Class Action Says ‘Careless’ Supplier Contaminated Arnaudville, Louisiana Drinking Water

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A proposed class action lawsuit claims United Water System, Inc. (UWS) has for years supplied Arnaudville, Louisiana residents with contaminated and dangerous drinking water.

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The 11-page lawsuit says that the Louisiana-based water supplier is to blame for many years of negligent and “careless” treatment, monitoring, maintenance and distribution of “deleterious and contaminated” water that has “continually violated state and federal drinking water quality standards.”

According to the suit, the water provided by UWS has at times surpassed the maximum contamination levels for arsenic, lead and copper and the maximum residual disinfectant levels for chlorine and chloramine. Among other apparent violations, the company itself has failed to adequately inspect and maintain its ground storage tanks and fix known problems with the water system’s well piping, which has showed “rust, corrosion, and flaking paint,” the case alleges.

Further, UWS has also neglected to properly document consumer complaints, the filing charges. Per the filing, Arnaudville citizens have continually complained to UWS about the quality of its water supply “to no avail.”

The plaintiffs, residents of Arnaudville, claim that they have received for years water from UWS that has sometimes been “brown, yellow, and discolored,” with “suspended particulate matter of unknown origin” floating in it. As the complaint tells it, town residents have also regularly experienced fluctuating water pressure and even lost their water supply completely, sometimes “for days at a time.”

In addition, the plaintiffs have routinely received notices from UWS warning of the water’s health risks and have occasionally been notified of “boil advisories,” the lawsuit explains. The water has reportedly “fouled” residents’ home filtration systems and “stained appliances, clothing, and other household items,” the suit adds.

“The UWS water cannot safely be consumed or used to cook, and customers have had to continually purchase bottled water and ice for consumption and cooking, on top of the water bill that they pay to UWS each month for purportedly potable water,” the case reads.

The water provided by UWS has been the “sole source of drinking water for these residents for a number of years,” and the ongoing exposure to arsenic, copper, lead, and other contaminants “pose[s] gravely serious health risks,” the complaint claims.

According to the suit, the Louisiana Department of Health notified UWS of multiple violations in February 2022, pointing out “immediate and ongoing problems” with the water that the company has been distributing to consumers. United Water System was ordered to take corrective action immediately, the case reports.

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone who receives or has received water from United Water System, Inc. within the last 10 years and has sustained damages as a result of the water provided by UWS.

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