Rayne water plant ‘up and running’

The city’s water treatment plant is once again fully operational.
Monday afternoon, Mayor Charles “Chuck” Robichaux announced that the equipment that had failed two weeks earlier had been repaired and “is up and running.”
On Monday, July 3, one of the treatment process phases which involved the removal of iron from the potable water experienced a failure. Citizens were told then that, because of the age of the equipment, replacement parts had to be custom-fabricated and shipped to Rayne before they could be installed.
At last Monday’s city council meeting (July 10), Robichaux said the parts were expected by mid-week and “we’ll be working around the clock to get the equipment repaired.”
That work was completed on Monday.
“If you have experienced tinted water due to a higher iron content, you should notice a difference in the water in the next few days,” Robichaux said in a statement released Monday. “We will be doing additional flushing at fire hydrants next week to try to expedite the clearing process.”
The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals is aware of the situation, and it has been determined that the health and safety of the public has not been and is not compromised by this condition.
Normal disinfection (chlorination) is still being applied in the treatment process.
“If you should experience tinted water, let the water run for a couple minutes or until it clears up. Our operators are all very much on top of the situation and working around the clock to bring the treatment process back to normal,” Robichaux said.
“Again, the City of Rayne Water Department apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused.”