“It has just gotten to the point where our water is extremely nasty. The residents don’t deserve this water.”
Residents in the Livingston Parish town of Killian say they’ are fed up with the water woes they’ve been dealing with for years.
At a packed town meeting January 6th, residents voiced their frustration to officials, including newly elected mayor Ronald Sharp, Sr. who is in charge of managing the town’s water system.
“It’s to the point where our water is orange, yellow, brown, all kinds of different colors,” said Jessica Albarado who lives on Austin St. in Killian.
Albarado says that the water issues have been going on since she moved to Killian five years ago. In addition to the discolored water, she says pipes delivering water to homes are too small to get the job done. This has caused water pressure issues, a problem that worsened during the December freeze.
Many residents are buying bottled water because they’re too scared to drink what’s coming from their faucets.
“Our pipes leak and burst and we’re out of water for days,” Albarado said. “It has just gotten to the point where our water is extremely nasty. We have expressed that to the mayor, we have expressed that to the council and nothing is being done. We want answers.”
Residents say the water issues escalated in late November after Boondock Services, LLC. canceled their contract with Killian. The company informed them after the November election that they no longer wanted to work with the town.
The Killian board of aldermen said they unsuccessfully tried to bridge the divide between Boondock Services and Sharp.
“Since [Sharp has taken] over the water system, the condition of the water system and the quality of the water produced by the system have steadily declined in the opinion of the citizens of the town,” the board said in a statement about the problems.
Officials say they were happy with the work Boondock Services provided, and that they did not fire the company. Officials wouldn’t say why Boondock Services no longer wanted to contract with the town. Unfiltered with Kiran reached out to Boondock Services. They said they ended their contract because they did not want to work with the new administration.
“Right now, we’re being told that no company is running our water system. The mayor is the one running it and trying to keep up with the well and everything,” Albarado said.
Killian officials told residents that they have identified companies to interview about managing the town’s water system. They are going through the approval process, but they say it’s simply taking time.
“We have not had anyone over water, and it is not cutting it with [Mayor Sharp] running it because, I’m sorry to say it, [he doesn’t] know how to run water. It’s not fair, we’re sick of it,” Albarado said.
The board of aldermen say they are demanding a timeline of events surrounding the situation.
“We demand that the mayor correct this egregious situation with the highest level of urgency,” the board’s statement said.
Unfiltered with Kiran reached out to Mayor Sharp. We have not yet heard back.
If you’re having similar issues with brown and discolored water, contact news@unfilteredwithkirnan.com
Statement from Killian Board of Aldermen
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