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Show LOUISIANA 349 civil damages in suits instituted by the attorney general in the name of the State.9 The provision does not apply to "unintentional pollu- tion or contamination resulting from or in connection with the pro- duction of agricultural products." b. OTHER PUBLIC WATER AGENCIES Louisiana provides, by constitution and statute, for a number of entities which have important water resource responsibilities. Aside from the stream control commission mentioned above, the following agencies and entities should be noted: (1) The department of public works conducts the administrative functions of the State in connection with the planning, design, sur- vey, construction, operation, maintenance, and repair of levees, canals, dams, locks, spillways, reservoirs, drainage systems, irrigation sys- tems, inland navigation projects, flood control, and river improve- ment programs; and provides engineering, advisory, and economic aid to certain units of local government and special purpose districts. The department may also drain and reclaim marsh, swamp, and overflow lands to control floods and promote settlement and develop- ment.10 (2) The department of conservation is directed by a commissioner of conservation, with jurisdiction over all natural resources of the State not specifically within the jurisdiction of other State depart- ments. With respect to water, the primary legislative concern seems to be to prevent water from intruding into oil or gas strata or from drowning strata capable of producing oil and gas in paying quanti- ties; however, the commissioner is directed to protect certain water supplies, since he is to prevent pollution of fresh water supplies by oil, gas, or salt water, and he must find and determine that use of an underground reservoir for storage of natural gas will not contaminate formations containing fresh water.11 (3) The Bayou Lafourche Fresh Water District is authorized by the State constitution12 for the purpose of furnishing fresh water from the Mississippi Kiver to the communities within the district boundaries and to charge on a gallonage basis for water so delivered. The district is created within the parishes of Ascension, Assumption, and Lafourche. The legislature has enacted a number of statutes to implement the organization and operation of the district.13 (4) The Iatt Lake Water Conservation District was implemented as well as authorized by constitutional mandate, since the provision declares itself to be "self-sufficient and self-executing without any supplementary action on the part of the Legislature.14 The constitu- tional provision describes the district boundaries, declares broad pur- poses, and bestows rather sweeping powers. The basic purposes of the district are to furnish fresh water to cities, towns, villages, in- dustries, corporations, and persons both within and outside of the district; to preserve, store, control, conserve, utilize, and distribute »1 La. acts, 1970, act 405, p. 997. 10 Sees. 38.2 through 38.6. 11 Sees. 30.1, 30.4. and 30.22. 12 La. const, art. 11, sec. 3. 13 See, for example, act 113 of 1950, act 191 of 1952, act 192 of 1952, and act 566 of 1952. M La. const., art. 15, sec. 4. |