Like several communities across Louisiana, as the cold weather arrived, running water, pipe busting and water pressure issues were faced by many government leaders including Kinder.
Mayor Wayland LaFargue said the town had an issue with its gas system first when a regulator went out and the part had to be ordered. He said two members of the maintenance department had to be onsite to manually operate the system for about 72 hours until it could be repaired.
LaFargue said both operators had to be certified in order to work the system.
Then the town’s water pressure began to drop. LaFargue said this happens when so many residents are setting their faucets to drip during a cold spell. He said when there are 1,000 customers, this is what happens when everyone is dripping water to try to prevent broken pipes.
“We buy our water from Southwest Water,” LaFargue said. “When they reduced our pressure, we were out of water.”
The mayor said they tried not to cut off the water, but they had to when the pressure was so low. He said they didn’t do it the first night, because he knows some businesses can’t operate without water.
As issues came to light, he said they posted updates on Facebook™ and the town’s alert system to keep residents updated on what was occurring. The mayor also asked residents to share the information.
Then they had a sewage pump break down. Those parts will not be in until today (Thursday).
“That was a positive side,” LaFargue said. He explained they work to prepare for weather events, but sometimes there are things that can’t be controlled, and when water has to be shut off, a boil advisory has to be issued.
Another positive to the situation, according to LaFargue, is the city’s workforce. “I’m very proud of our crew.”
He also was thankful for the residents who helped by spreading the news and understanding the things they were facing with the cold weather. “We did our very best.”
And although the town can’t fix leaks on residents’ property, he said the town does act as a “good neighbor.” As they drove around the community, they stopped to check for leaks, report it to homeowners and turn off water when it was necessary to try to prevent some of the issues associated with the cold weather.
As warm weather returns, he said the town is going to be okay. They are going to do what is necessary to move forward, fix issues and bring the best service to the community.
