Governor urges St. Joseph to take action on water

Governor John Bel Edwards urged the mayor
of the Town of St. Joseph
to move quickly so that
construction to repair the
town’s water system may
begin as soon as possible.
Representatives from
the Governor’s Office,
Department of Health and
Hospitals, Division of
Administration, Senator
Francis Thompson’s office,
Environmental Protection
Agency, Delta Regional
Authority, and the Tensas
Parish Police Jury have been
in continued contact with
St. Joseph officials since
Gov. Edwards took office,
working to provide St.
Joseph residents access to
clear, clean drinking water.
Sample testing performed
by the Department of Health
and Hospitals has repeatedly
shown the town’s water does
not present any immediate
health or safety risk to the
residents, although the water
remains brown in color
and not pleasant to drink.
Frequent problems with
the water system, though,
do sometimes require state
officials to implement boil
water orders for St. Joseph
residents, while tests are
done to ensure that there
is no contamination in the
water.
“It is the health and safety
of the residents of St. Joseph
that continues to remain top
of mind to me and my staff,”
Gov. Edwards said. “That
is why I am requesting that
the mayor of St. Joseph
move with all diligence,
both in providing the town’s
auditors with the records
they need to complete their
audit, and also in taking
the steps necessary to pull
together available funding
so that water system repairs
can begin as quickly as
possible.”
Phase 1 of construction
to repair St. Joseph’s water
system is estimated to cost
$1.2 million. St. Joseph
is hoping to have the
legislature agree to move
$600,000 of Priority 5 state
Capital Outlay funding to
Priority 1 during the regular
legislative session so that
construction might begin
soon. Further, St. Joseph has
been awarded $310,000 in
other emergency grant funds
to make repairs to its water
plant and water distribution
system. However, in
order to receive any state
funding, the town would
have to demonstrate a clean
audit, which it currently
cannot show, or transfer
the grants to Tensas Parish
for administration, which
requires resolutions by both
the town and the parish.
At this time, the following
steps are requiring action
on the part of St. Joseph’s
mayor:
(1) That the mayor
would produce records to
the town’s auditors, who are
attempting to complete both
a financial audit on the Town
of St. Joseph and a gas line
audit;
(2) That the mayor would
present to St. Joseph’s
Board of Aldermen a
resolution transferring to
Tensas Parish the ability to
administer grant funding
from the Community Water
Enrichment Fund.
(3) That the mayor would
send a letter to Community
Development Block Grant
administrators requesting
that Louisiana Government
Assistance Program funding
previously requested for
grass-cutting equipment
instead be requested for
water repair funding.
(4) That the mayor
would send a letter to
the Commissioner of
Administration requesting
that the commissioner seek
authority during the regular
legislative session to move
$600,000 Priority 5 Capital
Outlay funding for the Town
of St. Joseph to Priority 1.
“I am respectfully
requesting that the mayor
not keep the people of St.
Joseph waiting any longer
to start on sorely-needed
repairs to the town’s water
distribution pipes and, as
soon as possible, to the
town’s water treatment
plant,” said Gov. Edwards.
The Environmental
Protection Agency is now
also expected to provide a
written recommendation to
St. Joseph on how to best
complete all of the necessary
repairs to the 90-yearold
system as quickly as
possible. Repairs to both St.
Joseph’s water distribution
system as well as its water
treatment plant are currently
expected to cost a total of
$6.6 million.
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