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Gonzales has earned an A grade on the 2025 Water Grade Report from the Louisiana Department of Health Louisiana Department of Health—receiving a score of 90 (out of 100). The grade was achieved after a 5-point bonus was awarded (see below), making up for deductions for customer complaints and “iron and/or manganese greater than the secondary maximum contaminant levels.”
“While we are pleased with the ‘A’ grade, my administration is well aware that there is room for improvement. We are actively working toward solutions to eliminate the manganese which, we believe, will also eliminate most customer complaints,” Mayor Tim Riley said.
Gonzales’ water system has relied on chemical treatment to neutralize manganese, which gives water a brownish tint, for years. Mayor Riley has tasked the city’s consulting engineer with investigation toward a fix to the issue which has spanned at least three mayoral administrations.
“The grade is a testament to our hardworking Utilities Department, led by DPW Director Roosevelt Vessel and Supervisor Willie Shelton,” added Riley’s Chief of Staff Wade Petite. “Their devotion to duty and commitment to excellence does not receive enough credit.”
Ongoing discussions surround the viability of a filtration system, perceived as a key component in addressing city-wide brown water issues.
The report recognized Gonzales with zero deductions across key categories including federal water quality, state water quality, financial sustainability, operations and maintenance, and infrastructure.
“This achievement speaks to the dedication of our Department of Public Works team, especially the Water and Gas Department, and their commitment to operational excellence,” Mayor Riley added. “That commitment includes infrastructure upgrades that the residents of Gonzales have deserved for a long time.
The city regularly flushes fire hydrants, thousands of gallons of water splashed on the ground so that manganese-packed sediment does not come out of water taps. Nowhere is the problem more pronounced than Conway Subdivision where a half-a-decade delay in construction reduced the anticipated water consumption by half.
But every drop of water used in the City of Gonzales is treated to mask the manganese. Whenever there is a halt in service, impacted residents are advised to flush their lines to reduce the “secondary contaminants” to acceptable levels.
Several months ago, the city’s DPW Director toured the newly operational filtration system in the City of Walker. Since then, Mayor Riley’s administration has investigated the feasibility of constructing a similar system in Gonzales.
Filtering water at its source, the aquifer north of Gonzales’ municipal limits, would eliminate much of the manganese. The need for chemical treatment and flushing would, correspondingly, be significantly reduced.
“Our ongoing Comprehensive Plan is intended to identify outside funding sources, among its infrastructure targeted agenda,” explained Wade Petite. “Mayor Riley has met with state and federal officials for over a year with the same objective in mind. His commitment to fixing this problem that has been kicked down the road by multiple mayoral administrations is unwavering.”
It is going to take time, though.
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