Parish officials say low water-system grades reflect aging infrastructure, not unsafe tap water

Plaquemines Parish officials briefed the council June 11 on a string of low water-system grades issued for parish districts in 2025, attributing the marks not to unsafe treated water but to aging infrastructure, dead-end distribution lines and prior administrative orders.

"A majority of these deductions are because of aging infrastructure," Jeff Morgan, an Inframark representative, told the council, summarizing the firm's review of district-by-district deductions. Port Sulphur reported the lowest overall grade (about the mid-40s), Belchase received about 52%, Dow Core about 78% and Point La Hache about 91%, Morgan said.

The presentation and subsequent public exchange stressed two separate points: daily operational test results that measure water chemistry for consumer safety, and infrastructure-condition metrics used by state reviewers to grade systems. Morgan said the parish's daily sampling program runs multiple tests at dozens of sample stations in each district and that recent operational tests showed only isolated low chlorine residual results tied to leaks and dead-end lines.

"The tests are passing. This is not a compliance failure of the water we're pushing to the public," Morgan said, explaining that many grade deductions were driven by administrative orders to repair water towers, lack of permanent emergency generators, and contaminants that accumulated when lines were idled during last year's saltwater intrusion.

Officials described several near-term and multi-year responses: an initial capital outlay of roughly $700,000 targeted at water-tower repairs (phase one), a plan to pursue a roughly $6 million allocation currently listed as a lower-priority capital outlay request for follow-on work, and a multi-phased approach to creating loops and dual feeds to reduce dead-end lines and keep chlorine residuals stable.

Council members and residents pressed staff on recurring consumer complaints: businesses reporting sand in ice machines after breaks, and some residents contesting unexpectedly large bills. Staff said sand in lines typically settles after pipe breaks and promised targeted follow-up on reported businesses; they explained that when a leak flows through a resident's meter the volume is billed but that the parish has an adjustment policy for proven customer-side leaks.

Sampling frequency and transparency were also discussed. Morgan said the parish takes dozens of operational samples daily and that back-sample analysis for regulatory compliance is performed at the state laboratory. Commissioners asked how results could be posted so residents could see chlorine and chloride measurements; staff noted an annual consumer confidence report is mailed to every household and said they would work on better reporting of key metrics.

The brief concluded with council and staff commitments to pursue the water-tower repairs, pursue looped distribution projects (including a 20-inch feed to improve dual-service reliability), and continue to seek grants to fund the multi-year repairs. Officials said they would return with cost estimates and timelines to support capital budgeting decisions.

What happens next: the administration and Inframark will provide the council with detailed cost estimates and schedules for water-tower repairs and loop projects; staff also pledged targeted follow-up on localized complaints about sand and contested bills.