Caddo Parish, Louisiana: drinking water report. Caddo Parish in northwest Louisiana has about 240,000 residents, with Shreveport as the parish seat.
Caddo Parish in northwest Louisiana has about 240,000 residents, with Shreveport as the parish seat. Water comes from Cross Lake and deep groundwater wells. The parish sits atop the Haynesville Shale, one of the most productive natural gas formations in the country, and drilling activity adds a modern contamination concern alongside the area's industrial legacy.
Cross Lake, Shreveport's primary water source, has experienced water quality challenges from urban runoff and upstream discharges. According to LDEQ's 2024 lake monitoring report, total phosphorus in Cross Lake averaged 0.065 mg/L – contributing to algal growth that produces taste-and-odor compounds during summer months.
Natural gas drilling in the Haynesville Shale brought thousands of wells to the parish over the past decade. A 2024 Louisiana DNR report documented 47 drilling-related water quality complaints in Caddo Parish, though the state found that most involved pre-existing conditions rather than drilling impact. Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, adjacent to Caddo Parish, has documented PFAS contamination at 35 ppt in monitoring wells near fire training areas.
Caddo Parish residents on the Cross Lake supply may notice taste changes during summer algal season. A carbon filter at the tap handles taste and odor effectively. If you are on a private well near drilling activity, establishing a baseline water quality test before any nearby drilling begins gives you documentation if changes occur.
Check your water for current results. For taste issues and emerging contaminants, a carbon filter addresses most concerns. For PFAS near the air base, reverse osmosis is the better option. Our water filter guide covers both. Get your detailed report for trends, and visit our Louisiana page for statewide patterns.
Drinking water is one exposure route. These federal datasets also cover Caddo Parish, LA.
The EPA places Caddo Parish, LA in Zone 3 - the EPA's lowest-risk category, with a predicted average indoor radon level below 2 pCi/L. Zone maps predict an area's radon potential from geology and existing indoor readings; they say nothing about a specific house. Testing is the only way to know your own level.
59% of homes in Caddo Parish, LA were built before 1980, and 10% before 1950. Residential lead paint was banned in 1978, so housing age is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This describes the county's housing stock, not any one home.
Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) in Caddo Parish, LA averages 9.8 µg/m³, above the EPA's annual standard of 9 µg/m³. These are CDC modelled county estimates rather than readings from a specific monitor.
How radon zones work · Air quality by county · Lead exposure guide