‘Water war’ still boiling in Mansura

LAWCO President Billy Edrington attended the Mansura Town Council meeting on Nov. 12, but his appearance didn’t seem to do much to ease the tension between the town and the water company.

If anything, the “water war” between Mansura and LAWCO may have ticked a few degrees toward the boiling point. It definitely added a little fuel to Mayor Kenneth Pickett’s fire, who told Edrington that he believes LAWCO is in breach of its franchise agreement with the town.

Edrington said he does not see anything the company has done or failed to do that would qualify as a breach of its franchise agreement with Mansura.

Edrington said LAWCO will be testing equipment that claims to be able to remove 99 percent of trihalomethane (TTHMs) -- a byproduct of interaction between organic material in the water and disinfectants such as chlorine.

Long-term exposure to TTHMs can cause health problems. Short-term exposure to high TTHM levels has no immediate negative effect.

In short, the water is “safe” to drink even with high TTHM levels.

Mansura’s water tested high for TTHM earlier this year, as has its water provider, Cottonport.

Mansura officials had instructed LAWCO to take steps to temporarily switch water providers to Avoyelles Water Commission, which has had no negative TTHM report in its tests. That would raise customer’s monthly bills because AWC charges more than Cottonport.

NO TEMPORARY SWITCH

LAWCO has responded that it could permanently switch providers, but did not believe a temporary switch with the likelihood of switching back was beneficial.

Edrington said Cottonport has offered a 10 percent rate reduction to retain LAWCO as a buyer. That, combined with the treatment equipment to address the TTHM issue, would result in LAWCO remaining with Cottonport as its water provider.

“We will conduct a pilot study of the new equipment,” Edrington said after meeting. “If it works, we will purchase the equipment and stay with Cottonport.”

LAWCO will be filing a rate increase request with the Public Service Commission before the end of the year, Edrington said. That would include the cost of the new equipment.

With the rate cut from Cottonport, the average monthly increase to Mansura water customers would be less than $4 a month if the PSC approves the rate hike.

“We haven’t filed for a rate increase yet, but we plan too,” Edrington said. “Our franchise agreement says we must notify the town of any intent to seek a rate increase, so we are notifying them.”

Pickett made it clear at the meeting that he does not trust the PSC because it approved a LAWCO rate increase a few years ago even though the town made $500,000 of grant-funded improvements to the water system infrastructure.