(City of Alexandria Press Release) – The City of Alexandria continues to work with the Louisiana Department of Health (“LDH”) to address and ensure the safety of citizens using the City system due to the incidence of positive coliform tests earlier this week at one Alexandria test site in the Rue Verdun area.
Since that time, all tests (sample site, source, upstream, and downstream)—including now-expanded testing—have been negative or at this time show no growth.
The initial concerns did not arise from a known extraordinary event.
This is important, and is particularly noteworthy when considered with the level of chlorine indicated at the test sites, which levels were inconsistent with microbe survival (the chlorine levels were 1.33 ppm, far in excess of the 0.5 ppm minimum).
While this does not indicate a false positive began the event, these are mitigating factors in favor of our continued safety.
However, the LDH protocol in place requires additional time for the last expanded-area samples, placed in incubation around 9:30 p.m., June 15, 2018, to have a 24-hour incubation.
No modification of the system-wide boil order has been authorized at this time.
Assuming there is no growth—and none is indicated so far—then by that time this evening, the City would have the statistical probabilities required for LDH to authorize lifting the system-wide order, absent any new factors of concern (and none is anticipated or indicated at this time).
Yesterday, the following statement was made from the City, which still holds today except that the expansion is now hours old and awaiting the completion of incubation: “The City is expanding the scope of the investigative samples, which thus far have been negative, to ensure the safety of our customers.
For more information on the incident, you can read the full release from the Mayor’s Office at the attached link.