RESERVE – A water sample taken by St. John the Baptist Parish Utilities Department showed turbidity levels of 5NTU turbidity units, exceeding the standard of .15NTU turbidity units.

Due to excess cloudiness, there is an increased chance the water may contain disease-causing organisms, according to St. John the Baptist Parish wastewater officials.

The high turbidity levels were observed in water districts 1 and 2, impacting residents in Reserve, Garyville, Mt. Airy, Edgard, Lucy and Wallace.

A boil water advisory remains in effect.

What should I do? What does this mean?

• DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil,

let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or

bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes,

and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the

water.

• Turbidity has no health effects. However, turbidity can interfere with disinfection and

provide a medium for microbial growth. Turbidity may indicate the presence of disease

causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which

can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.

• The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you

experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical

advice. People at increased risk should seek advice from their health care providers

about drinking this water.

What is being done?

St. John Water District 1 started a standby unit to get the drinking water in compliance, according to Wastewater Collection System Manager Reed Alexander.

“We will inform you when turbidity returns to appropriate levels and when you no longer need to boil your water,” Alexander said Sunday afternoon. “We anticipate resolving the problem within 24 hours.”

Please share this information, especially with those in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses.

Water is routinely monitored for turbidity to check how effectively the water supply is filtered. For more information, please contact St. John Utilities at 985-651-6800 or visit 1811 West Airline Highway in LaPlace.

General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the Environmental Protection agency.

A Safe Drinking Water Hotline is available at 1-800-426-4791.