Overview
- The Clean Water Task Force held its first public meeting Wednesday at Government Plaza to begin a months‑long review of Shreveport’s water system following repeated LDH failing ratings.
- The group is advisory only and cannot spend state money or order construction work; its role is to analyze data, hear public comment and recommend policy or funding options.
- City officials and the task force chair, Tom Dark, say treated water generally meets federal Safe Drinking Water Act limits while citing aging pipes, trihalomethane detections, turbidity events, manganese and algae as drivers of complaints.
- Shreveport leaders note a 2014 EPA/DOJ consent decree that forced major sewer upgrades and diverted capital away from drinking‑water projects, a history the task force must weigh when recommending solutions.
- The panel includes city water staff, state regulators, public‑health experts and academics and will livestream meetings as it compiles findings that could shape legislative or funding decisions later this year.