ST. MARY PARISH, La. (KLFY) -- Laddy Butler said she has been living in Saint Mary Parish since 1993. In 2005, she discovered she was smelling the waste of a nearby pig farm. Months later, Butler was diagnosed with cancer, and she claims it was from the waste.
The pig farm is located next to the Bayou Teche, and Butler said the waste has polluted the community's water.
"How could you drink the water? The water we are drinking is from the Bayou Teche, and we are in Saint Mary Parish; all of this is contaminated," Butler said.
Butler sends a message to the owners of the pig farm.
"It's too many people you have hurt, that water going down the bayou, it's from one place to another. All we want you to do is go in there, sit, and ask God for forgiveness," Butler said.
Saint Mary Parish Council Member Craig Matthews said the council was notified of the issue about six years ago. Matthews believes the waste from the pig farm has possibly contaminated the water.
"It has been my understanding that the Bayou Teche has been a source of our water supply in the past," Matthews said. "I do believe that what has been reported as the impact of this pig farm has certainly contributed to that."
Matthews said the state needs to be held accountable for approving the farm.
"I don't see how this was even allowed to happen at the state level; it has certainly put us on a more elevated alert to ensure that going forward, these types of breaches are not allowed to occur," Matthews said.
News Ten reached out to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Equality, who declined to comment.
