Water systems in need of $9B to meet codes

(The Center Square) – A legislative task force on Friday heard from state officials on the status of Louisiana’s water systems in its bid to craft recommendations for improvements.

Amanda Ames, chief engineer for the Louisiana Department of Health, presented an outline to the Task Force on Solutions to Achieve Viability and Efficiency that showed the state’s 1,270 drinking water systems are rated a D- overall by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

The situation has led to “a tremendous amount of emergency response in the last few years,” she said, with “about 200 (water systems) under formal enforcement for water quality issues or infrastructure problems.”

“We recently did a survey for EPA and it was estimated that it’s about $9 billion in need” to bring systems up to code, Ames said. About half of the state’s water systems are over 50 years old.

Community water systems total 951, of which 451 are government owned and 500 are private. Another 320 are non-community owned, including 54 government owned systems and 266 private. State law tasks the Health Department with grading the systems. In 2022, more than one-third (389) rated A, 255 rated B, 170 rated C, 55 rated D, and 82 rated F, Ames said.

- Advertisement -

Many of the systems are in small communities that rely on water revenues to survive, resulting in inadequate investments in maintaining and operating the systems. Other issues are tied to the workforce, officials said.

“We’ve seen a pretty significant decline in infrastructure in the last five to 10 years,” Ames said.

It’s a similar situation with wastewater, according to Scott Templet with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.

The most recent 2017 report from the American Society of Civil Engineers rated Louisiana’s wastewater systems a C-, while a survey from 2022 pegged needed upgrade costs at $2.5 billion, Templet said.

He noted the survey only incorporated needs documented within the past five years, and many municipalities either lack management or capital improvement plans, or have not updated those plans in the last five years.

“Many of the communities, particularly the smaller communities, are more reactive instead of proactive,” Templet said. “So there’s not the sense of a plan in place or preventative maintenance, it’s just we fix what breaks.”

- Advertisement -

Of the state’s 343 permits for publicly owned sewer systems, 317 are “on the radar” for compliance issues, including 249 on the department’s quarterly non-compliance list, Templet said.

Others who testified Friday included the Louisiana Infrastructure Technical Assistance Corp., a nonprofit that assists municipalities and parishes with technical assistance and federal funding applications.

Leslie Durham, the executive director, told the task force the organization is developing a strategy to work with 17 cities and towns on the legislative auditor’s noncompliant list “to help them address … issues so they’re eligible to apply for federal funding.”

The task force is expected to continue hearings over the next year with the goal of crafting recommendations for lawmakers no later than Sept. 6, 2024.

spot_img
spot_img

Hot this week

African and Caribbean Nations Call for Reparations for Slave Trade, Propose Global Fund

Nations across Africa and the Caribbean, deeply impacted by...

Sports betting expert offers advice on paying taxes for gambling winnings

(The Center Square) – Tax season is underway, and...

Health care company agrees to pay $22.5 million to settle claims of over billing

A health care company agreed to pay nearly $22.5...

Entertainment district benefits don’t outweigh the cost, economists say

(The Center Square) — Weeks later, after more details...

Business association ‘disappointed’ by WA L&I’s proposed workers comp rate hike

(The Center Square) – The Association of Washington Business...

Nicaraguan, Mexicans, Californians charged with assaulting ICE agents in California

(The Center Square) – As U.S. Immigration and Customs...

‘Lopez crime family’ sentenced for human smuggling in California, Arizona, New Mexico

(The Center Square) – Another Guatemalan human smuggling ring...

Trump breaks from Gabbard on Iran nuke program

President Donald Trump appears to break from his intelligence...

Trump beheading post goes viral, scrutiny on von Haefen intensifies

(The Center Square) – Legislative attorneys are meeting with...

Arceneaux announces new ‘Block by Block’ initiative to combat blight

(The Center Square) — The ongoing fight against blight...

Illinois quick hits: Pritzker signs budget, other bills

Pritzker signs budget, other bills ...

Trump vows to expand mass deportations, Newsom says he’s inciting violence

(The Center Square) - After President Donald Trump vowed...

More like this
Related

Nicaraguan, Mexicans, Californians charged with assaulting ICE agents in California

(The Center Square) – As U.S. Immigration and Customs...

‘Lopez crime family’ sentenced for human smuggling in California, Arizona, New Mexico

(The Center Square) – Another Guatemalan human smuggling ring...

Trump breaks from Gabbard on Iran nuke program

President Donald Trump appears to break from his intelligence...

Washington family of murder victim protests potential early release of killers

(The Center Square) – The Washington family of a...