By Monique Roth
L’Observateur

LAPLACE — St. John the Baptist Parish residents seeking water bill relief will be handled on an individual basis rather than the parish issuing a blanket bill adjustment, Parish President Natalie Robottom said.

Water bill adjustments for 12,577 St. John the Baptist Parish residents were first discussed at the Sept. 9 St. John Parish Council meeting, after the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals announced August testing confirmed the presence of Naegleria fowleri ameba in the St. John Water District 1 water system. The announcement led to a protective order advising impacted residents to run baths, shower taps and hoses for five minutes before use to flush out the pipes.

Several Parish Council members said residents affected by the announcement should benefit from a water bill adjustment since directions from the parish instructed residents to use extra water, and the extra time running water would mean increases in bills. Some suggested a three-month average of a resident’s water bills before the announcement be taken and charged on water bills going forward until the flushing advisement ceases.

Robottom agreed at the Council meeting to review water bills in the impacted areas, and Parish Communications Director Paige Falgoust later said a three-month average had been collected.

Falgoust said because parish water bills are mailed in cycles, Reserve residents have received a monthly bill that includes nine days of the Emergency Order time period, but Garyville and Mt. Airy residents have not received a bill for a time period including the Emergency Order.

Robottom said Friday “very few calls or questions about increased bills” had been made to parish offices, and “utilities personnel will be conducting readings (this) week that should include a full 30 days of consumption to allow for analysis.”

She said personnel were “spot checking certain areas to preempt any huge increases in bills.”

Robottom said it is likely that few calls are being received, because bills for the Emergency Order time period have not been issued. She said the three-month average of cycles in the impacted area will be compared with the first 30-day cycle completed under the Emergency Order. 

“We are preparing to address billing issues on an individual basis,” Robottom said.

Robottom was expected to report back to Council members at the Sept. 23 meeting on a parish recommendation for water bill adjustments, but when the meeting agenda progressed to the item requesting a status update on the ameba issue, legal advisors told Council members their remarks should remain private due to pending litigation.

Councilman Lennix Madere Jr., whose area of representation includes Reserve, said no communication has been relayed to him about spot checking bills and handling adjustments on an individual basis.

“It’s completely crazy to think someone’s water bill wouldn’t go up with running (water) an extra five or ten minutes before they use it,” Madere said.

He said “everyone deserves a break” and he doesn’t “see how you pick and choose” whose bill to check.

Madere said his constituents have expressed two fears to him — the fear of using water they feel is unsafe and the fear of bill increases.

“They need to take the burden off of the people,” he said of parish administration.