BOBBY ARDOIN
Contributing Writer
City water service has been restored to an area of West Grolee Street following repair work on a main water line, but residents and businesses in the area are cautioned that a boil water advisory remains effective, Opelousas Mayor Julius Alsandor said on Monday night.
Portions of Grolee as well as the street area extending from Bullard to La. 3043 were without water for several days after city workers attempted to repair the water line that Alsandor said apparently ruptured early Saturday morning.
Classes at Grolee Elementary were conducted virtually on Monday as work crews attempted to fix the water line issues, according to a St. Landry Parish School Board press release.
Employees attached to Grolee Elementary were required to report to the campus, the press release said.
Alsandor indicated that initially all of West Grolee up to Raymond Street was without water service as workers attempted to identify and then close the valve on the line to prevent any potential drainage issues and to test the strength of the line.
“Once we were able to do perform the testing, then we could assess the damage to the eight-inch line that has broken away and re-route the line. That caused low water pressure on Grolee all the way to the second McKnight Manor,” Alsandor said.
The repair effort became more complicated said Alsandor, due to precautions as repair workers had to enter a manhole to perform damage inspection.
As the repair work continued and water restored to portions of West Grolee, Alsandor said work crews noticed on Sunday that no water was being distributed to Grolee Elementary and the second McKnight Manor.
By Monday afternoon, water service was restored along the Grolee area up to La. 3043, added Alsandor.
Alsandor said that he and other city workers handed out water during the line reconstruction to residents who were affected by the lack of water pressure and service.
