Shenandoah Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Shenandoah, Louisiana, in East Baton Rouge Parish — an unincorporated East Baton Rouge Parish community adjacent to Baton Rouge and Baker, in the southeast Baton Rouge suburban corridor — receives its municipal water from the Baton Rouge Water Company (BRWC), drawing from the Mississippi River at the BRWC Scotlandville or Bayou Plaquemine intake in East Baton Rouge Parish.

The moderately hard 136 mg/L hardness and TDS of 326.3 mg/L reflect the Mississippi River's complex continental drainage character at Baton Rouge. The Mississippi at Baton Rouge receives runoff from across the continental interior — Ordovician Cincinnati Arch limestone (Upper Midwest and Ohio Valley), Cretaceous Austin Chalk and calcareous marl (Texas-Arkansas), Devonian carbonate (Great Lakes region), and calcareous Pleistocene loess (major contributor throughout the Mississippi valley) — producing the moderately hard supply.

At 136 mg/L, Shenandoah's water is moderately hard — scale builds in kettles and appliances over months, dishwashers benefit from rinse aid, and faucet aerators need periodic cleaning. Quarterly descaling is appropriate. The PFAS level of 12.0 ppt is very elevated and warrants a certified reverse osmosis drinking water filter — the Baton Rouge petrochemical industrial corridor (one of the largest petrochemical concentrations in the US — the Cancer Alley industrial complex), Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans (AFFF), and the Mississippi River-Louisiana industrial PFAS legacy contribute to Shenandoah's very elevated readings.