The Louisiana Department of Health released the grades for community water systems across the state earlier this week with Ascension systems performing at various levels.
LDH assigns letter grades based on seven standards that evaluate the infrastructure, accountability, and overall health risk of drinking water for consumers. It uses a 100-point scale to calculate the grades.
The standards that reflect the grades include federal and state water quality, financial sustainability, operation and maintenance, infrastructure, customer satisfaction and secondary contaminants (iron and manganese).
Some of Ascension Parish’s largest water systems—Ascension Consolidated Utility District No. 1, Parish Utilities of Ascension, Ascension Parish Water Works District 2 and the City of Gonzales water system—all received A grades.
Under the state’s grading rubric, Ascension Consolidated Utility District No. 1 earned five bonus points for implementing best management practices, including an asset management plan, storage assessment and maintenance program, well assessment and maintenance program, and participation in management training or capacity development programs.
Parish Utilities of Ascension had five points deducted for iron and/or manganese levels exceeding secondary maximum contaminant standards. While those levels do not pose a health risk, they can affect water quality, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. The system offset the deduction by earning five bonus points for management and capacity-building efforts similar to those of Ascension Consolidated Utility District No. 1.
The City of Gonzales water system had 10 points deducted due to confirmed customer complaints related to water quality reported to the system or LDH. It also lost five points for elevated iron or manganese levels but regained five bonus points for maintaining an asset management plan or similar programs.
“While we are pleased with the ‘A’ grade, my administration is well aware that there is room for improvement,” Gonzales Mayor Tim Riley said in a statement. “We are actively working toward solutions to eliminate the manganese, which, we believe, will also eliminate most customer complaints.”
Gonzales’ water system has relied on chemical treatment to neutralize manganese, which gives water a brownish tint, for years. Riley has tasked the city’s consulting engineer with investigating a fix to the issue, which has spanned at least three mayoral administrations.
View the grades for the water systems across the state and the detailed scores of the Ascension water systems.
