[StBernard] St. Bernard Council to vote on rate increase for water, sewerage

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Council to vote on rate increase for water, sewerage

wwltv.com
Posted on March 18, 2014 at 6:47 AM
Antwan Harris / Eyewitness News
Email: aharris at wwltv.com | Twitter: @antwanharris
CHALMETTE, La. -- The St. Bernard Parish Council could vote as early as
Tuesday on a proposal to increase water and sewerage rates by 34% for
residents in the parish.

Recently, the parish has been dealing with a crumbling infrastructure due to
aging pipes, and St. Bernard hasn't seen a rate increase for sewerage and
water in over a decade.

The proposed rate hike comes after the discovery of a deadly brain-eating
amoeba in the parish water supply last fall.

That same amoeba claimed the life a 4-year-old Mississippi boy after a visit
to St. Bernard Parish for a birthday party.

Parish officials had to make several changes to how the parish treats its
water after the Department of Health and Hospitals placed strict regulations
into action, causing the parish to spend millions on upgrades.

Councilman Ray Lauga says the water and sewerage funds have been running at
a near $3 million deficit, and in addition, the parish had to get a $20
million loan for water line improvements, just recently.

Lauga says for residents, the increase would amount to about $10 to $15 per
water bill, and that he expects the increase would bring in more than $1.5
million a year.

That vote could come a little later today and WWL-TV and WWLTV.com will
bring the latest information as it becomes available.