Water Quality

The Lafayette Utilities System water source is the Chicot Aquifer, a large, natural underground “lake” in Southwest Louisiana. It is a stable and plentiful freshwater supply. Once water reaches LUS’s water plant, it is cleaned through a three-stage process including (1) softening, (2) filtering, and (3) disinfecting before it reaches your tap. LUS produces an average of 24 million gallons per day.

LUS utilizes its own certified microbiological water laboratory to ensure our drinking water is free from contamination. Samples from around the city are collected and tested routinely. As a laboratory accredited by LDH, we are audited biennially to ensure its quality function. For four consecutive years, LUS has achieved a letter grade of “A” from LDH.

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) has been in place for more than 30 years and is the main federal law that ensures the quality of Americans’ drinking water. Under SDWA, the United States EPA sets standards for drinking water quality and oversees the states, localities, and water suppliers who implement those standards.

The State of Louisiana passed Act 125 in 2000 to support the Louisiana Safe Drinking Water Program. This resulted in an annual fee that will pay for all inspections, tests, or procedures on public water supplies that may be authorized by the administrator of the EPA.

LUS water customers will be billed $1.00 on a monthly basis in accordance with State of Louisiana Safe Drinking Water Fee (Act 605 of 2016 effective January 1, 2017, for Community Water Systems).