About Us
What is CAGCD?
The Capital Area Groundwater Conservation District is a governmental entity established to manage and regulate the use of groundwater resources within parishes of Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana. The District was created to address the pressing need for sustainable management of groundwater, which is a vital source of fresh water for drinking, irrigation, industrial processes, and more.
Our Mission Statement
The mission of the Capital Area Groundwater Conservation District is to provide for the efficient administration, conservation, orderly development, and supplementation of groundwater resources in the parishes of Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana.
The Capital Area Groundwater Conservation District will develop, promote, and implement management strategies to provide for the conservation, preservation, protection, recharging, and prevention of waste of the groundwater resources over which it has jurisdictional authority, for the benefit of the people that the Capital Area District serves.
Louisiana Capital Area
Louisiana's State Capital is at the heart of the Capital Area Groundwater Conservation District
Our History
The Capital Area Groundwater Conservation District was created by the Louisiana Legislature through Act 678 of 1974 due to concerns in the region including water level declines of as much as 400 feet, saltwater encroachment in several local aquifers, and land subsidence caused by over-pumping of groundwater. The District’s governing commission began work in January 1975. Learn More
Executive Director
Gary J. Beard
Gary J. Beard is a lifelong resident of Baton Rouge and is a graduate of LSU in Civil Engineering with over 40 years of experience in consulting engineering and Program Management. His technical expertise has been forged over the decades in the fields of water and wastewater treatment with thousands of designs on projects worldwide. He is a registered professional engineer with numerous patents on environmental treatment systems. He has coauthored numerous technical articles and was a contributing author on clarification in the Engineering Manual of Practice, Fourth Edition, Design of Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants.
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Mr. Beard also served two terms in the Louisiana House of Representatives serving on the Transportation, Natural Resources, and Environment Committees and was also the author of the Louisiana Reclaimed Water Law. He also served as the Chairman of the Select Committee on Cellular and Regenerative Technologies.
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Mr. Beard also served as a Board Member on the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport Commission from 2011 – 2016 which oversaw numerous projects which expanded and improved the aviation facilities and infrastructure.
Board of Commissioners
The Board of Commissioners is the decision-making body for the Capital Area Groundwater
Conservation District. The Board meets periodically throughout the year, no less than quarterly, and as often as necessary. Upcoming meetings are posted under Events.
The official record of the Board of Commissioners for the Capital Area Groundwater District is available on the Louisiana State Legislature website. Click here to view.
District Personnel
Kellie McNamara, PE
Deputy Director
Lisa Manda
Commission Liaison
Jennifer VanValkenburg
Administrative Assistant
Governing Documents
Powers and Duties
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Regulations
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Policies and Bylaws
Financial Audits
​The District contracts an independent auditor to conduct fiscal-year-end audits of finances and practices. Click here to view historic audits.