GEISMAR — While many recognize the need to build a new wastewater treatment facility in Ascension Parish, people cannot agree on where it should be built.

Residents believed that plant would be built in an industrial area close to the Mississippi River, but the latest plans from National Water Infrastructure placed the plant closer to homeowners — near the intersection of La. 30 and La. 73.

Doug Foster, who lives near that intersection, says the natural beauty that drew him to the Stoney Point Estates will be gone forever if the treatment plant moves in.

"The land and the view, it's beautiful," he said. "Obviously, it won't be when there's a sewer plant back there."

Ascension Parish residents voted to sell the local water treatment system to NWI in April 2021, and the deal was finalized this past April. After purchasing 72 smaller systems for $9.26 million, NWI has five years to develop a master sewer system. 

NWI says it has a letter of intent to buy the land from PriceCo — Price as in Price LeBlanc. PriceCo bought the land from Honeywell last December.

Foster said the development isn't what people expected.

"They one thing I do want to make clear is we're not opposing the building of this plant. We just want them to do what they said they were going to do, which is build it along the river in the industrial corridor and away from all residential areas," Foster said.

He said that, as an alternative, the parish should look at rescinding the deal.

"Let's put it back on the ballot, give them back their money. Let's rescind this deal and have a conversation about it open and honestly during a major election where we can all vote how we feel," he said.

After WBRZ started asking questions last week, NWI said it will not pursue the land near the homes and will again consider a site closer to the parish's industrial corridor.