KILLIAN - After almost a month of dirty water or no water at all, the town of Killian is seeing cleaner water once again.

The problem began back in April, when residents found dirt and sediment in their toilets, bathtubs and faucets. Killian and Livingston Parish officials declared a state of emergency and quickly implemented a boil water advisory. 

Samples were taken from the well and sent to the state lab in Amite. Results found total coliform bacteria in the well. Total coliform grows when the water system's pressurization is interrupted and sewer system bacteria combines with the well system.

Residents were told to pick up cases of bottled water to use for essential needs while the well gets fixed.

During that process, Livingston Parish spent $30,000 a day to bring in tanks of Potable Water. Once that money ran out, Livingston Parish President Randy Delatte partnered with a company called Air Products, who put up $100,000 to bring in more potable water.

As residents patience grew thin, state health authorities stepped in and advised Killian to stop what they were doing and follow guidelines from the American Water Works Association. Part of that process was to chlorinate the water well at least twice before new test samples could be taken.

On Tuesday May 14, the Louisiana Department of Health ordered Killian failed to return the water well to a manner compliant with code and could face fines for failure to provide Potable Water to the customers of the Killian Water System.

Killian was given until Friday May 17 to restore water back to its residents. If they failed to comply, they would be fined $333 per day they failed to get the system back running.

A social media post made yesterday by the Killian Town Hall stated, "Please be aware that we may experience water loss while the water well is being reassembled. This will occur from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Thursday and Friday."