Leaders scramble to solve water ‘crisis’
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, January 15, 2003
By MELISSA PEACOCK
LAPLACE – When a waterline break left St. John the Baptist Parish residents without water just hours before Tropical Storm Isidore, the Parish Council considered steps to increase water storage capacity.
When St. John’s Consolidated Waterworks District 1 (East Bank) was found in violation of some state and federal drinking water standards, the parish administration issued public notices and vowed to bring the parish’s water up to meet changing regulations. Now, with even less money budgeted for water operating expenses, some local officials are concerned that not enough is being done to address present and future parish water problems.
About 8,000 LaPlace residents were left without water on Sept. 24, just before Isidore pelted St. John with heavy rain, when a main waterline to LaPlace ruptured. Unable to catch water from the tap, residents brought rain water into homes to wash faces and flush toilets.
In the wake of the domestic disaster, the St. John Parish Council asked for an investigation into the breakage. Parish engineers believed that a heavy piece of road equipment sank down in the soil over the pipe, cracking it. Later, they speculated, the soil softened and gave way, causing the rupture.
The water was shut off for approximately 12 hours for repairs and cleaning and refilling of the line.
Councilman Jobe Boucvalt was among leaders calling for additional water storage capacity in the parish in preparation for future breaks.
“If we lose Ruddock (the area where the waterline ruptured), we lose storage capacity,” he said. “But if we put some big storage tanks, say a five-million-gallon capacity, if we lose Ruddock, we would have a day of storage.”
In LaPlace, there are three water storage facilities – two elevated storage (Belle Terre, Airline Highway) and ground storage. Each of the elevated tanks holds about 500,000 gallons. There are four additional elevated storage facilities in the parish, two on the East Bank and two on the West Bank. Most of these tanks, however, hold less than 500,000 gallons of water.
But the parish could be facing a water crisis with far more impact than water storage if the parish does not start planning for future growth, Councilman Steve Lee said.
LaPlace residents use an estimated five to six million gallons of water per day. With a population of more than 43,000 in 2000, more than 14,000 households, and with the growth trend expected to continue over the next several years, the parish is expected to exceed its current water supply if no additions to the system are made.
According to a report on St. John’s water supply and distribution system, released by URS Corporation in October, additional water capacity could be a necessity in LaPlace and in the Reserve/Garyville area in less than 10 years.
“I see (additional storage tanks) as a short-term solution,” Lee said. “It is a separate issue from delivering a permanent water source. We are running out of water in the wells.”
Continued use of old wells, parish officials said, can cause wells to collapse. While there is no water shortage now, Lee said, it is time for the Parish Council and the administration to start looking for new permanent water sources for the future.
“The issue is how long is that water supply going to meet the needs of the parish,” Lee said. “Our aquifers are only good for a number of years. We could drop more water wells farther out – but that is where salt water encroachment becomes a problem.”
Saltwater encroachment occurs (in coastal areas) when saltwater moves into the aquifer, replacing or intruding on fresh water. It is often the result of over pumping the aquifer.
According to the URS study, salt water encroachment has been documented around the Ruddock wells. The wells are located near the freshwater-saltwater interface (encroachment line), a line that is progressively moving north as water is drawn from the aquifer. At the freshwater-saltwater interface chloride concentrations are too high for water to be used for public consumption.
“The problem is not a new problem,” Lee said. “It is just getting to the point where we have to address it. Clearly, a permanent solution, the best option for us, is to use the facilities we have now and build a new facility that uses river water.”
It is one of a number of options parish officials are considering.
“What it boils down to is that the capacity of the LaPlace system is only 6 million gallons,” said Henry DiFranco, director of Public Works and Utilities. “If the maximum demand is 5.8 million gallons per day (MGD) during peak times (such as summer), we are only supplying what the demand is.”
Lions Water Plant supplies water to Reserve and Garyville. That plant has the capacity to produce 3 million gallons. However, the maximum demand in the Reserve/Garyville area is already at 2.6 MGD.
“Do you go further north (of the freshwater-saltwater interface) to put additional wells in?” DiFranco said. “Costs increase dramatically when you consider going further.”
Quality also suffers, he said.
“Most well systems don’t go through a system that removes organic matter,” DiFranco said. “The organic matter reacts with the chlorine and forms the THMs.”
In January 2002, the EPA lowered the level of trihalomethanes (THMs) allowable in drinking water to 80 parts per billion. Trihalomethanes are produced when disinfectants added to water react with natural organic and inorganic materials present in drinking water. Scientists believe that THMs can cause cancer and other health problems with long-term exposure.
Calculations on water samples found St. John in violation of these standards during the third quarter of 2002. However, parish officials said short term exposure to the chemicals is not harmful.
“The problem with the Ruddock system is that you have the distance factor,” DiFranco said. “It (chlorine) has time to react with organic matter while pumping it into town.”
Moving north, he said, would increase the distance the water would have to travel. If you are using a well system, rather than Lake Maurepas (which has also been noted as a possibility), the result could be a greater opportunity for the production of THMs.
While the debate about how to increase water capacity continues, the parish has been working on innovative ways to reduce the amount of THMs in the current supply and distribution system to the new mandatory levels.
Under a new plan, the parish could reduce the amount of chlorine that is injected during the initial water distribution process. DiFranco said he would also move one of the injection sites further along in the water’s progression to lower the amount of time chlorine has to interact with materials in the water.
“If the levels are not reduced enough,” he said, “then we will try a different chemical, chlorine dioxide. It probably would increase our operating budget $8,000 to $9,000.”
That could signal big changes in the parish’s operating budget. It could also mean an increase in rates for water customers.
“I think it is a combination of user fees and bond money that would accomplish a palatable solution that voters and residents would accept,” Councilman-at-large Duaine Duffy said. “Federal matching dollars could also be available.”
In 2002, the parish put the infrastructure into place to change where and when chlorine is injected into the system. According to DiFranco, the parish is waiting on consultants to finalize their analysis of the system before beginning a pilot test.
A $5.5 million bond issue was used to upgrade the current water supply and distribution system, including building an additional storage tank in Ruddock and refurbishing tanks at all the sites.
In addition, a pump and motor were replaced at Ruddock to increase the life span of the wells.
While most Council members agree that the parish needs to start as early as this year to develop a plan for a new water plant, some members believe it is also time to implement some short-term fixes for problems plaguing the parish’s water supply and distribution system.
These short-terms solutions could provide St. John residents with water even when there are problems with one of the water lines. In addition, they would continue to ensure that the parish’s drinking water is safe.
“A water plant is a big project and is way down the road,” Boucvalt said. “What we need to do is find out what we can do to meet limits today.”
Those changes, he said, start with finding the funding for water supply and distribution system projects and potentially increasing storage (elevated tanks, etc.) and chemical control mechanisms.
URS, in their assessment of the parish’s water systems, proposed a number of alternatives ranging from phasing out certain parish water plants to the construction of a new plant.
Their recommendation for the East Bank water supply and distribution system – continue using Ruddock, phase out the use of Lions Water Plant, add a new water treatment plant (operating at over 6 million gallons per day), add elevated storage tanks and more.
The engineering firm also recommended adding elevated storage tanks for the West Bank.
While the parish still has time to consider alternatives, parish Council members said some initial planning must begin this year. Some Council members are already talking with Parish bond attorneys, researching possible funding for the projects.
Supporting Councilman Lee’s assertion that utilization of the river could unlock the answers to the parish’s water crisis, DiFranco said, “We have a source of water close to us. It only makes sense that we need to utilize it as a resource.”
The new water plant is probably still a few years away, officials said. However, financial planning for the new facility and initial designs could come as early as this year.
Editor’s Note: This is the first installment of a three-part series which looks into the future of the St. John the Baptist Parish water system.