Louisiana water commission hears requests for extensions, funding for projects

(The Center Square) − At the latest Water Sector Commission meeting on Sept. 27, several extension requests were reviewed and approved.

Requests for the towns of Ville Platte and Sunset were heard. Ville Platte sought a one-month extension for submitting plans and specifications, having already received two five-month extensions. Sunset requested a three-month extension through Oct. 31 to advance Phase 1, which is needed for completing design of Phase 2. Both extensions were approved.

Additionally, Church Point requested approval to use its remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds to connect 40 existing homes with private wells to the public water system, which was also approved.

No further requests or changes were made regarding engineering subfund expenditures, water sector procedures, or termination requests.

An update on Water Sector Program projects revealed that $44.1 million in unobligated funds remain of $800 million. These funds are expected to cover cost overruns and unexpected expenses.

Currently, 25 grantees have not met all conditions to draw down funds, and they were notified to meet conditions by Nov. 15.

A list of those municipalities will be provided to the commission.

The commission also discussed an administrative budget of $1.07 million, which will cover costs for Louisiana Department of Health, Department of Environmental Quality and the Division of Administration, including contracts for rate studies and upgrades to the online portal.

This portal will streamline project proposals and tracking. The portal is set to open for new project submissions on Oct. 28, with reviews beginning in December.

New scoring criteria were approved, with project severity being the highest-weighted factor. Sen. Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, raised concerns about East Baton Rouge Parish not being represented and will follow up on whether municipalities like Zachary or Baker had applied for funding.