Rebecca Anna Lee Dorsey Williams
August 18, 2009
Jeanette A Bourgeois
August 20, 2009
Some Lafourche Parish residents are unhappy with the taste and smell of their tap water, and water officials say the odor and taste could last for another week.
Dick Barrios, general manager of the water district, said roughly half of the district’s 31,000 customers are experiencing the problem. Before it is resolved, everyone might get some of the foul-smelling water, he said.
Water officials started noticing the problem several weeks ago and began making changes. Barrios said Lafourche Parish Water District No. 1 is treating the problem in incremental to ensure that no other problems arise with overcompensation.
“You don’t know you are having a problem with the water until it happens,” he said. “What we normally do is when the guys in the plant start smelling the odor, we start making incremental changes in the treatment process by adding more carbon to absorb most of the organic materials in the water.”
However, Barrios said it is not uncommon to have a problem with the water this time of the year because the area has a high volume of rain causing algae to accumulate in the water.
Water officials say the chemicals the district is using to kill the algae in Bayou Lafourche are causing the problems.
“The chemicals leave behind gases that stay soluble in the water,” Barrios said. “When the water is released through a faucet, the gas is released, causing the unpleasant smell and taste.”
Depending on how close you are to the Lockport and Thibodaux water plants, it may take a few days to a week for the chemicals to work their way out of the system, Barrios said.
The water is safe to drink, he said.
That foul smell in Lafourche Parish’s water supply is caused by gases from the chemicals being used to treat algea in the water, according to Dick Barrios, general manager of the water district. Despite the smell, the water is safe to drink, he said. * File photo / Tri-Parish Times
