LAFAYETTE PARISH — Lafayette's recent snow storm, coupled with high demand for water, has put considerable strain on the local infrastructure, highlighting ongoing issues with the city’s water lines.
Jeffrey Stewart, Director of Lafayette Utilities System (LUS), said the storm exacerbated existing challenges. “What we saw the last couple of days leading into the storm and after the storm is high consumption, high demands,” Stewart explained.
“People tend to drip their faucets to try to prevent freezing pipes, and that puts a big strain on the water system. That drives up the demand, and the distribution system throughout our parish isn’t able to handle it all the time.”
The storm’s aftermath has triggered widespread concerns, with residents experiencing everything from low water pressure to boil water advisories.
Dale Porter, who is visiting Lafayette, said his household received a notification about water contamination. “We got a notification that our water had been contaminated and that we would have to boil water for cooking and coffee and other stuff,” Porter said.
LUS issued a statement acknowledging the issues, noting, “unprecedented water demands on the system along with the extreme temperatures."
The utility company reported receiving over 1,000 service calls in the days following the freeze.
Residents across Lafayette are being asked to conserve water in an effort to help maintain pressure in the system.
Stewart said it may take several days to return to normal operations. “We're still in a state of emergency. I would say it's going to be a few days—probably early to mid-next week—before we're at normal operation,” he said.
As the city works to resolve these ongoing issues, residents are urged to be patient and continue efforts to conserve water.
