ST. MARY PARISH — The City of Franklin’s water system has been under a boil advisory since August 19, a situation caused by the city’s failure to properly monitor turbidity levels—an important factor affecting water disinfection. This oversight, lasting for two months, led to the the advisory, which remains in effect as of today.
Franklin Mayor Eugene Foulcard explained the ongoing process of meeting the Louisiana Department of Health’s (LDH) standards. “The turbidity levels have continued to go down,” he said. “Once the state is satisfied with our levels coming down to where they need to be, I think we’ll be trending in the right direction.”
The situation has created challenges for local businesses, especially in food service. Tyler Verdin, a local Bristia, shared how the boil advisory has affected daily operations. “We were worried, mainly about our coffee machine, because we realized our espresso machine runs at the necessary boiling temperature, but our fountain machines for the sodas were a problem because they use straight water,” Verdin explained.
Mayor Foulcard acknowledged that these issues stem from the city's outdated infrastructure. “The water plant was built in 1966, and we have an older water distribution system,” he said. Despite these challenges, he remains optimistic about the future. “We did secure funding through capital outlay last November and December [2023] to get all of the plans and specifications in place for a major rehabilitation project at the water plant.”
Despite the ongoing advisory, Mayor Foulcard emphasizes that the process to resolve the issue is moving forward, with plans for significant improvements to the city’s water system in the near future.He hopes that these efforts will help ensure the city’s water system is better equipped to meet health standards and avoid similar issues moving forward.
