Louisiana Orders Five-Year Billing Investigation of Water Company Serving DeQuincy
DEQUINCY, La. — For months, families across Southwest Louisiana opened their utility statements to find bills that doubled or tripled without explanation. Now, state regulators are stepping in to find out why.
The Louisiana Public Service Commission has ordered a formal, five-year investigation into the operational and metering practices of the Louisiana Water Company (LAWCO). Commissioners unanimously authorized the independent engineering audit during an executive session, targeting LAWCO systems dating back to late 2021.
The utility provides regulated water service to roughly 34,000 customer connections across six parishes, including Calcasieu and Acadia.
The audit comes on the heels of public outcry this summer, when municipal leaders in Crowley pressed the utility over erratic billing spikes reported by residential ratepayers. While those complaints first surfaced in Acadia Parish, the commission’s sweeping directive covers LAWCO’s entire service footprint, directly encompassing accounts and metering equipment in DeQuincy.
Outside engineering bids are due by Tuesday, November 10, with the selected firm required to deliver an initial investigative report at the commission’s December business meeting.
Regulators emphasize that the solicitation initiates a fact-finding review rather than a formal determination of misconduct. The independent audit will examine whether sudden rate increases stemmed from equipment inaccuracies, estimated reads, system leaks, or misapplied rate schedules.
The commission has not yet announced whether an administrative process will be established for local customers to submit individual billing records for review.
