St. Joseph water discussed at town meeting
The Town of St Joseph
held its regular monthly
public meeting Feb. 8 at
the Community House in St
Joseph, opening the floor for
public comment.
The main topic of
discussion was the issues
the town has had with
the discoloration of their
water and the constant boil
notices issued to the town’s
residents.
Although the condition
of the town’s water is no
new subject for those who
reside there, it has recently
been brought back into the
spotlight by news media far
and wide, comparing the
water of St Joseph to that of
Flint, Michigan.
While Mayor Brown
and the town’s attorney,
Karl Koch of Baton Rouge,
insisted that the water is no
threat to anyone’s health,
the concerned residents
of St Joseph in attendance
just weren’t buying it and
had many questions and
comments on the subject.
One citizen spoke of
her doctor mentioning the
high rate of cancer in St
Joseph, possibly caused by
the water conditions, and
also mentioned that her son
became ill from ingesting
the water, also mentioning
that many of their white
clothes have been ruined as
a result of sediment in the
water lines.
The mayor insisted that
the water is no threat to
anyone’s health and that he
has never had a doctor call
his office directly and tell
him that the water is a public
hazard.
Mayor Brown also stated
that he doesn’t drink the
town’s water and hasn’t
for many years. He says
he buys and drinks bottled
water only.
Brown also insists that
the horribly discolored
water shown in the photos
and videos in recent news
reports and on Facebook is
not the norm at his home.
He says, in fact, that the
water at his home on Levee
Street seldom looks that bad.
When questioned about
the audit that seemed to be
the hold up for the funds
to fix the antique water
system, town attorney, Mr.
Koch, attempted to explain.
He stated that the audit for
2014 had been completed
and submitted last year, and
that the 2015 audit was in
progress, but was late by no
fault of the mayor.
Koch explained that the
town’s former auditing firm
had resigned due to the past
issues with the joint gas line.
He stated that it was difficult
to find another auditing firm
that would take on the town
as a client.
The mayor said that
only two firms out of about
40 responded to their
request to take them on
as a client, because of the
aforementioned litigation
with Locust Ridge Gas Co,
and the Town of Newellton.
When asked who the
new auditing firm would
be, the mayor stated that
the firm of Allen, Green,
and Williamson of Monroe,
had accepted the task and he
would be working closely
with them to get the 2015
audit completed.
Both the mayor and Koch
made it clear that even if
the town is given funds to
fix the water system, it will
not be a “quick fix” and
the water will likely never
be completely clear. They
stated that the town would
never be able to afford the
amount of work it would
take for the water to not look
discolored to some degree.
Former water plant
employee Donald Scott
spoke up in defense of the
mayor, stating no one is to
blame for the issues with
the water plant. The pipes
and lines are simply old and
filled with corroded lime.
He stated when you have
pipes that old and the lime
that has been poured into
the system builds up over
years and years, some of it
is carried through when the
lines are flushed and appears
in homes as brown water.
Water, Another item on the
agenda was the matter of
water lines in need of repair
at the parish jail. Police
jury president Larry Foster
appeared to discuss the
matter with the mayor and
aldermen in hopes of a joint
solution.
The parish recently
completed renovations and
repairs in the bathrooms at
the jail, which are not able
to be utilized because of
low water pressure. It is
undetermined if the problem
is on the town’s side
of the meter or the side for
which the police jury would
be responsible.
The parish is unable to
house inmates at the jail
until the water pressure issues
are determined and
repaired. Having to house
the inmates elsewhere in
the meantime is costing the
parish about three times
what it costs to house them
in St Joseph.
Foster asked Brown if it
would be possible to have
the town’s water line maintenance
crew examine the
line and determine where
the problem lies. Foster
stated that the police jury
is willing to pay for the repairs,
whether the town or
the police jury is responsible.
The mayor insisted
that the town would pay
for whatever repairs they
are responsible for, but that
they haven’t already fi xed
the line because of an outstanding
water bill the police
jury owes the town.
Police jury treasurer
Cathy Darden spoke up
stating that there had been
a mix up on the town’s part.
She said that the bill for the
courthouse was addressed
to the jail, and vice versa.
The town was supposed
to fi x the matter and also
explain the exhorbitant
bill, but the itemized billing
the police jury received
was confusing to everyone.
She also stated that the issue
was not with paying
the bill, the police jury just
wants an explanation of
what they are paying for.
The mayor agreed to
have his employees and his
attorney sit down with the
police jury and explain the
bill.The mayor mentioned,
off the subject, that there
were several other businesses
with overdue bills
and they would be cut off
within the month for nonpayment
if necessary. He
mentioned that Tensas
Academy is one of those
businesses and he has not
previously cut them off due
to the children there, but it
was not fair to cut off homes
with children present and
not cut off the school.
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