Broussard Mayor Ray Bourque announced $10 million worth of water improvements for the city on Monday.
Due to continued growth in the residential and commercial sectors, Bourque anticipates a greater need for water production and independence in the city in the future. The master plan includes two wells and three above-ground storage tanks, the rehabilitation of two existing water towers and the replacement of old water pipes.
The new master plan is designed to ensure consistent water pressure throughout the city, especially in the southern part of the city, while continuing the rehabilitation of existing water systems, Bourque said. Other goals include modeling water systems to better understand groundwater capacities to identify future well locations and increase overall water storage and capacity.
“The population of Broussard has increased significantly in the last decade. If this trend continues, in ten years we will need twice the amount of water that we have today. We want to be prepared for these opportunities,” Bourque said.
The city’s population has grown tremendously over the past decade. According to the U.S. Census, the city experienced a 63% population increase between 2010 and 2020. Lafayette grew less than one percent during the same period. The population increase requires a continued need for water, which is primarily provided by the Lafayette Consolidated Government.
A key goal of the project is water independence and further redundancy with existing LCG water sources, Bourque said. He wants the city to have at least 24 hours of water supplies.
“Broussard maintains a solid relationship with Lafayette Consolidated Government, which allows the city to purchase approximately 70% of our water from the Lafayette Utilities System. This partnership provides redundancy in our water system, which benefits both parties in times of crisis, such as droughts or large-scale fires,” Borque said.
The design process for the wells and storage tanks is expected to take six to twelve months.
