Speakers

Rachael Mathews

Rachael Mathews joined the Water Planning and Assessment Division at the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality in May of 2017 and was promoted to Environmental Scientist Manager of the Water Quality Standards and Assessment Section in April of 2023. Previously, Rachael had worked with the Louisiana Department of Health – Molluscan Shellfish Program for more than fourteen years. She graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and earned a Master’s degree in Biology from the University of Nebraska. A Louisiana native, Rachael enjoys reading, hiking, and traveling with family and friends as often as possible.

Presentation Description

The Integrated Report (IR) is the current format for Louisiana's biennial documentation on the water quality of Louisiana surface waters. Publishing the report is a requirement of the federal Clean Water Act. The IR is based primarily on ambient water sampling conducted by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) but other credible sources of data can be and are used in the report. The report gives a picture of the health of the waterways by noting the support of designated uses (such as primary and secondary contact recreation). LDEQ currently provides assessments for 497 watersheds, called subsegments. These boundaries define discrete areas to which Louisiana’s water quality criteria apply. All IR documentation can be found at https://deq.louisiana.gov/page/louisiana-water-quality-integrated-report.

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