The city of Saint Martinville continues to see new water leaks every day, as the most recent water boiling advisory was placed just last week.
As the city continues to remain on top of fixing these issues immediately, it is difficult to tell when the next pipe is about to bust.
Mayor Willis said a water consolidation grant of roughly six to eight million dollars awarded to the city will be able to upgrade and repair the city’s water system.
Willis estimates the towers to be about 30 years old, which is nearing time for replacement. He said the funds will ensure they have the right water pressure, water pumps in place, and water towers refurbished.
He said the water system will most likely be fixed before the underground pipes.
As for the city’s pipes, Willis said some date back as early as the 30s- with many being from the 70s and 80s.
Willis said as the ground continues to crack from the drought, the weight of the water is bearing down on the pipes causing them to crack.
“It's nothing to do with our system, and definitely our infrastructure,” Mayor Willis said. “But as far as our system I mean we produce great water. But our infrastructure is old. Our pipes under the ground is over 30 years old and that's being kind. So we wanna say maybe 50 years old? And these pipes like I said is old galvanized pipes that punctures you know like I said when the ground shift. And even when the rain comes and the ground starts putting itself back together, it's gonna put pressure on these pipes and we expect to encounter more leaks from that as well too.”
He said it’s important for residents to understand a water boil advisory is only for intake of water and said there is a common misconception the water is contaminated. He advises boiling water for one minute if you are cooking.
According to Water System Foreman Johnathan Vining, boil water advisories have been issued in the city due to line breaks due to age, infrastructure and drought.
Willis said he expects funds from the water allocation grant to be accessible by the beginning of next year.
