Parts of Chalmette are on high alert at the tap after St. Bernard Parish officials issued a precautionary boil water advisory Wednesday for a busy stretch of Paris Road. Residents and businesses from Virtue Street down to the Bayou Bienvenue Bridge are being told to boil their water before drinking or cooking, all because emergency repair work forced crews to isolate a section of the water line. The advisory will stay in place until testing clears the system.
Affected area and reason
In a post on Facebook, the St. Bernard Parish Government laid out the details: the advisory covers Paris Road from Virtue Street to the Bayou Bienvenue Bridge and stems from emergency repairs on the water line. The April 15 notice instructs residents and businesses in the area to boil water before using it for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth or making ice until parish officials give the all clear.
What residents should do
Health guidance calls for bringing clear tap water to a rolling boil for at least one full minute, then letting it cool before use, with extra time recommended at higher elevations. Bottled water is considered a safe fallback. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers similar step-by-step instructions on boiling and storing water during advisories, and officials urge residents to be especially careful when mixing infant formula or serving anyone with a weakened immune system.
Testing and when the advisory will be lifted
The parish information page explains that the boil order will stay in place until lab samples come back negative for Total Coliform and E. coli. Test results typically arrive about 24 hours after samples are collected. For questions or updates, St. Bernard Parish Government lists its main contact line as 504-278-4200 and points residents to official parish channels for the latest notices. Ongoing advisories and cancellations are posted on the parish website; see St. Bernard Parish Government for the current advisory details.
The affected Paris Road corridor includes homes, gas stations and small businesses that may have to tweak their routines while the advisory is active. Parish officials say they will share testing updates as results come in, and residents are urged to keep an eye on parish social media feeds and the official site to know when normal water service is cleared to resume.
