City of Opelousas Earns “A” Water Grade from Louisiana
Department of Health
Opelousas, LA, MAY 6 2026 — Statement from Mayor Julius Alsandor
Today is a proud and historic day for the City of Opelousas.
The City of Opelousas Water System has officially received an A water grade from the
Louisiana Department of Health, earning a score of 91 out of 100 for 2025. This is a major
improvement from the City’s former D rating, which had been in place since 2022. The
2025 report also shows that the City met key requirements in federal water quality,
financial sustainability, operations and maintenance, infrastructure, and other areas
reviewed by the state.
This achievement represents years of hard work, accountability, and commitment. Since
2022, our administration has worked closely with the Compliance Agent to address
deficiencies at the water plant and reservoir. Significant improvements have been made
to our water plant, and the Administrative Order issued by the State of Louisiana in 2018
concerning the water grade has now been lifted.
Water system grades evaluate a community water system’s long-term ability to provide
safe drinking water to residents. The Louisiana Department of Health reviews several
categories, including federal water quality, state violations, financial sustainability,
operations and maintenance, infrastructure, customer satisfaction, and secondary
contaminants. Meeting the requirements for an A grade is not easy, and I want our
residents to understand that this is a tremendous accomplishment for our city.
I am extremely proud of the hard work of our administration, our Water Department, and our facilities
staff. Their dedication, long hours, and steady focus helped the City of Opelousas reach this milestone
ahead of the timeline that was originally projected.
I am also humbled by the congratulations and support we have received from fellow mayors
throughout the state. This moment belongs to the people of Opelousas. It shows what can happen
when we stay focused, work together, and continue investing in the future of our city.
There is still a lot of work to be done to improve the water system, and we are continuing to make
improvements to improve and strengthen our water system for generations to come. Some of the
remaining improvements include upgrades to the water treatment facility, replacement of problematic
galvanized steel water mains and services, and replacement of several water mains currently out of
service, to name a few. But today, we celebrate progress and the men and women who helped make
this possible. And today, we celebrate Opelousas.
