DENHAM SPRINGS – A water boil advisory for Ward II Water District customers along Arnold Road could be lifted as soon as Thursday, according to the water district’s general manager Barry LeJeune.
LeJeune said the water district is waiting for word from the state Department of Health on water samples sent late Tuesday.
The problem began when a contractor was boring near a water main and hit the main, LeJeune said, adding that in order to make repairs, water pressure had to be lowered in water lines in the area.
Under state health rules, if water pressure in a line goes below a certain point, water samples must be collected and sent to the state for testing.
A water boil advisory must also be issued.
“The water boil advisory is a precautionary measure,” LeJeune said.
The repairs were made Tuesday, and water samples were taken to the state health office in Amite, but it was too late for the lab to run tests, he said.
Approximately 50 customers of the Ward II Water District were affected, he said, from the Perkins Road intersection with Arnold Road to 3313 Perkins Road.
The contractor was conducting horizontal directional drilling and “got too close” to the water main, LeJeune said.
“They work in a servitude 10-feet wide, but there can be a lot of utility lines in there and it can get challenging,” LeJeune explained.