Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana: drinking water report. Calcasieu Parish in southwest Louisiana has about 203,000 residents, with Lake Charles as the parish…
Calcasieu Parish in southwest Louisiana has about 203,000 residents, with Lake Charles as the parish seat. The parish draws water from the Chicot Aquifer and surface sources including the Calcasieu River. Petrochemical manufacturing and LNG export facilities line the Calcasieu Ship Channel, making this another Gulf Coast community where industrial activity and drinking water supply exist in close proximity.
The Calcasieu Ship Channel is one of the most heavily industrialized waterways in the Gulf South. According to the Louisiana DEQ's 2024 water quality monitoring report, the channel and its tributaries receive permitted discharges from 42 industrial facilities. While the public water supply draws primarily from groundwater rather than surface water, contamination from surface sources can migrate into the shallow aquifer through the sandy Gulf Coast geology.
The Sasol chemical complex, one of the largest industrial developments in Louisiana history, began full production in the parish in 2019. A 2024 LDEQ compliance report documented elevated ethylene oxide in ambient air near the facility. PFAS has also been detected in the parish – Chennault International Airport's historical AFFF use contributed PFOS at 24 ppt to monitoring wells in the vicinity.
Calcasieu Parish residents on the Chicot Aquifer benefit from groundwater that is naturally filtered through sand and clay layers. However, the concentration of industrial activity in the parish means vigilance about emerging contaminants is warranted.
Check your water for the latest monitoring data. For PFAS and industrial compounds, reverse osmosis at the tap is the strongest household option. Our water filter guide compares systems suited to Gulf Coast water. Pull your detailed report for local trends, and visit our Louisiana page for statewide data.
Drinking water is one exposure route. These federal datasets also cover Calcasieu Parish, LA.
The EPA places Calcasieu 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.
43% of homes in Calcasieu Parish, LA were built before 1980, and 8% 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 Calcasieu Parish, LA averages 8.9 µg/m³, within 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