Cooper, council deserve props for water plan

St. Tammany Parish government, and Parish President Mike Cooper, have taken their share of licks in recent years for the ongoing issues with the Cross Gates-area water system.
From the quality of the water, questionable pipe leaks that led to possible contamination in some instances, to drainage issues in the area—there were plenty of confirmed problems for residents to be concerned about.
That’s why the parish, and Cooper, deserve some positive words for the recently started $23 million infrastructure work that is now underway for that entire system, which serves over 8,100 residents.
Thanks in part to federal funds that became available from the American Rescue Plan Act, the parish also contributed $7 million of its own money to put together enough funding that will lead to $23 million in improvements.
Among them will be two new water towers, 30,000-feet of new water main, a 1,000 gallon-per-minute water well, two new permanent generators and remote monitoring technology for the Cross Gates Water Systems.
The work will also include a main to connect the Cross Gates system to the Meadowlake system, thereby providing a backup for the entire area.
The water tower work is expected to begin by early 2024, and due to conditions for usage of the American Rescue Plan Act, all the work must be done by the end of 2026.
By the time the work is finished, residents in Cross Gates, Meadow Lake, Ozone Pines, Southern Manor Mobile Home Park and Lazy Wheels Mobile Home Park will benefit from the improved water system, which is the first money from Phase I of the Water Sector funds, something that will continue in Phase II after the parish was recently approved for $62 million more. That money will not only help the eastern side of the parish, but also the Mandeville/Covington area.
While residents in the Cross Gates area have been quite vocal about the issues for several years, and still have other matters they would like to see addressed, there should be a level of appreciation for the fact Cooper and council members saw this as a priority and utilized the existing funds here and not elsewhere.