grants to municipalities and water utilities investing in infrastructure upgrades that reduce system losses. In its most recent funding cycle, the program awarded $1.2 million to the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury's waterworks district for meter replacement and leak detection equipment, and $875,000 to the City of Monroe's water system for pressure zone management improvements that the utility projected would reduce unaccounted-for water loss by 12 percent annually.

The LSU AgCenter operates the Louisiana Irrigation Management Extension Program, which provides free irrigation audits to agricultural producers in the Red River Valley and the Mississippi Delta parishes. Auditors assess center-pivot and furrow irrigation system efficiency, calculate crop water budgets using evapotranspiration data from the 40-station Louisiana Agriclimatic Information System network, and recommend scheduling adjustments that typically reduce irrigation water application by 15 to 25 percent without yield penalty. Commercial audits are available to large landscape and golf course operators for a sliding-scale fee beginning at $150.

The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans has distributed free water efficiency kits to residential customers since 2019. Each kit contains low-flow faucet aerators rated at 1.0 gallon per minute, a toilet tank displacement bag, and two low-flow showerheads rated at 1.5 gallons per minute. The program has distributed more than 18,000 kits through a mail-request system and in-person distribution events at the Board's Carrollton Avenue facility. The Board estimates aggregate savings from distributed kits at approximately 28 million gallons per year across the participating customer base.

Lafayette Utilities System offers a rebate program for high-efficiency toilet replacement. Customers who replace a pre-1994 toilet using 3.5 or more gallons per flush with a WaterSense-certified model rated at 1.28 gallons per flush or lower receive a $75 rebate per fixture, up to two fixtures per residential account annually. The program is funded through the utility's rate structure and has processed more than 4,200 rebate applications since its launch in 2021.

The Baton Rouge Water Company, a private utility serving portions of East Baton Rouge Parish not covered by the parish system, partners with the Alliance for Water Efficiency to provide online water use calculators and tailored conservation tips to its roughly 90,000 service connections. The company has not yet implemented a rebate program but has piloted a leak alert notification system using its advanced metering infrastructure that texts customers when meter data suggests a continuous flow event consistent with a running toilet or broken irrigation head.

Lawn care in Louisiana's climate

Louisiana's climate spans USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 8a through 9b, with the northern parishes cooler and drier than the subtropical coastal parishes near the Gulf. Lawn care decisions in Louisiana must account for high summer humidity, intense heat from June through September, mild winters that rarely impose extended dormancy, and soils that range from heavy clay in the Mississippi River floodplain to sandy loam in the Florida Parishes east of the Atchafalaya.

St. Augustinegrass is the dominant turfgrass in southern and coastal Louisiana, and for good reason. It tolerates the high soil moisture conditions and periodic flooding common in low-elevation parishes, establishes well in partial shade — a critical trait given the abundant mature oak and pecan canopy in older neighborhoods — and maintains color through most of the year in Zone 9 parishes. Varieties like Palmetto and Floratam are widely available at Louisiana garden centers. Floratam, developed partly for its resistance to chinch bug, performs well in the New Orleans, Houma, and Morgan City areas but is less cold-hardy and is not recommended for Shreveport or Monroe.

Centipedegrass is popular in north Louisiana and in the Florida Parishes from Covington east through St. Tammany, Washington, and Tangipahoa parishes. It requires less fertilizer than most warm-season grasses, making it relatively low-maintenance, and performs adequately on the acidic sandy soils common in that region. Its low water demand compared to St. Augustine makes it a conservation-friendly choice during drought advisories. Centipede is particularly sensitive to high-phosphorus fertilizers, which can cause decline — a common mistake among homeowners unfamiliar with the species.

Bermudagrass is the grass of choice for Louisiana sports fields, golf course fairways, and sunny residential lawns across all climate zones in the state. Common Bermuda establishes aggressively from seed, while hybrid varieties like Tifway 419 and TifTuf — a drought-tolerant selection bred specifically for reduced irrigation demand — are increasingly used in commercial landscapes and water-conscious residential applications. TifTuf has demonstrated 38 percent greater drought tolerance than standard Tifway 419 in university trials, making it a compelling option as Louisiana faces warmer future summers. Zoysiagrass, particularly the varieties Zeon and Empire, is gaining traction in the New Orleans metro as a shade-tolerant, lower-maintenance alternative to St. Augustine, though its slower establishment from plugs or sod requires patience through the first growing season.

Drought history and 2026 outlook in Louisiana

Louisiana's most severe modern drought on instrumental record struck in 2000, a year when the entire state experienced exceptional dryness from late summer through fall. The Red River dropped to levels not recorded since the 1930s near Shreveport, and Toledo Bend Reservoir — which had been managing water levels cooperatively with Texas under the Sabine River Compact — fell to storage levels that triggered emergency compact negotiations. Agricultural losses across the Red River Valley parishes exceeded $300 million, and several small public water systems in Bienville and Winn parishes requested emergency supply assistance from the state.

The 2007 drought affected primarily the northern tier of Louisiana, with Caddo, Bossier, Claiborne, and Union parishes recording precipitation deficits of 10 to 14 inches below normal from March through October. The Saline Bayou, a tributary of the Red River system, reached critically low flows that threatened intake capacity for communities in Winn Parish. The Shreveport Water and Sewerage Department implemented Stage One voluntary restrictions during August and September 2007 — the first formal restriction period for that utility in nearly a decade.

In 2011 and 2012, the La Niña-driven drought that devastated Texas extended its reach into Louisiana's northwestern parishes. Caddo Lake dropped to near-record low levels during the summer of 2011. The Sabine River Authority reported Toledo Bend Reservoir at approximately 55 percent of conservation pool capacity in October 2011, a level that triggered curtailed water releases under the Texas-Louisiana compact. Bossier City issued Stage Two mandatory restrictions in September 2011, the most stringent restriction order that city had issued in 20 years.

The 2016 Louisiana floods demonstrated the paradoxical nature of the state's water challenge: catastrophic flooding in the Amite River and Comite River basins in August 2016 caused $10 billion in damage while aquifer recharge records were simultaneously broken in some areas. Saltwater intrusion in coastal Plaquemines Parish worsened following Hurricanes Katrina in 2005 and Rita in 2005, compelling the Orleans Parish water system to install additional salinity monitoring at its Mississippi River intakes. The 2023 drought affecting parts of central Louisiana produced the driest August on record in Alexandria, with the Red River gauge at Alexandria recording its lowest August average flow in 40 years.

Climate forecasters entering 2026 are tracking a transition from the weak La Niña pattern that influenced Gulf Coast precipitation during late 2025 toward ENSO-neutral conditions by mid-year. For Louisiana, La Niña historically correlates with drier-than-normal winters and springs in the northern half of the state, while ENSO-neutral years tend to produce near-normal to slightly above-normal precipitation across the Gulf Coast. The transition means that the favorable supply conditions Louisiana enjoys entering 2026 may face modest stress by late spring if the transition delays and northwestern parishes experience a dry March and April.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's seasonal outlook for spring 2026 assigns elevated probability of above-normal temperatures across Louisiana, which increases evapotranspiration demand on both agricultural and municipal water systems. Higher temperatures without corresponding precipitation increases can push soil moisture deficits toward D0 and potentially D1 classification by June even without a dramatic rainfall deficit, simply through accelerated evaporative demand.

Water managers along the Red River corridor in Shreveport and Bossier City are watching upstream agricultural withdrawals in the Oklahoma and Texas portions of the Red River watershed with particular attention, as upstream irrigation demand during a warm spring could reduce flows reaching Louisiana before summer storm systems arrive. The Sabine River Authority has flagged early monitoring of Toledo Bend Reservoir's storage trajectory as a priority item for the 2026 operating season.

In coastal parishes, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority is monitoring salinity intrusion forecasts tied to Mississippi River flow projections. Lower river flows during summer, which are statistically more probable in ENSO-neutral transition years, could allow saltwater wedges from the Gulf to penetrate further upstream, threatening the raw water quality at New Orleans' Carrollton Water Treatment Plant intakes. Louisiana's coastal residents and water managers should watch the Corps of Engineers' river stage forecasts at Tarbert Landing throughout the summer as a leading indicator of intake quality stress.

Frequently asked questions about Louisiana water restrictions

Are there any active water restrictions in Louisiana in 2026?

No. As of early 2026, no Louisiana municipality has issued active mandatory or voluntary outdoor water restrictions. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows normal moisture conditions statewide, and the major water systems in Baton Rouge and New Orleans are operating without conservation orders in effect. Residents should check their individual utility's website for real-time updates, as conditions can change during summer months if above-normal temperatures drive soil moisture deficits.

Who decides when Louisiana imposes water restrictions?

Water restriction decisions in Louisiana are made primarily at the utility level, with oversight from the Louisiana Department of Health's Office of Public Health and, for groundwater withdrawal curtailments, the Louisiana Office of Conservation within the Department of Natural Resources. There is no single state official who issues a blanket statewide restriction order. Each utility activates its own drought contingency plan stages based on source water availability, system storage, and regional drought classifications from the U.S. Drought Monitor. Parish-level emergency declarations can also accelerate restrictions independently of state action.

Does Louisiana get its water from wells or rivers?

Both, depending on location. Southern Louisiana — including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and the River Parishes — relies primarily on the Mississippi River as a surface water source. Central and southwestern communities draw from the Atchafalaya River, Vermilion River, and Calcasieu River systems. Northwestern communities, including Shreveport, rely on the Red River and Toledo Bend Reservoir on the Sabine River. In north-central Louisiana, communities draw substantially from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer. Northeastern agricultural communities depend heavily on the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer. Many rural communities statewide use groundwater exclusively.

Can my HOA fine me for a brown lawn during a water restriction?

This is a legal gray area in Louisiana. The Louisiana Homeowners Association Act, found at Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 9, Sections 1141.1 through 1141.9, does not explicitly prohibit HOA enforcement during government-imposed water restrictions. Section 1141.8 states that HOA rules cannot conflict with applicable law, and many attorneys interpret a mandatory government restriction order as superseding HOA covenant requirements. However, this has not been definitively settled by Louisiana appellate courts. If your HOA attempts to fine you during a declared mandatory restriction period, document your compliance with the government order, notify the HOA board in writing, and request a temporary enforcement hold. Most boards will suspend enforcement voluntarily when presented with the legal context.

What is Toledo Bend Reservoir and why does it matter for Louisiana water supply?

Toledo Bend Reservoir is the largest man-made reservoir in the southern United States by surface area, created by the impoundment of the Sabine River on the Louisiana-Texas border. It spans approximately 185,000 surface acres and is managed jointly by the Sabine River Authority of Louisiana and the Sabine River Authority of Texas under a compact. The reservoir serves as the primary drinking water source for communities in Vernon, Sabine, De Soto, and Shelby parishes on the Louisiana side. During the 2011-2012 drought, its storage fell to roughly 55 percent of conservation pool, triggering compact-level negotiations over release schedules. In normal years, including 2026, the reservoir maintains healthy storage levels sufficient for all municipal and industrial needs.

What happens to New Orleans' water supply if the Mississippi River runs low?

When Mississippi River flows decline significantly — as can happen during late summer in drier years — saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico can intrude upstream as a dense, wedge-shaped current along the river's bottom. The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans draws water from the river at its Carrollton Water Treatment Plant, and salt intrusion can degrade raw water quality even before it reaches the water table under the city. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates a sill — an underwater barrier — near Simmesport to slow salt wedge advance, and the Corps can adjust operations at Old River Control Structure to maintain freshwater flows past New Orleans. A similar salt intrusion event in 2023 prompted emergency water blending plans and public advisories, and the Corps has developed more detailed response protocols as a result.

Does Louisiana offer any rebates for water-efficient appliances?

Yes, though programs vary by utility. Lafayette Utilities System offers a $75 rebate per WaterSense-certified toilet replacement, up to two per residential account per year, for customers replacing pre-1994 high-volume fixtures. The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans distributes free efficiency kits including 1.0-gallon-per-minute faucet aerators and 1.5-gallon-per-minute showerheads through a mail request program at no cost to customers. The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources administers the Water Conservation and Efficiency Grant Program for utilities and municipalities, which in its most recent cycle awarded nearly $2 million in infrastructure grants. Residents should contact their local utility directly, as program availability, rebate amounts, and eligibility criteria differ across water systems and change with each fiscal year budget cycle.

When is the riskiest season for water shortages in Louisiana?

Late summer — typically August through mid-October — represents the highest-risk period for water supply stress in Louisiana. This window coincides with the end of the Gulf storm season's rainfall contribution, the peak of evapotranspiration demand driven by high temperatures and humidity, and the period when spring soil moisture reserves are most depleted. Northwestern parishes along the Red River are vulnerable earlier, often showing agricultural stress by mid-July during drier years. Coastal parishes face the compounding risk of hurricane-driven storm surge introducing salinity into nearshore freshwater intakes during this same window. Water managers at the Sabine River Authority and the East Baton Rouge Parish Water System both maintain their highest operational vigilance from August through October.