Some Caddo Residents Seek Shreveport Water

SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — Some residents living north of Wallace Lake in northwestern Louisiana want to tie into the city of Shreveport's water supply as a precaution in case their wells run dry.

Last summer's drought has some concerned that the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer might get low. So the residents along Caddo Parish's Goldsberry Road are seeking a tie-in.

The Times reports that (http://bit.ly/KowoET) if the Caddo Parish Commission approve the Goldsberry residents' request, 21 homes, each using about 9,000 gallons per month, could be taken off the aquifer and tied to the city's supply, Cross Lake.

"Nobody ran dry (last year)," said Alan Schlichtemier, who spearheaded the Goldsberry Road effort. "It wasn't the drought, it was the heat. People were drawing more out, and as more development comes out here, more will be drawn out. There's a lot of unknowns as far as the aquifer is concerned. If development continues, you have no reason to think this is going to stop."

In tying in to nearby city water lines, the parish contracts out the construction. Residents pay 90 percent of the cost, while the parish pays 10 percent. The water lines are under warranty by the builder for two years, then turned over to the city.

Goldsberry Road residents are expecting to pay about $6,500 per household for water line construction.

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Information from: The Times, http://www.shreveporttimes.com