A major water leak was discovered Wednesday at noon and capped off behind Burger King in Coushatta. This leak is reported to be the massive leak that has caused problems for the water system for weeks, possibly months. The mayor’s office released the following statement today:

From the Mayor’s Office:

Mayor Johnny Cox and the Coushatta Town Council members would like the residents of the Town of Coushatta to know the primary source of the water problem has been located by the Louisiana Rural Water Association. The association has been working diligently with the town for weeks to locate a leak that has plagued the town with low-pressure and intermittent outages. The leak was discovered in Coushatta near Burger King off Ringgold Rd. There was a break in an old pipe installed by CLECO dating back as far back as 1950. According to LRWA, this leak was causing the town to lose approximately 250 gallons of water per minute. Mayor Cox says there has been a noticeable increase in the town’s water supply and an instant increase in water pressure. Mayor Cox would like to thank the LRWA for their hard work and persistence in discovering the massive leak and Coushatta residents for their patience.

Update:

On Thursday, crews were seen at Nichols, and Red River Estates. According to the town engineer, these crews are working to hook up the final four areas in the new water system. The timeframe for this to be completed is now over the weekend. The town has said they are committed to working through Saturday to get not only these areas but also the courthouse completed.
The timeframe to begin water sampling from the new system should begin on Wednesday, September 6. Water test sites have not been established at this time. As soon as those are created, the testing may begin. GOHSEP and LDH will continue to assist through Tuesday, September 5 or until stabilization of the new system can be confirmed.
Plans to clean the overhead tank are now to begin on Wednesday. Getting this tank back to capacity is key to having a stable water system that has the pressure needed to serve the entire community.