Lakes Around Governor’s Mansion Among Louisiana’s Most Polluted

Chances are if you've lived in Louisiana for more than a hot minute you have seen a picture of Louisiana's Governor's Mansion. The "campus" sits on a 60-acre site that is dotted with trees and lawns and features an incredible view of the lakes and the natural beauty that so many cherish in Louisiana.

What you don't see when you look out of Louisiana's Governor's mansion is the environmental disaster that is so out of control the Capitol Lakes have been placed on a special list by the Environmental Protection Agency. 

In late 2022 the pollution situation at the Capitol Lakes was so bad that then Governor Edwards asked the EPA to place them on their National Priorities List. This designation was granted in March of last year and now the Capitol Lakes remediation project ranks higher than many other environmental situations around the country.

One of the main contaminants found in and around the Capitol Lakes is polychlorinated biphenyls most of the time they are referred to as PCBs. These chemical compounds can cause liver damage if consumed and skin irritation for those who come in contact with them.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality has long warned residents against the eating of fish caught from the waters in and around the state capitol. They warn against having contact with the soil and sediment that has settled in and around the banks of the lakes. Incidentally, the LaDEQ has an interactive map showing where trouble spots are around the state.

As of today, the remediation of the Capitol Lakes has not begun which means all the precautions are still in effect. Those close to the situation say clean-up or remediation usually begins within three to five years after a location has been placed on the Superfund Priority List, so we may still have a few more years of troubled waters next to the Governor's Mansion in Baton Rouge.