By Richard Meek
Contributing Writer

LAPLACE – LaPlace is a community seemingly surrounded by water, but St. John the Baptist Parish officials are divided about what’s the best source and most effective means of transporting the valuable resource to residents.
Currently, LaPlace’s water supply comes from two wells located in the Ruddock area, approximately 10 miles from the community. The purification plant is also located in Ruddock, and the water is transported into the city by pipelines.
One well pumps 4,500 gallons of water per minute and the other 1,200 gallons per minute, combining for about 4.6 million gallons per day. But the larger well is 27 years old, and the normal life span of a well is much shorter, so officials are concerned.
Parish President Natalie Robottom believes the water should be pumped in from the nearby Mississippi River, thus eliminating the need for wells, but parish engineer Chuck Savoie said construction of a new treatment plan would take at least five years and cost an estimated $30 million. Plus, if a new plant were to be built, a location would have to be targeted and construction would include infrastructure changes.
“The problem is time and money,” Savoie said. “Even if we had the money it would take five years (to complete).”
One idea being floated that appears to be gaining traction with councilmen and endorsed by Savoie is to drill a third well in Ruddock, which will also have a 4,000-gallon per minute capacity. According to Savoie, the cost of drilling a third well is estimated from $1 million to $1.5 million and could be up and running in less than one year.
Savoie said even if the older well does eventually go out of service a third well would be able to pick up the slack. During the time when both larger wells are operational the smaller well would become more of a reserve unit.
Robottom, however, said she is not prepared to “put three wells out there” and told council members at a recent meeting she believes using the river as its source, similar to what several River Parish communities already have in place, is the most reliable and ultimately the most efficient in the long run.
She said she is exploring several options including increasing the capacity at the Lyons plant, which services Reserve, by installing new filters.
She also said she does not believe an entire new plant is required to treat river water. Rather, she said one option might be to pump in the water from the river and transport it to the Ruddock plant for treatment, which would not require construction of an entire new structure but only modification of the existing facility.
“I’m not prepared to make a decision,” she said.
When Councilman Art Smith pressed Robottom for a timetable she committed to presenting a recommendation to the council in six weeks.
“I’m not willing to gamble with 37,000 people,” Councilman Marvin Perrilloux said. “I will wait six weeks. (The parish can) put in the (third) well in Ruddock and be finished with it.”
Concerns about the supply were heightened in September when a power outage left many LaPlace residents without water.
Robottom said her staff has been exploring alternative methods to transport water into the community in future emergencies and believed one had been located with St. Charles Parish.
Although that agreement will continue to be pursued enthusiasm was somewhat dimmed when it was discovered St. Charles Parish had six-inch water lines and not the 12-inch lines as originally believed, thus diminishing the pumping capacity.
She said she is also exploring emergency solutions with other nearby communities.
“St. Charles is meant to be in an emergency,” she sad. “We need to have that pre-positioned (for emergencies).”