Update on Lake Charles water plants repairs

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - The hurricanes nearly destroyed the water systems, leaving the city of Lake Charles with a pretty hefty bill for repairs. The city leaders met to discuss continued repairs.

It was a grim outlook for the important necessity, as Hurricane Laura damaged Lake Charles water plants.

“Some of the most pessimistic and depressing estimates were that we could be without water for weeks or even months, God forbid, if we didn’t have some major achievements from that group,” said Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter.

Mayor Hunter explains the city is taking advantage of this time to make long-term repairs to its outdated water systems.

“We’re not going to just simply replace what was there the way it was before. We are upgrading those systems,” Mayor Hunter said. “As we make upgrades, we’re bringing them to modern codes. We are bringing them up to date with modern technology.”

As part of the reconstruction process, the city council approved the next step for repairs.

“The item on the agenda tonight is the rebuilding of motor starter cabinets at one of our water plants, and to bring it up to the most recent codes and standards, ensuring that we have a reliable water system,” said Utility Manager Kevin Heise.

While officials are unsure of when repairs will wrap up, Heise said all of the city’s water systems are operating at 100 percent.

“What we are doing construction-wise is, we are bringing in newer equipment, more reliable equipment, to better service our community,” Heise said.

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