Residents of Chatham, LA, have endured constant water and gas outages over the past couple of months. Understanding the angst this has caused, Chatham Mayor Greg Harris addressed why the service disruptions have been happening.

“We are very aware of the problems being felt by our residents due to what seems to be a constant situation of gas and water service being disrupted,” said Harris in an exclusive interview with the Jackson Parish Journal.

Harris went on to explain the reason behind the service interruptions.

“The reason this has been occurring is that the company that has been laying underground Fiber Optic Internet cable all throughout the community for the past seven weeks keeps hitting water and gas mains when digging trenches for their lines,” said Harris. “We understand the problems that this has caused and have addressed the issue with them.”

Harris added that the inconveniences will be a thing of the past soon and expressed optimism that once EPC of West Monroe, LA, completes the project, Chatham residents will gain tremendous benefits.

“We expect the project to be completed sometime next week, weather permitting,” said Harris. “The good news is that even though it has caused short-term problems, having fiber optic cable in our community will provide lasting, long-term benefits for our citizens.”