From your CGHOA board,
After talking to many of our residents and attending the Parish Utility Workgroup meeting, we have decided out of an abundance of caution to make sure you are fully aware of the events pertaining to our drinking water system. We would like to offer proper contact information and ask that you please report all health issues that you and your family may have experienced due to a possible water system contamination on 3/20 – 4/14. The following information has been provided by two of our residents. We ask you to read over it carefully and please feel free to contact us at mycrossgates@gmail.com or our website with any questions you may have.
From Our Neighbors Mr. Binder and Mrs. Polo Fronistas,
On March 26th Tammany Utilities identified a force main sewer leak under Gause Blvd. Subsequent to the discovery of this breach, several residents who test their own water reported that monochloramine levels, the chemical used to treat our drinking water for sanitation purposes, was no longer testing in the normal range. Tammany Utilities and the Louisiana Department of Health were notified of the low monochloramine levels.
On 4/1 Louisiana Department of Health officials came to Cross Gates to test the water. They found the monochloramine levels were below the recommended values for proper treatment of a drinking water system.
On 4/1 Louisiana Department of Health issued Tammany Utilities the attached Notice of Violation.
The residents continued to report low chlorine residual through 4/6, and on 4/9 The Louisiana Department of Health returned for more extensive testing. Again, LDH issued Tammany Utilities the attached Notice of Violation on 4/9.
The residents who reported the low monochloramine levels attended the 4/12 Utility Work Group meeting in the Council Chambers on Koop Dr. A link to watch the meeting in its entirety is found here (fast forward to the 30-minute mark to skip to the Cross Gates discussion): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNjLGj_Ppa8
The Advocate was present at the meeting and Mrs. Pagones,
Northshore Bureau Chief, published the following article prior to the meeting:
https://www.nola.com/news/environment/water_ways/article_698cf95a-9bb4-11eb-a1cc-83ce32ff8e2d.html
At a Utility Work Group meeting on 4/12 It was presented that there was a possibility of the drinking water being cross-contaminated. The possible cross-contamination could have caused a range of illnesses in our subdivision from 3/20 – 4/14. The illnesses reported across this time period were gastrointestinal issues for humans and pets, diarrhea, vomiting, fever, ear infections, UTIs in males, females, and children as well as a host of other illnesses attributable to the possible contamination of drinking water.
Slidell Independent wrote the following article on April 16th:
https://www.slidell-independent.com/residents-blast-parish-officials-for-sewer-leak/?fbclid=IwAR181A8vbzA0e132rhoY4yS-VNvgFnAKc8ezDrGa7du4c-rpykJR_j9MgNw
On April 14th Mrs. Pagones ran a second article following the utility work group meeting:
https://www.nola.com/news/environment/water_ways/article_cc98fbf6-9c64-11eb-a3a1-fba7281b4730.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-share
We received the following information from Jacob Haffner at LDH:
“For future complaints and inquiries, please direct your emails to either me or my regional staff, Tessa (our regional sanitarian manager), or our engineering staff listed below:
Jacob Haffner (225) 342-7363 - Jacob.Haffner@la.gov
Tessa Dixon (985-543-4953) – Tessa.dixon@la.gov
Eric Brown (985-543-4952) – eric.brown@la.gov
Corey Harris (985-543-4957) – corey.harris@la.gov
Also, our Epidemiological Section is aware of the situation at Cross Gates and is monitoring and analyzing data. So, for health complaints, Raychel Berkheimer is the contact for the Epi Section and her contact information is:
Raychel Berkheimer, MPH
Waterborne Disease Coordinator
Louisiana Office of Public Health
Infectious Disease Epidemiology
1450 Poydras St., Suite 1641
New Orleans, LA 70112
Phone: 504-568-8307
Fax: 504-568-8290
24 Hour: 1-800-256-2748
Email: raychel.berkheimer@la.gov
www.dhh.la.gov/idepi ”
The group of residents that discovered the low monochloramine levels have a Facebook page you can join if you wish to learn more details at “TU East Slidell Citizens Group”.
LDH Notices of Violation:
April 1, 2021 NOV
April 9, 2021 NOV page 1
April 9, 2021 NOV page 2
