Service Results for Drinking Water

Beginning January 1, 2017, the Safe Drinking Water Program will reinstate the bacteriological sample collection program for all public water systems statewide. Additionally, the Safe Drinking Water Program will begin to collect and analyze the total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) and haloacetic acids (HAA5) samples for water systems statewide.

The Department of Health and Hospitals' Office of Public Health - Safe Drinking Water Program monitors over 1,300 public drinking water systems throughout Louisiana to ensure compliance with state and federal drinking water regulations so residents, visitors and tourists have access to safe, clean water.

The Safe Drinking Water Program provides comprehensive drinking water protection to the citizens and visitors of Louisiana supervising over 1,300 public water systems for compliance with state and federal drinking water regulations.

The Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act or “WIIN Act” of 2016 authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to award grants to states and tribes to assist local and tribal educational agencies in voluntary testing for lead contamination in drinking water at schools and child care programs.

All community and non-transient non-community water systems are required to sample for lead from consumers taps in accordance with the Lead and Copper Rule. Compliance is based off of a calculated 90th percentile value. This means utilities must ensure that water from the customer's tap does not exceed this level in at least 90 percent of the homes sampled. The current lead action level is 15 ppb. The Public Health goal for lead is 0.

Louisiana Safe Drinking Water Program: Water Rules and Regulations