ERIK SANZENBACH / L’Observateur / November 27, 1999

LAPLACE – It may come as a surprise to most residents of the east bank of St. John the Baptist Parish, but they have been living under a state ofemergency for the past two weeks.

According to St. John Parish Director of Public Utilities Sammy Accardo,because of a very low Mississippi River and a busted intake line the parish is in the middle of a fresh water emergency.

However, Accardo wants to assure the public there is no danger to the water supply. The Department of Public Utilities has rented out extrapumps while broken intake line is fixed.

“As long as we keep doing this,” Accardo stated, “there will not be any shortage.”Accardo told the Parish Council of the emergency Tuesday. He said noresident of the east bank will notice any difference in the water service.

Accardo has informed the Coast Guard, the state government, the federal government and the U.S. Corps of Engineers. Parish President Arnold Labathas declared a presidential emergency. Both Labat and Accardo aresubmitting a disaster grant to the federal government, hoping to get money to help them with the problem.

The Lions Water Treatment Plant in Reserve has two water intake pipelines, a 10-inch and a 12-inch intake. Two weeks ago a tug boatchewed up the 10-inch pipe when it moored too close to the intake site.

Accardo said the 12-inch line is not enough to supply the east bank with water.

“The parish demand is for 2.2 million gallons of water a day, and oneintake line will not take care of that,” Accardo said.

To compound the problem, the level of the river has decreased to its lowest point this century, according to Accardo, with the water level going down at least 20 feet. Because the Lions plant uses vacuum pumps topump in fresh water, the low water levels makes it hard for the pumps to maintain the correct vacuum level. As a result, they cannot suck in enoughwater.

Accardo said the latest predictions by the Corps of Engineers are the river level will go even lower in the next couple of months, making it even harder for the intake lines in Reserve to bring in water.

To fix the problem, Accardo has shipped in a special type of intake line that will go out to the middle of the river. He has also rented severalextra pumps to help out while the 10-inch intake line is repaired.

However, the special line and the pump rentals are very expensive.

“We have spent over $50,000 already in this emergency, but we need more money,” Accardo told the council. “The cost of pumping water in thismanner is very expensive.”The money worries Accardo, but he is even more concerned about the security of the intake lines once they are repaired.

“I’m afraid the unprotected line will be torn up again,” he said.

He told the council the last time an intake line was broken by a ship it was almost torn up again by a tugboat the day after repairs were finished.

“We have put buoys and barges out there, but they don’t work,” Accardo complained. “The tugs just moor on the buoys and the barge, increasing thedanger to the intake pipe.”Councilman Ranney Wilson suggested the parish put pilings all around the intake site, but Accardo said that won’t work either.

“We’ve tried that, but the boats just knock over the pilings,” said Accardo.

“We have to build a barricade around the intakes once they are repaired.”Accardo said the Coast Guard is trying to keep river traffic away from the area and officials with the Port of South Louisiana have warned the ADM and Cargill grain elevators to keep their barges clear of the intake pipes.

Accardo asks anyone with ideas on how to protect the intake lines to give him a call and make suggestions.

“If we lose those lines at the Lions water intake,” he warned, “we are in big trouble.”Accardo has been told by engineers the ultimate solution is to put in jet pumps and have a system like the one in Edgard. At the west bank waterplant, river water is pumped into a pool which maintains a constant level so there is no problem of low river levels or of maintaining the correct vacuum level for the pumps.

Carl Desalle, superintendent of utilities at the Lions water plant, said the new 10-inch line will be back on line within days and citizens will not see any difference in the water flow.

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