Fifth Ward Water System, LA
Lead detected, under the action levels
Latest 90th-percentile lead: 2 ppb (monitoring period 2024-2026). The federal action level is 15 ppb today and drops to 10 ppb in Nov 2027; EPA's health goal is 0. Lead was measured in sampled homes but the 90th percentile is under both action levels. EPA's health goal for lead is zero, so test your own tap if your home was built before 1986 or anyone in it is pregnant or a young child.
Who runs the water here
Fifth Ward Water System serves about 5,676 people through 1,892 service connections, which makes it a medium-sized system under EPA's size classes. It is privately owned and draws groundwater, in Avoyelles Parish County, Louisiana. EPA system ID: LA1009007; phone on file: 318-253-9019. Ask them for your address in their service line inventory - every system had to publish one by Oct 2024.
Lead results over time
Against the period ending 2023 (1 ppb) the latest result is about the same. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Fifth Ward Water System is 2 ppb across 4 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 ppb |
| 2023 | 1 ppb |
| 2020 | 2 ppb |
| 2017 | 2 ppb |
Where this result ranks
Of the 802 Louisiana systems with a lead result, the median latest reading is 0.72 ppb; 4 are over 15 ppb right now and 30 have gone over at some point. Fifth Ward Water System's 2 ppb sits at the 80th percentile in Louisiana and the 72nd nationally (higher means more lead).
Nearby utilities
16 other systems share Avoyelles Parish County; 1 of them has a higher latest lead result than Fifth Ward Water System. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| City Of Marksville Water System | 7,593 | 0 (not detected) |
| Town Of Bunkie Water System | 5,169 | 1 ppb |
| Village Of Plaucheville Water System | 4,233 | 0 (not detected) |
| Avoyelles Parish Waterworks District 1 | 3,900 | 1 ppb |
| Brouillette Water System Inc | 3,732 | 0 (not detected) |
| Avoyelles Ward One Water System Inc | 3,726 | 2 ppb |
| Village Of Hessmer Water System | 3,246 | 0.25 ppb |
| Town Of Cottonport Water System | 3,120 | 0 (not detected) |
| Avoyelles Ward 3 Waterworks District | 2,619 | 1.4 ppb |
| Village Of Evergreen Water System | 2,205 | 0 (not detected) |
Next steps for Marksville, LA
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Marksville, LA may offer free or low-cost kits through the utility. If your own line is lead, replacing the private side runs about $1,200-$12,300 (EPA average about $4,700). Ask Fifth Ward Water System whether it covers that cost before hiring anyone - many utilities now do.
These figures describe homes the utility sampled, not your tap. Only your service line record or a test of your own water answers the question for your house. The lead result guide covers how utilities pick the homes they sample. Size matters more than most people expect: small vs large water systems.