Water Services Update: Bottled Water Distribution At Civic Center

Mayor Nic Hunter held a press conference with the City of Lake Charles at 11:00am this morning to update residents on the current status of water in the city.

During the conference, Mayor Hunter stated the difficulties are the result of the sudden electricity blackout at 6:29am Tuesday morning, which took all of the water plants offline. He said it takes some time to safely transition the plants to generator power, and it was during the window before power was restored that the city's water supply was completely depleted. He was unable to provide a timeline on when water services will be fully restored, but did assure residents at no time has the city intentionally shut off the water supply.

The city has partnered with United Way and Second Harvest to bring a bottled water distribution operation to the north side of the Lake Charles Civic Center beginning at 1:00pm today, February 18, while supplies last. He also assured residents there are no issues with fire protection in Lake Charles due to the water situation. He has also requested Governor Edwards to mobilize the National Guard to bring water supplies to Lake Charles and help enable further water distribution efforts.

Likening the current situation to having just gone through another hurricane, Mayor Hunter stressed the importance of conserving water, not running faucets, and reporting any known leaks to the city. If you have or know of a leak, please call 337-491-1483 or 337-491-1414 or 337-491-1346 to report it.

All six of the city's water facilities are operating at double capacity, but rebuilding pressure is hindered by the excessive amount of leaks and burst pipes. Additionally, the boil notice remains in effect if you are able to receive water at this time.