NEW SARPY — St. Charles Parish officials and waterworks employees broke ground Friday on a new water treatment facility, which, parish officials say, will help the parish handle a growing population.

Waterworks Director Robert Brou said the $26 million plant will add 6 million gallons to the daily water supply on the East Bank, boosting the daily output to 13 million gallons.

St. Charles Parish President V.J. St. Pierre said continuous growth in business and residential areas in the parish prompted the push to expand capacity at the East Bank plants.

“The parish has acknowledged the need for a new treatment plant for many years,” St. Pierre said. “However, other infrastructure priorities have put this project on the backburner. That’s because every time a resident opened their faucet there was plenty of water available; water which continually met all state and federal regulations.”

St. Charles Public Information Officer Renee Allemand-Simpson said construction is expected to take 24 months. She said the parish has assigned engineering firm Shread-Kuyrkendall and Associates to the project.

Allemand-Simpson said the St. Charles Parish Council approved $8 million to go toward funding for the project, with the rest coming from the sale of bonds. St. Pierre Jr. said the project will end concerns about the aging C-Plant, which has been the workhorse for water production on the East Bank.

In addition to the plant, other waterworks improvements as part of this project include two underwater river crossings, which will link the new plant to the West Bank system.