Water Works District No. 3

With advances in science and medicine, it was discovered that many human diseases were caused by drinking water. And many areas of Louisiana had no sources of water or bad sources. In the 1920’s the Louisiana Legislature passed laws allowing each parish to establish waterworks districts. It was the hope of the Legislature that all areas of our state would one day have the safe quality drinking water found only in the major cities.

Unlike the Alexandria side of the Red River, the eastern portion of Rapides Parish lacked sufficient amounts of good quality underground water. Although the many lakes and streams in the area provided more than enough water, the cost of building the necessary treatment facilities and pipelines was prohibitive.

With World War II approaching, the United States Army obtained thousands of acres of land in Rapides Parish for the construction of much needed military training bases and prisoner of war encampments. The primary facility, stretching across both Rapides and Grant Parishes, was Camp Livingston. At times housing up to 40,000 troops, the army needed their own water system for the camp. To accomplish that end, a pumping station on Big Creek was built, just outside of Pollock Louisiana. A new dam was built just a few feet away from a logging company dam erected in the late 1880’s, which pooled Big Creek into the gravity flow intakes into the pumping plant. Large pumps then pumped the water to a treatment plant, approximately 7 miles away on Camp Livingston. There the raw creek water was chemically purified and piped out to the military facilities throughout the area.

With the close of Camp Livingston at the end of World War II, the federal government began to sell its excess properties. Fortunately for us, several far-sighted individuals convinced the Rapides Parish Police Jury that the acquisition of the old army water system could lead to the formation of a waterworks district which could supply safe drinking water to a large area of this parish. Thus, under the authority previously granted by the State Legislature, the Rapides Parish Police Jury established Water Works District No. 3 of Rapides Parish. A bond issue was passed, and the pumping station and treatment plant facilities were purchased as government surplus. Eventually the United States Forest Service obtained title to most of the land, but it has provided this District with special use permits allowing us to maintain and use the lands upon which the facilities

are situated, the pipelines and servitudes crossing its properties, as well as the dam located upon Big Creek. After a land exchange between the Forest Service and the Town of Pollock in 1980, this district became the owner of the land upon which the pumping station is located. In 1992, a new weir was completed to replace the 50-year-old army dam.

As previously stated, this district is a political entity, not a privately owned, for-profit company. Instead, Water Works District No. 3 of Rapides Parish constantly seeks to provide water to its customers at the lowest possible rates, while at the same time providing sufficient revenues to maintain, operate and enlarge the entire system.

The governing authority of this district is its nine member board of commissioners. Five members are appointed by the Rapides Parish Police Jury, three members are appointed by the Town of Ball and one member is appointed by the City of Pineville.