"Boil water" order is issued for town in Caddo Parish Source: The Baton Rouge Advocate Publication date: 2000-05-25

MOORINGSPORT - Residents of this Caddo Parish community should boil their water before using it for drinking or cooking, Mayor Doug Elder said. The request is in response to a "boil notice" issued to the town Tuesday by the engineering services office of the state Department of Health and Hospitals in Baton Rouge.

The notice said that, because of "inadequate treatment" provided by the town's water-treatment plant, "the microbiological quality of water being delivered ... has been rendered questionable."The boil notice describes the request as a "precautionary measure."Elder said he was told by DHH officials that microscopic particles, such as rust and sand, cloud the water. The "boil notice" is effective until rescinded by DHH, which Elder said will send a team to test the water.

Residents should bring water to a rolling boil in a clean container and continue to boil the water at least five minutes, according to the notice.

Elder said the water plant, which he believes is at least 40 years old, serves no more than 1,000 customers.

According to reports, the plant filters about 175,000 gallons of water a day, drawn from a well that, in turn, pulls water from Caddo Lake.

Mooringsport is seeking a $485,000 grant to replace the old water- purification system, Elder said.

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-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), May 26, 2000