Reports of discolored water and an unusual odor at the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA) and Northwestern State University (NSU) campuses on Nov. 9 prompted questions about the city’s water system.

City Utility Director Tim Tousek explained that the odor was caused by a natural process known as lake turnover, while the discoloration resulted from a temporary shutdown and restart of the city’s water treatment system.

According to Tousek, lake turnover occurs when temperature changes cause different layers of water in the lake to mix, bringing together water of varying quality. Tousek said the process occurs annually but caught utility officials by surprise this year.

The discoloration was attributed to a separate issue involving the city’s water treatment facilities. Tousek said the water plant was shut down for approximately five hours on Nov. 9 to complete a software upgrade intended to allow Plant No. 4 to communicate with the other plants and the overall system.

The software upgrade cost approximately $87,000.

The new Plant No. 4 has been under construction and while it’s slightly overdue in becoming operational because of a programming issue, the city expects to bring it online next week, beginning Nov. 16.

When the water treatment system was brought back online following the shutdown, the restart stirred up material within the system, resulting in the reported discoloration.

Utility crews worked through the night to restore operations, flush the system and check water levels.

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