LSUHealthNO & Partners Offer Free Private Well Disinfection Class

LSU Health New Orleans Public Health faculty, along with Communities Unlimited and Rural Community Assistance Partnership, will teach a free class for private well owners affected by the Great Louisiana Flood of 2016 on March 2, 2017, from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. at the Livingston Parish Library Main Branch, 20390 Iowa Street, Livingston, LA.

Class topics include well disinfection and water treatment alternatives. Information about free water testing and free well assessments will also be available.

“Private well testing that we conducted immediately after the flood indicated that some wells were contaminated by water pathogens,” says Adrienne Katner, D.Env., Assistant Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health. “We’ll provide information in this free public class that will help keep your water and family safe.”

The class is part of the work funded by a Rapid Response Research grant the National Science Foundation awarded to LSU Health New Orleans and Virginia Tech following the August 2016 flooding. The work has focused on Livingston Parish, the parish hardest hit, where 75% of homes were destroyed and only 22% of residents are insured. Flood waters often contain potentially dangerous micro-organisms, sewage, agricultural runoff and chemicals.

Participants may register online for the free Private Well Class here. For additional information, contact Chris Brunson at 381-899-5001, chris.brunson@communitiesu.org or Dr. Adrienne Katner, 504-568-5942, welltesting@lsuhsc.edu.