SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) – Shreveport’s Water & Sewerage Department has received an order from the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) to make immediate repairs to the city’s drinking water system.
This comes after a “Sanitary Survey” was performed back in September of 2021. Remedial actions are to include repairs to water storage tanks and emergency generators.
Shreveport awarded $3.5 million FEMA Grant for Water System Generators
The city issued a response to this order from LDH Wednesday, Feb. 5, saying, in part, they’ve been “proactive” in addressing the cited deficiencies despite the significant nature of the repairs. The city says after the 2021 survey, officials told LDH that it would take more than 90 days to make the necessary repairs due to the complexity and scope of the work required. Since then, the city says it has maintained communication with LDH, providing quarterly updates on the progress.
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City officials say a number of the required actions in the order are already underway as part of existing projects. One of these projects is the Water Tank Improvement Project, which includes repairs to all active elevated water towers.
Meanwhile, city officials say funding is still pending for a project involving an emergency generator for the booster pump station that serves the southeast portion of the city.
The city says one of the main challenges in carrying out these repairs in making sure water service continues uninterrupted. Improvements to the water storage tank can only be made during times of low demand, the city says. These times are typically during winter months, the city explains. Water department staff members have done operational testing to find out the impact of taking each tank offline since the tanks are critical for maintaining water pressure and fire protection. The city says repairs have to be carefully scheduled to minimize disruptions.
RELATED VIDEO – KSLA INVESTIGATES: Something in the WaterIn summer of 2024, Shreveport saw an increased level of manganese in its drinking water. Here’s how the city addressed it, and the potential harmful effects.
The city says despite all this, it remains committed to improving the drinking water system. More than $10 million has been allocated to address the deficiencies in the 2021 survey, the city says. This is in addition to the $40 million worth of projects included in the 2024 General Obligation Bonds, the city says.
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In its news release sent out Wednesday, the city maintains the issues identified by LDH do not pose an immediate health threat to the public. The city says it will take a number of years to fix all the issues. All of the projects have been laid out and are funded, the city says, thanks in part to a grant from FEMA.
(KMDL-FM) You might not have realized it, but you’re on a roller coaster. No, not the kind of roller coaster you look forward to riding, but the kind of roller coaster only Mother Nature can devise in the form of Louisiana’s annual up and down weather conditions, also known as spring.
READ MORE: Louisiana Parishes That Have the Most Tornadoes
Much of Louisiana was affected by strong storms with heavy rains and gusty winds during the day on Saturday and extending into Sunday morning. By later afternoon yesterday, conditions had improved, and it looked as though the work and school week would be off to a much calmer start.
Heavy Rain Possible in Louisiana To Start the Work Week
The start of the work and school day will be much calmer; however, the ride home on this first day of “extra sunlight” thanks to Daylight Saving Time will include a decent chance of showers and storms. Oh, and there are already reports of thick fog.
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So, after a foggy start this morning, you could be picking up kids from school or driving yourself home from work in a torrential downpour. And you’ll get to do all of this while you’re mentally addled from the twice-a-year time change.
Rain chances are listed at 50% for this afternoon, but they do taper off quickly after the sun goes down. The Weather Prediction Center is forecasting a slight risk of an excessive rain event for portions of Louisiana later today. The area of concern is generally along and well north of US 190.
When Is The Next Threat of Severe Storms in Louisiana?
Tuesday should be a cloudy but breezy and warm day. Then on Wednesday, the rain chances and the next threat of severe storms will move into Louisiana.
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The Storm Prediction Center outlook for Wednesday’s severe weather potential suggests that the northern and central sections of the state might be more at risk for stronger storms than the I-10 corridor might be.
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READ MORE: Who Is Appearing at Patty in the Parc in Lafayette?
We will know more about that potential later this morning when the SPC updates its forecast. The outlook for the remainder of the week, including the Patty in the Parc Weekend event in Downtown Lafayette, looks to be spectacular.
RICHLAND — Tech companies could receive significant tax breaks in Louisiana as data centers break ground in the state.
According to a report by The Advocate, Meta officials told state officials in 2024 that they would need significant tax breaks while negotiating the $27 billion data center project currently being built in North Louisiana.
Based on projections of Louisiana’s tax exemptions and the expected expenditures of the companies, state and local governments could potentially give billions in tax breaks to the tech giants.
Several states, including Louisiana, have seen backlash to data centers as residents worry about potential rising electric costs and strain on water systems.
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Virginia is currently debating whether or not to repeal tax exemptions for the tech companies, as it has cost state and local governments in Virginia $1.9 billion in 2024 alone.
The tax break exempts data centers from state and local taxes for multiple things data centers require, including servers, chillers, electric infrastructure and construction costs.
The scale of the data center projects, which include tens of billions in spending, coupled with Louisiana’s sales tax of 10%, means tax breaks could be worth huge amounts.
Gov. Jeff Landry speaks at an event Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, at Shreveport Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, La., held to announce that Amazon plans to build data centers in Caddo and Bossier Parishes. He is joined by Roger Wehner, left, vice president of Economic Development for Amazon, and Matt Vanderzanden, CEO of STACK Infrastructure.
