FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 14, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT: Mike Steele | [email protected] | 225-788-0095
BATON ROUGE (May 14, 2024) – The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) and the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) have been monitoring the ongoing boil water advisory issued by the Killian Water System on April 23, 2024.
LDH is now issuing an Administrative Order to help resolve problems associated with the Killian system. Administrative Order No. C-24-063-003-REQ is being issued for failure to return the water well to a manner compliant with code, failure to disinfect the water well compliant with code and failure to provide potable water to the customers of the Killian Water System.
LDH Engineering Services is taking this enforcement action to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations for public water supplies to protect public health from potential exposure to contaminated drinking water.
“Ensuring the Town of Killian has safe, clean drinking water is a top priority for the Louisiana Department of Health, as is lifting the boil water advisory in a timely fashion,” said LDH Interim State Health Officer, Pete Croughan, MD. “This administrative order provides the Town of Killian with a concrete plan to return the system to the state it was in before the boil water advisory was issued on April 23. LDH will continue to work with Town officials to perform bacteriological sampling to ensure safeguards are in place to prevent contamination of drinking water.”
LDH Engineering Services has been working to evaluate water quality and provide technical assistance, including performing bacteriological sampling of the distribution system. Testing on multiple samples from the distribution system found the water to be negative for total coliforms, bacteria that are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other bacteria may be present.
GOHSEP has helped provide nearly 40 pallets of bottled water since the start of the event to ensure residents have drinking water while the system issues are addressed.
Please follow GOHSEP’s social media accounts on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter) and LinkedIn. The GOHSEP Get A Game Plan Podcast is another resource available to help you and your family prepare for any type emergency. You can download the Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Guide and find other preparedness information at www.getagameplan.org.
