ST. MARTIN PARISH — Boil advisories and water issues have long frustrated St. Martinville residents, but city leaders say relief could be on the way through a major infrastructure project backed by state funding.
Mayor Jason Willis said the city secured millions through the state’s Water Sector Program to address long-standing problems with the system. “We applied for a grant called the Water Sector. The grant is like up to 15 million dollars, and I think about 7 or 8 million dollars of that grant money was used to reconstruct and renovate a lot of the repairs in St. Martinville infrastructure,” Willis said.
The funding became available after St. Martinville consolidated its water system with Water District 4 in Catahoula and the Industrial Park system. That move made the city eligible for state dollars that otherwise would have been out of reach. “It was hard for a small city to come up with that kind of funding, so the best way to do it was to consolidate. It qualified us for this much grant money, and then we’ll be able to use this money to reconstruct that water system,” Willis said.
The upgrades include renovating the city’s water towers, installing new water meters, replacing fire hydrants, and installing isolation valves. Those valves will allow the city to shut off water in one area when leaks occur rather than shutting down the system citywide. “So if you have a water leak in your neighborhood, we’re gonna be able to isolate that area. The rest of the people won’t have boil advisories, it’ll just be that one area,” Willis explained.
Local businesses have expressed cautious optimism about the project, saying they welcome improvements but want to see results before placing full confidence in the plan. Willis said repairs to fire hydrants should not only improve safety but also help lower insurance costs for homeowners. “So this will help out with people’s house insurance and also bring more safety to the residents,” he said.
The mayor said patience will be key as construction continues, with work expected to take another 12 to 18 months. “We just ask the residents to be patient with us. Everything we’re doing is to better St. Martinville,” Willis said.
