Cecilia's water woes continue

A significant part of the problem of low water pressure here is the fact that one of the Cecilia Water Corporation’s four wells is out of operation and another is operating at about half-capacity, said the system’s manager, Bruce Guidry.

Repairs are underway but the system’s capacity won’t be back to normal until next Friday, Guidry said.

Meanwhile, the water plant is running overtime to boost pressure, Guidry said.

“Right now we’re at 40 pounds of pressure,” he said. “Normally we’re at 50. But 40 is better than 20.”

The recent freezes exacerbated the problem by people running their water to keep their pipes from freezing or losing water when their pipes burst, Guidry said.

The Henderson-Nina Water District is helping out by feeding water through a joint line, he said.

Cecilia Water customers, which now include Breaux Bridge residents and businesses north of Interstate 10, have been suffering with tap-water pressures so low they can’t flush toilets or bathe.

The pressure problems have caused the closure of public schools in the area, and resulted in numerous “boil-water” advisories for the system’s customers.

The City of Breaux Bridge sells about five million gallons of water a month to the privately owned Cecilia system. City officials are circumspect in their comments about the relationship, but sources familiar with the operations tell the Teche News it is an increasing burden on Breaux Bridge.

Low pressure in Cecilia feeds back into the four-inch line serving the Breaux Bridge neighborhoods north of I-10.

Negotiations are underway to transfer the northern Breaux Bridge line to the city, which has plans to replace it with a 12-inch line that loops from the connection near Silver’s back to the new water tower just south of the interstate.

At stake is not only the stream from shower heads and kitchen faucets but also the city’s insurance rating. The existing four-inch line will not supply the 50-plus fire hydrants needed to serve the growing neighborhoods north of I-10.