Water Sewer system in dire need of repairs.

Shreveport must upgrade, or face millions in fines, plus trouble for homeowners.

Imagine having raw sewage backing-up into your home or not having water to shower.

Without some major investments in Shreveport’s water sewer system, people could certainly experience that kind of trouble, and some folks already have.
Plus, if the city does not make some expensive upgrades soon, leaders say, it could face millions of dollars in fines.
Nbc 6 reporter Karen Hopkins, joins us now live from government plaza, where officials are looking for some cash to keep Shreveport’s water safe.



We all want to have water to drink when we need it. Leaders say we’ll have to pay to fix major faults before people have to deal with problems at home.

A muddy mess. Dorothy Black has to look at it in her own front yard. Freezing temperatures burst her water line. Crews just repaired her driveway. “I hope that it does not happen to me anymore. I hope I don't have to go through this anymore."

More homeowners like Black could see problems.
Shreveport's water-sewer system is in dire need of repair.
“We have pipes collapsing on a daily basis."

Assistant city engineer Barbara Featherston says about half of the sewer pipes are more than 50 years old. She warns breaks could overflow this raw feces into homes, or in the streets. “It has bacteria, something you don't want kids to play in."

Exposed waste is an EPA violation, and Featherston says Shreveport is in trouble. “Basically the EPA said you have more violations than we would like to see.”
The EPA can order Shreveport to fix old pipes, or pay, “millions of dollars in fines."

Featherston says the sewer infrastructure needs a $200 million investment over 12 years. The city's water system could use $150 million to replace old pipes that break easily, especially in cold weather. “We need to try to get folks to understand that this is really a serious issue that we need to address."

Before it's too late, and people like, black have to deal with the problem at home. "Water was sitting in my driveway, just a pool of water."

Mayor Cedric Glover wants to have a bond election this fall.
So you, the voters, can decide if we should borrow money to fix our water sewer system.