JEANERETTE, La. — Improvements are underway to the city's water system in Jeanerette — something those who live there say is long overdue.
"We don't have good water in Jeanerette," said Linton James, who told KATC water quality has been an issue since he moved there 8 years ago. "If you notice, you can't drink the water you can't really bathe in the water."
"I think you're better off drinking water straight out the bayou than to get it from Jeanerette," said John Poole, a resident of the community for the last 20 years. "In my whole time living here, I've never once drank the water, Jeanerette water comes out brown. I wash clothes and dishes and water my garden with it, that's about it."
On Monday and Tuesday, many locals told KATC they use the local "water mill," a commercial water purifying device installed in the town where a gallon of water costs 35 cents. They said it's the only one nearby without going to New Iberia or Franklin. Jeanerette mayor Carol Bourgeois, Jr. said it's nice to have in town, but patrons of the water mill are essentially paying for more of the same thing they get at home.
"Basically it's just a filtration system, a filter system, the water they're getting is good ol' Jeanerette water," the mayor said. "Consumable, LDH approved, DEQ, Department of Environmental Quality, we meet all the standards."
Bourgeois told KATC improvements to the city's water plant and tower are underway thanks to a combination of state and federal grant dollars matched by the city at 25 percent. Refurbishing the plant — such as wells, pipes, tanks, filters, meters, and softeners — costs around $2.2 million. Upgrading the inside and outside of the city's water tower costs about $800,000, according to the mayor.
When asked if he would drink some of the water on camera in an effort to ease the minds of some residents, the mayor declined but said locals could expect higher water quality in the first quarter of the new year when he suspects upgrades will be complete.
"We're working with an aging system, as it ages we are doing our upgrades, fixing the things that need to be taken care of," the mayor said.
------------------------------------------------------------
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
To reach the newsroom or report a typo/correction, click HERE.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. Select from these options: Breaking News, Evening News Headlines, Latest COVID-19 Headlines, Morning News Headlines, Special Offers
