By ROBIN SHANNON

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – Just when it was all systems go for better tap water for St. John residents, yet another new stumbling block has delayed the launch of the parish’s filter mechanism a little bit further.

A pair of radio communication towers, which are a vital link between water wells in Ruddock and the LaPlace facility that houses the new $3.3 million Nano Filtration System, were knocked out of commission when Hurricane Gustav tore through the St. John area last month. Parish officials say the system, which was ready for operation right as Gustav hit, cannot function automatically without the towers in place.

“The system is wireless and the radio towers feed right into the filters and enable it to run automatically,” said Parish Engineer C.J. Savoie. “The system has the ability to run manually, but the tower communication is more efficient.”

St. John Parish President Bill Hubbard said the parish spent the weeks following the storm evaluating any other damage to the system. He said the parish entered into a contract with Industrial Analyzer Services (IAS) of LaPlace for replacement and reinstallation of the towers.

“The radio towers were the only components of the system that were seriously damaged by the storm,” said Hubbard.

“Unfortunately, those components are some of the most vital parts of the system,” he added.

James Boucvault, owner and operator of IAS, said the towers provide continuous communication with the entire system and provide a multitude of information to the wells and booster station. He said the parts for the towers have been on order for about a week and he expects to see them delivered within the next few days. He said once the parts come through his office, installation would take about two weeks to complete.

“I am satisfied with the timetable IAS has provided to us,” said Division B Councilman-at-Large Steve Lee, who represents the East Bank. “I understand the circumstances involved and I am confident that the system will function in the way it is supposed to function.”

Once the towers have been put in place St. John Public Information Officer Buddy Boe said that representatives from General Electric, the manufacturers of the system, will monitor parish workers as the system gets turned on again. He said Hubbard has been in constant contact with GE officials to ensure that a representative is in the parish as soon as the towers are put in place so that there are no further delays.

Boe also said that the parish must send new water samples in to the State Department of Health and Hospitals to be examined for contaminants. If the samples come back clean, the parish will have the green light to set the system in motion parish wide.

The radio tower damage is the latest in a laundry list of setbacks that have plagued the Nano Filtration System throughout its lifespan and set its completion date over a year behind schedule. When the system is fully functional it will provide the parish with tap water that is reportedly better than bottled water by using a reverse osmosis mechanism to remove all impurities in a safer manner.