LDH: Do not use warning lifted for Walnut Bayou customers in Madison Parish; residents advised to ‘flush house systems’ – The Vicksburg Post

The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) has lifted the “do not use” water advisory for an area served by the Walnut Bayou Water System in Madison Parish after drinking water came into contact with the chemical. Paraquat last week.

Test results confirmed Thursday that paraquat was no longer present in the water system. The Walnut Bayou Water System conducted an extensive flush to remove the paraquat from the system, LDH officials reported.

Now that paraquat is no longer in the distribution system, customers will have to flush their home systems, they said.

• All customers should flush hot water faucets for 15 minutes and then flush cold water faucets for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Also rinse ice makers, dishwashers and washing machines.
• Flush the toilet at least once.
• After disposing of the ice in the ice maker, wait until the bin is completely full, then discard the ice and clean the bin before replacing it.
• If the refrigerator has a cold water dispenser, replace the filter and flush the dispenser for 5 minutes.
• After flushing the hot water taps, run dishwashers and washing machines through a hot rinse cycle and a cold rinse cycle when empty.

According to LDH, residents may need to perform multiple flushes if they continue to smell a chemical odor or the water is discolored.

“The chemical odor is added to paraquat to warn of its presence,” LDH said in a statement. “The odor itself does not cause any health problems. If the odor persists while you are flushing your systems, open windows and doors and run the HVAC system, window units and/or fans to create air circulation and provide ventilation to dispel the odor.”

LDH said the amount of paraquat in the system does not cause corrosion or other damage to pipes and does not stick. Once the chemical is flushed from the water system and household pipes, paraquat is no longer present, meaning the drinking water is safe to use and consume.

Paraquat is a toxic herbicide used primarily to control weeds and should not be consumed. Individuals should avoid bathing, washing hands, and washing clothes with water contaminated with paraquat, as the chemical can also be absorbed through the skin. Infants, children, and people with respiratory diseases are most at risk of adverse health effects from paraquat consumption or exposure.

A paraquat test of the home system is not necessary once the house has been flushed and the smell has dissipated through ventilation. However, those who wish to have their water tested in a laboratory should contact a laboratory certified to perform paraquat analysis and send their samples to the laboratory. Eurofins Scientific (in California and Indiana), SGS (in Colorado) and Pace Analytics can perform paraquat tests.

Residents with additional questions or in need of bottled water can call the Walnut Bayou Water Association office at 318-574-2463.