The Franklin Water System has again issued a required notice of violation, after the system again did not meet drinking water requirements.
The system is required to notify customers and the media of these violations. If you'd like to read the full notice for yourself, scroll down. If you'd like to see our previous stories on this issue, click here and here.
"Our water system is in violation of drinking water requirements. As our customers, you have a right to know what happened, what you should do, and what we did (are doing) to correct this situation," the notice states. "We are required to monitor your drinking water for turbidity (cloudiness) on a continuous basis (every 15 minutes) and report such results to the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH). This tells us whether we are effectively filtering the water supply."
During the September 2024 compliance monitoring period, the system violated the state's Surface Water Treatment Rule.
"The violation occurred because the treated water turbidity was not monitored continuously (every 15 minutes) as required and the turbidity exceedances were not reported to LDH," the notice states.
When LDH investigated the system, they found that the turbidity level exceeded the legal limit once during the month.
"Additionally, the violation occurred because the treated water turbidity level exceeded 0.349 NTU in over 5% percent of the treated water monthly measurements in September 2024," the notice states.
What does this mean for customers? It means the boil order issued back on August 19, 2024 will remain in place, the notice states.
"If you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor. If you have a severely compromised immune system, have an infant, are pregnant, or are elderly, you may be at increased risk and should seek advice from your health care providers about drinking this water," the notice states.
General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
"Tests taken during the timeframe of the violations did not indicate the presence of bacteria in the water. Turbidity has no health effects. However, turbidity can interfere with disinfection and provide medium for microbial growth. Turbidity may indicate the presence of disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches. These symptoms, however, are not just associated with disease-causing organisms in drinking water, but also may be caused by a number of factors other than your drinking water," the notice states.
The rules that state and federal environmental and health agencies have in place are designed to reduce health effects, and the treatment required by those rules removes or destroys contaminants. If water is treated properly, it's safe to drink.
"As of August 26, 2024 the Franklin Water System turbidity monitoring equipment has been recording turbidity data on a continuous basis (every 15 minutes) and being reported to LDH and a local engineering firm," the notice states.
Here's the full document:
