When Lee Johnson moved to the Quail Hollow subdivision on the southside of Lafayette in 2021, he paid $35 for his monthly sewage bill. Four years later, and after Magnolia Water’s takeover, his bill has shot up to roughly $75 a month.
Residents in Lafayette Parish have seen rate hikes as high as 200% since Magnolia, a for-profit company, took over water and sewer services at locations across the parish, completing their takeover of more than 140 neighborhood or business sewer systems in 2022. The company has asked regulators for permission to further increase rates every year since, and is doing so again this year.
Johnson and others say the rate hikes have put a financial strain on residents of the community, many of whom are retired and live on a fixed income. And while Magnolia claims it needs to increase rates to pay for costly upgrades, residents say they haven’t seen tangible improvements to the system…