Water issues still plague Welsh residents
WELSH — At least one local resident is continuing to deal with brown, rusty water coming from his faucets.
“I still have some days where the water is totally brown,” former alderman Charles Drake told Welsh officials Tuesday.
Drake, who lives on Davis Street, said he is still concerned about the issue and finds it frustrating.
“It gets better, then bad again,” he said. “It’s just on and off. There’s no set time. You never know when it is going to happen.”
Like many residents, Drake said he has changed his faucets and water heater, but continues to have problems with the discolored water.
Town Clerk Eva Kibodeaux said the problem is reoccurring for only a handful of residents.
The number of phone calls of residents reporting water problems has gone down since the town began treating its water with zinc orthophosphate, a corrosion inhibitor, in August following months of discolored water.
“There are a few individuals and hot spots that we are still having problems with, but we are working with people and attending to those areas,” Mayor Carolyn Louviere said.
Alderman Lawrence Mier said the town has had to change some taps leading from the main water line to the home’s meter.
For months residents have been complaining about brown, rusty water damaging their clothes, sinks, toilets and appliances. Many refused to drink the water even after officials said it was safe to drink.
Louviere said the town has been providing packets of Red Be Gone free of charge to residents to use to clean their toilets, sinks, tubs and clothes, but is currently out of the product.
In August, Chris LeBouef, operator for the Welsh water and sewer system, and town superintendent Wayne Hebert look at a new system installed to add zinc orthophosphate to the town’s water. The chemical will act as a barrier wall coating to prevent further corrosion of aging water pipes and household plumbing to eliminate discolored and smelly water.