FORT POLK

Leesville, Louisiana

In September 2008, under the Department of Defense’s Utility Privatization Program, American Water was awarded ownership and a 50-year contract for the operations and maintenance of the water and wastewater distribution and collection systems and treatment facilities at Fort Polk in Leesville, Louisiana.

Our responsibilities include system capital investment, regulatory and environmental compliance, planning, asset recapitalization, and long term operations and maintenance. The potable water distribution system consists of ground water supply, treatment, storage, and piping. There are twelve active wells supplying water through a network of 100 miles of pipe and being stored in 14 elevated and ground tanks with a combined capacity of 7 million gallons.

The wastewater collection system includes two wastewater treatment plants with a capacity of 1.4 and 3.8 million gallons per day (MGD) both serviced by 82 miles of pipe. The water and wastewater systems at Fort Polk serve a population of just under 20,000.

Water Quality Reports

Lead Inventory Status Update to the Community at Fort Polk, Louisiana

October 2024

PWSID: Fort Polk South Water System: LA1115065
PWSID: Fort Polk North Housing Water System: LA1115087
PWSID: Fort Polk North Water System: LA1115064

American Water’s Military Services Group takes water quality and the safety of the people and communities we serve very seriously. Providing safe, clean, reliable water to military service members and their families is our top priority. American Water’s Military Services Group at Fort Polk completed an initial inventory of service lines to comply with the new Lead and Copper Rule Revisions under the Environmental Protection Agency and Louisiana Department of Health regulations. These revisions required, among other items, that all community and non-transient, non-community waterworks compile a list of all known service lines and create an inventory to provide to the state by October 16th, 2024. Of particular interest are service lines whose materials known to be lead or galvanized requiring replacement or service lines whose material is unknown. Classifications may require further action by the waterworks.

American Water’s Military Services Group at Fort Polk has completed its initial inventory and has found no service lines that are currently known to be lead, galvanized requiring replacement, or are of an unknown status.

An extensive review was completed by American Water to make this current determination. Methods utilized included:

Reviewing distribution system maps and drawings
Reviewing historical records on service connections installation records
Reviewing historical capital improvement plans
Evaluating previous materials
Reviewing repair and replacement records
Field inspections – visual inspections/service line excavations “potholing”
Disqualification of the likelihood of lead based of construction records indicating installation date and/or the size of the service lines.
Performing a state-approved statistical analysis

American Water also initiated a good faith effort to field verify a portion of service lines against historical records. This effort further validated historical records and that there are currently no known lead lines, galvanized requiring replacement, or unknowns. American Water worked with partners on post such as the Fort Polk’s Directorate of Public Works and Fort Polk’s Privatized Housing in completing these verifications.

If you have any questions about the status of your service line or its material, the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions, or about the impact or health effects of lead, please visit us at our office or call us at 337-537-1161.

You can also find our annual water quality report online at:
https://www.amwater.com/ccr/fortpolknorth.pdf
https://www.amwater.com/ccr/fortpolksouth.pdf
https://www.amwater.com/ccr/fortpolknorthhousing.pdf