Plaquemines Parish residents between Lake Hermitage and Port Sulphur are on a precautionary boil water advisory after a water-line break near Lake Hermitage cut into the supply feeding the Port Sulphur water plant. Parish officials posted the advisory Sunday, saying customers on that stretch should treat tap water before using it. Inframark, the parish’s contracted water operator, apologized for the disruption and said crews are working to isolate and repair the leak.
According to Plaquemines Parish Government, the move is strictly precautionary and will stay in place until water sampling and lab testing confirm the system is safe to drink from again. The parish notes that the advisory stems from an Inframark notice and that parish staff and the contractor are coordinating repairs, testing, and system stabilization.
Who Is Affected
The parish says the precaution applies to customers along the west bank from Lake Hermitage down to the Port Sulphur Water Plant. Nearby neighborhoods tied into that transmission line may also feel the impact. Officials are posting status updates on the parish alert center and news flash pages so residents can track repair work and testing results; check the Plaquemines Parish Alert Center for the latest information.
How To Protect Yourself
Until the advisory is lifted, residents should bring tap water to a full rolling boil for one minute before using it for drinking, making ice, cooking, or brushing teeth. At elevations above about 6,500 feet, that boil time should be three minutes. Per the EPA, bottled water is a safe alternative. Households are advised to throw out ice made during the advisory and plan to disinfect or flush refrigerators, ice makers, and faucets once normal service is restored.
What Caused The Advisory
Parish officials say crews traced the problem to a break near Lake Hermitage that caused a drop in pressure in the distribution system. Low pressure is a common trigger for precautionary boil notices, since it can allow contaminants to seep into pipelines when the system is not fully pressurized. Water outages, plant issues, and line damage have led to several boil advisories in Plaquemines in recent years, as local reporting on residents left boiling mad has documented.
Where To Get Updates
Plaquemines Parish officials say they will continue posting developments on their Facebook page and the parish Alert Center. Inframark remains the listed customer contact for this water system, and residents with questions can call the operator using the customer line cited in prior parish notices and local coverage. For more on how boil advisories are cleared after testing is complete, see guidance frequently referenced by local utilities and reporting such as KATC.
