11/20/2024
Bayou
Below is the letter that was sent to me by concerned citizens, friends and relatives. I’m told by multiple sources who allegedly sent the letter but it was not signed. I understand there are legitimate concerns from good people who did contact me today. The letter falsely accuses me and a couple of other council members of willfully wanting to poison people- my friends and family. It’s Washington DC style manipulation, fear mongering, and most of all evil.
The letter is in quotes and my response and the data I researched is listed below it. I’m no water quality expert nor do I claim to be. My decisions were based on the facts before me at the time. Thank you.
“Read, research and discern for yourself.
Share with others IF
YOU CHOOSE TO!!!
To: Bayou Lafourche Residents
Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Water District No. 1 plant in Schriever has acquired a Right-of-Way from Parish President Archie Chiasson (Lafourche Parish Government)to build a pipeline to deposit waste sludge into Bayou Lafourche from their facility in Terrebonne Parish. A resolution to support giving Terrebonne Consolidated Water District was originally introduced to the Lafourche Parish Council in September by Councilman Bo Melvin and seconded by Councilman Mark Perque. Note both councilman are located upstream from the pipeline discharge. Voting in favor of the resolution allowing the pipeline was South Lafourche Councilperson Delynn Chiasson, Central Lafourche Councilman Armand Autin and upstream from the pipeline Thibodaux Councilman Bo Melvin and Mark Perque. Voting against the pipeline was South Lafourche Councilman Danial Lorraine, Central Lafourche Councilman Terry Arabie and Thibodaux Councilman D J Brumfield. The resolution failed adoption by lack of a qualifying requirement. A second attempt to grant the Right-of-Way to Terrebonne Water by resolution occurred in October by the Lafourche Parish Council and subsequently pulled off the council agenda by Parish President Archie Chiasson. Parish President Archie Chiasson then issued a “Letter of No Objection” to Terrebonne Water without the consent of the Lafourche Parish Council allowing Terrebonne Water the use of a utility easement to construct the pipeline and discharge into Bayou Lafourche. Thus far no attempt has been made by the Council to demand Parish President Archie Chiasson revoke and rescind the “Letter of No Objection” and oppose the pipeline construction and any discharge into Bayou Lafourche.
Terrebonne Water Plant will deposit into Bayou Lafourche all contaminants processed out of their water processing plant which includes LEAD and numerous other metals and contaminants. (Visit Consolidated Waterworks District No.1 Terrebonne Parish Website)
The Terrebonne Water Plant Director Mike Sobert is on record as stating the process of routing toxic sludge from the Terrebonne Water Plant to Bayou Lafourche as being approved and permitted by the Department of Enviromental Quailty. Why? Bayou Terrebonne is 1 mile from the Terrebonne Water plans as opposed to Bayou Lafourche being 3 miles from the water plant. The same Bureaucratic Department allows for other methods of disposal less invasive than piping the sludge into a neighboring Parish’s drinking water source.
Lafourche Parish Councilman Danial Lorraine is introducing a resolution to demand Parish President Archie Chaisson revoke and rescind his “Letter of No Objection” to the Terrebonne Water District. This resolution will be offered for consideration at the Lafourche Parish Council Meeting on Tuesday November 26, 2024 at 5:00pm. Your involvement is crucial. Contact your Councilman/woman and demand that every effort possible is expected by the Lafourche Parish Council to STOP any discharge by the Consolidated Water District No. - of Terrebonne Parish. The Terrebonne Water District operates outside the scope of Terrebonne Parish Government.
Your attendance at the Council meeting is critical.
In closing, it is not coincidental or mere bad luck our area has been ravaged by cancer and heart disease. Rather than further polluting our source of drinking water every effort possible should be exhausted to promote a healthier environment. Everyone young or old is affected and has an interest in Bayou Lafourche. Both commercial and sport fisherman should be alarmed as much as anyone.
Without your involvement Parish President Archie Chaisson will succeed with allowing the pipeline construction.”
END
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From Bo:
For those who don’t know, Terrebonne Parish has been getting a lot of their drinking water from Bayou Lafourche since the 1960’s from the Lefort Canal off of Hwy 1 near the Lefort Bypass Rd.
A month or so ago there was an agenda item that appeared on two different council agendas. I was the sponsor for the administration because the work is located in my district and 80-90% of all agenda items are “sponsored for the administration”. It was from Terrebonne Parish Water Works. I am told that they have been putting their discharged water into holding ponds. However, they wanted use of an existing Lafourche Parish utility servitude (Right of Way) to run a pipeline from their water plant facility in Schriever to Bayou Lafourche near the Lefort Bylass Rd off of Hwy. The pipeline would be used to move discharge water from their water plant into Bayou Lafourche instead of in holding ponds. Also, the other water plants along Bayou Lafourche, move their discharge water into the bayou- Thibodaux, and Assumption - just like Lafourche Water Dist. #1 does. Please know that no one from the Lafourche Parish Water District #1 attended either meeting.
We only had one “water expert” who attended the meeting. Mr. Mike Sobert, from Terrebonne Parish Water Works. The council members asked some questions. One of my questions was, “Will this project have any harmful environmental effects in Bayou Lafourche?” Answer from Terrebonne Water Works, Mike Sobert: “No,” and they the project is “properly permitted by the LA DEQ”. (La Dept. Of Enviromental Quality).
There were other questions from council members and since no one from the Lafourche Water District was present to field questions and give their expert opinion, some, including me, figured, if our water company people weren’t at this meeting, then where’s the harm? Other Water Companies are putting their discharged water into the bayou.
There were one or two people present who were against it, including a land owner whose land the servitude is located but no bonafide water experts on the opposing side. Councilman Lorraine stated that he was against it. Based on the info. I had just received, the item was put up for a vote and failed.
Fast forward about two weeks and the item was placed back onto the agenda. When I was made aware of this, I made some calls, including some to Lafourche Water District #1. I was told that the discharge water from Terrebonne wouldn’t pose an issue. Even so, this subject had gotten some attention and I was trying my best to educate myself, calling LA DEQ, etc., etc. trying to ascertain if this was a problem. In my research, which I’ve listed the links below, I learned that LA DEQ has water sampling points all along Bayou Lafourche since 1991 to present day.
For instance, there is one at the Canal St Bridge in Thibodaux and I’m told that the discharge water from water plants is a lot cleaner than the average sample from the bayou.
The concerning buzz words are, “TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS,” aka “T.S.S.” TSS is basically soil in the water. The allowable “Discharge Limits” of TSS by La DEQ listed on their permit are:
- 45 m/gL daily maximum
AND
- 30 m/gL monthly average.
Please refer to the chart pic below.
Often times, the m/gL sample numbers of TSS directly from Bayou Lafourche water samples are many often several times higher than allowable limits by LA DEQ. Some sample results are as high as 232 m/gL (like parts per million “ppm”). That’s a lot higher than 45 m/gL. Remember, Bayou Lafourche comes from the Mississippi River and that originates from Lake Itasca in Minnesota and is 2340 miles long. There’s a lot of “stuff” in the Mississippi River.
The 2nd meeting with same item on the agenda rolled around. I was the sponsor again but I was told by our legal advisor that this item was suppose to be decided by the Executive Branch, not the Legislative Branch. In other words it was for the Parish President to decide and if he chose to allow it, he’d have to issue a “letter of no objection” as to whether Terrebonne would be granted the right to run the pipeline. This being the case, I pulled the item as per legal advice since we couldn’t vote on it.
I’m told a few days later that President Chaisson issued the letter of no objection to Terrebonne Water Works allowing the pipeline.
Please know that I would never ever knowingly mislead anyone. I am from Larose and still have many relatives and friends down the bayou. I am told that Councilman Daniel Lorraine is suppose to have a resolution on the next agenda asking President Chaisson to rescind his “letter of no objection” to Terrebonne Parish Water Works.
Meanwhile, I’m still researching and also hoping that we have some water experts from Lafourche Parish Water District #1 at the next meeting- Tuesday, November 26 at 5 pm who will answer some questions.
I understand that folks are concerned after reading the letter. The bottom line is I want real honest science no matter the answer, not fear mongering nor being falsely accused of knowingly and willfully wanting to poison or harm anyone. I have many flaws, just ask my wife. Fortunately, mass murdering people isn’t one of them. I want to do the will of the people and refuse to be maligned by scare tactics. Now, if people don’t want to pipeline, it’s the Parish President who can rescind that letter.
If you have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me by text, FB PM, phone call, etc.
God Bless you and know that I work for you, “We the People”. - Bo
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Below is info. from La DEQ website on samples from Bayou Lafourche.
This is the site which shows ambient water quality data for Bayou Lafourche collected at the Canal Street bridge in Thibodaux. The results are best seen on a laptop or desktop computer.
After opening the page:
Click: Lab Samples
Click: Parameters and scroll down until you see “Total Suspended Solids”
Click: Total Suspended Solids
Click: Reset filters
Scroll down under the chart and get to the most recent data and view the last few years. Look for “. “Total Suspended Solids” aka “TSS”.
These totals of the samples from the bayou average a lot higher than the “Discharge limitations” from the water plants which are the Total Suspended Solids from the permit chart below.
More data.
https://waterdata.deq.louisiana.gov/Collection_Data/WQ1958001/0293. If you select Total Suspended Solids from the list of options under lab sample data, you can see that every month, back to 1991, the ambient water is above the limits that permit allows. For people that aren't familiar with TSS, it is not some type of pollutant or chemical that is produced at the water plant, it is simply sediment (dirt), the same thing that makes the bayou and most other water bodies connected to the Mississippi River cloudy.
This is the link to all of La DEQ’s electronic records for every facility in the State. https://edms.deq.louisiana.gov/edmsv2/account/signin . I can't link directly to it, but the Agency Interest # for the water plant is 27838. People can see all of the data they have submitted, including TSS, through here.
