City Grapples With Water Woes
BOBBY ARDOIN
Editor/Consulting Writer
The obsolete and deteriorating condition of the Opelousas city water system was discussed publicly and at length by city officials during a special meeting at City Hall on Monday night.
What’s at stake at this point is a potential state takeover of the municipal water department operation if the city does not quickly implement an improvement plan which involves approval for possibly $27.5 million in Louisiana Department of Health loans pending Board of Aldermen approval.
LDH officials have given the city grades of no higher than a “D” over the last three years, during LDH annual municipal and rural water system inspections and report cards.
A presentation conducted by city engineer William Jarrell III at the meeting, outlined in detail the water system deficiencies which Jarrell estimates have accumulated primarily due to lack of intervention by several previous city administrations.
“This is something that doesn’t happen overnight. It’s been an ongoing issue for the city for years and that’s the bottom line. Now (the city) has an opportunity to address this,” Opelousas Mayor Julius Alsandor said.
The current issues the city is experiencing with daily water loss, distribution and operational inadequacies resembles a situation hovering near life support, according to Jarrell.
“If you do nothing, then the (water system) will fail. You can look at possibly consolidating with other systems, but there are none in the area that are large enough. New facilities will cost you hundreds of millions of dollars,” Jarrell said.
While Jarrell acknowledged the frequent customer complaints involving citywide water leaks and drops in pressure, he said the problems with fixing city water issues require more intricate solutions.
In order to help satisfy state compliance, Jarrell indicated the city needs to address upgrades for the entire system, which means repairing and upgrading treatment wells, water lines and hiring more state-certified personnel to oversee daily operation of the water department.
The city, Jarrell said, has no funds to improve the municipal water treatment facility, but Jarrell presented a six-phase improvement plan that if completed, might bring the city into state compliance.
While LDH officials have pointed to issues with potentially inadequate water storage, Jarrell said all city water wells need improvement. Galvanized service lines need to be replaced with plastic pipe and non-functioning fire hydrants need to be addressed.
Jarrell said the proposed low interest LDH loan structure that will be reviewed and considered for Board of Aldermen approval, will probably be needed in order to get the water system in compliance with state standards.
“The LDH is going to require proof that the city will be able to pay the loan back,” Jarrell said.
Overall Jarrell thinks it might cost the city $34 million to solve the myriad of water problems, but Jarrell thinks that amount could be reduced by qualifying for capital outlay funding.
State representative Dustin Miller, who attended the meeting, implored the Board to avoid any delays.
“You need to get people hired so you can run it like a business. If you move (quickly), then (state lawmakers) can move (quickly). There is infrastructure money coming from all over the place. You need to look at that and start today,” Miller added.

