Jury seeks sewer system inspection posted Wednesday, January 16th, 2013 @ 1:20 pm  E-mail Story |  Print Story  The Concordia Parish Police Jury agreed Monday night to ask the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to inspect the sewer system in Concordia Park and elsewhere where raw sewerage flows through ditches when it rains. Juror Willie Dunbar said the heavy rains during recent days has increased the problem. He said help is needed immediately. "We got raw sewerage running in ditches," he said. "We've got to do something about this." Doug Wimberly with the parish's engineer firm said lift stations can't handle the volume during heavy rains. He recommended Concordia Parish Sewer District No. 1 use a "smoke test" to mark and repair leaks in the system. The district board had indicated previously the entire system needed to be consolidated. Juror Randy Temple said some residents "are using clean out plugs to drain their yards" during heavy rains. He said one solution would be to "permanently seal off those plugs." Jury President Melvin Ferrington said an application to obtain a $500,000 Louisiana Community Development Block Grant to provide upgrades to the system was rejected two years ago, but the Jury is continuing to seek funding. "The pumps can't handle the load when during big rains the water drains down into the manholes," he said. Concordia Sewerage District No. 1 was created in 1976 and has 1,229 customers. Last September, the sewer board noted that a grant was crucial, noting that the district is in need of a work truck and small excavator and that several lift stations are "in need of repair and upgrading." For the full story, subscribe to the The Concordia Sentinel's NEW E-Edition!