Tomorrow (Tuesday) is the effective date for the retirement of Shreveport's Director of Water and Sewage (DOWUS). William Daniel. His decision is based on family obligations.
Daniel was hired by Mayor Adrian Perkins, and he has served as the DOWUS director for five years.
During his term as director, he has faced unprecedented challenges in bringing clean, clear, non-tasting, reliable water service to Shreveport residents. An engineer by trade and a past city chief administrative officer, William had the needed background to deal with a plethora of challenges at DOWUS. These include the following:
1. Compliance with the EPA Consent Decree for sanitary sewage overflows. The estimated cost of $350 million when the 2014 decree was signed has not ballooned to well over $1 billion. To date the City has spent over $600 million, and $250 to $300 million of those dollars had been earmarked to improve water services.
2. Snowmageddon in Feb. 2021 frozen water line pipes throughout the City. Thousands of Shreveport residents faced challenges for fresh water. Frozen and broken water lines throughout the City that taxed the resources of DOWUS as well as the patience of Shreveport citizens.
3. The old reliable water source of Cross Lake became the unreliable source of "good" water during Daniel's term. The summer of manganese was the headache from hell for DOWUS last summer due to lake turnover. Old, outdated equipment at the Amiss Water Treatment plant did not help in resolving a chemical nightmare that required new technology and equipment to resolve.
4. This year geosmin has created odor problems in the water system this year. Before then did anyone know or ever heard of geosmin? This was another unwelcome first for Shreveport water and another migraine for Daniel.
5. On the positive side, all Shreveport water meters are now smart meters. Having these installed, Daniel has eliminated the need for meter readers. Additionally, the new smart meters provide prompt notification to DOWUS of water leaks that can dramatically increase water rates for consumers. Leakes can be detected within 30 minutes versus 30-60 days when bills are received.
6. The 2024 bond package passed by Shreveport voters has funded needed improvement at the Amiss Water Treatment plant and has been funded for needed water infrastructure needs. Many of the city's water lines are 80 years old and suffer from easy breakage due to soil shifts.
7. Shreveport's water towers have been funded for repainting and repair for the first time in 40 years. The first "paint redo" has been completed and the other towers are scheduled.
Daniel always accommodated the local media. He had many, many dialogues with the City Council in meetings and privately.
He returned emails and phone calls. His demeanor was always excellent, and he had the ability to explain complex engineering and chemical issues in understandable terms. And he owed up to the failures of his department. What else can one want for a key city department head?
Thanks William for a job well done!
