Cold weather causes mayhem with parish water pipes

A cold front that took the nation by storm is now waging war on parts of south Louisiana, including the Tri-parish area.

Temperatures dipping into the 20s over the weekend caused water lines to break throughout the area, leaving local residents and businesses with little or no water pressure.

Lafourche and some Terrebonne Parish schools were closed Monday, following a boil order issued by the parish’s water districts.

In Terrebonne, the order includes all areas south of Bourg along La. Highway 55 and south of Woodlawn Ranch Road along La. Highway 56 to boil water, as well as the Dulac and Four Point area on both Highway 57 and Shrimpers Row.

A boil order is in effect for the entire District 1 service area in Lafourche. However, residents who receive water from the city of Thibodaux are not under a boil advisory.

According to press releases issued Monday, the orders will be in effect “until further notice.”

Officials also said lower than normal water pressure can produce a prime environment for bacteria.

Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Waterworks engineer manager Tom Wilson said Terrebonne started seeing problems with residential water lines Saturday night.

“We normally don’t get freezes this long,” he added. “In my opinion it’s not so much the temperature as it is the duration.”

Problems continued through most of the day Monday, with schools in Terrebonne reopening on Tuesday with the help of bottled water.

Lafourche schools were closed again Tuesday, and as of press time, officials were not sure when they would reopen.

School spokesman Floyd Benoit said the closures in Lafourche were also due to the boil advisory and low water pressure.

In the meantime, both parishes are in the process of conducting bacteriological samples to test water safety. Dirk Barrios, general manager of Lafourche’s water district, said the wait time is about 24 hours.

Officials in Terrebonne are waiting on similar results while trying to stabilize the system, which Bourg said could take up to three days.

Unfortunately, homeowners will be responsible for repairs to damaged water lines, and “…depending on the amount of damage and who does the repairs,” he said, it could cost a little chunk of change.

“A person who fixes it themselves with a can of glue and PVC pipe could expect to pay around $20,” Bourg added. “If you call a plumber, it’ll be more.”

Directions for Boiling Water:

Boil water for one full minute in a clean container. The one-minute boil time begins after the water has been brought to a rolling boil. (The flat taste can be eliminated by shaking the water in a bottle or pouring it from one container or another.)

If the water is clear, mix 1/8 teaspoon of unscented, liquid chlorine laundry bleach with one gallon of water and let it stand for at least 30 minutes prior to consumption. If the water is cloudy or colored, use ? teaspoon per gallon of water. Be sure to mix thoroughly. If the treated water has too strong a chlorine taste, it can be made more palatable by allowing the water to stand exposed to the air for a few hours or by pouring it from one clean container to another several times.

If the water is clear, mix five drops of 2 percent United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) tincture of iodine solution (common household tincture of iodine from the medicine cabinet or first aid package) to each quart of clear water and let it stand for at least 30 minutes prior to consumption. If the water is cloudy or colored, use 10 drops to each quart of water.

(Directions according to Lafourche Parish Government.)