Butte La Rose Residents Petitioning For Cleaner Water

Citizens in the town are gathering at the Butte La Rose Fire Department on Thursday as a show of solidarity to demand better water for their community.

Currently, residents water supply comes from private water wells. But, that has caused concern.

"Some of the neighborhoods in Butte La Rose, they have so much arsenic in their water that it's above the allowed levels," points out Misty Breaux with the Heart of Atchafalaya Committee. "Atchafalaya Acres in Butte La Rose has TESI water and TESI sends them monthly letters telling them exactly what the levels are, that it's harmful."

Of the estimated 800 registered residents in Butte La Rose, they are hoping to gather signatures of at least half of them so they can apply for a grant to get city water. If the federal grant gets approved, Breaux says piping would be run from Henderson, which gets city water to Butte La Rose.

This would be great news for concerned resident Larry Guillot, whose got a family to think of.

"When she (Misty Breaux) told me about the high arsenic levels, I immediately stopped my kids from drinking the water and I ordered a test kit."

Butte La Rose residents are encouraged to go to the town's fire station from 6:30 PM until 8 PM on Thursday to give their signatures.

Calls to TESI went unanswered.