The installer will:
Almost all of New Orleans’ water meters are already located outside. If your meter is located inside your home or business, the meter installation team will contact you to set up a time to change your meter.
Aqua-Metric is our meter installation partner. Installers will:
We encourage customers to ask for identification from anyone who comes to their door.
No. Residential customers do not need to schedule their smart meter installation or need to be home to have the new smart meter installed.
Commercial customers will be contacted directly to coordinate when their meter will be replaced to avoid business interruptions.
Based on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ most recent projections, we anticipate salt water to begin impacting our water supply shortly before these dates:
NOTE: This timeline is subject to change.
Customers can visit the Army Corp’s website to track where the saltwater wedge is located: https://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Engineering/Stage-and-Hydrologic-Data/SaltwaterWedge/SaltwaterWedgeNow/
Salinity is the amount of salt dissolved in water. Salt is also known as sodium chloride. Below is a scale showing the salinity of various water sources ranging from fresh water to ocean water. (ppm = parts per million).
According to the Louisiana Department of Health:
For infants, use bottled spring/purified water to prepare formula if breastfeeding is not an option. Ready-to-feed formula (“RTF”) or pre-made formula is also an option. When using formula, be sure to follow your child’s primary healthcare provider and manufacturer’s instructions for preparing and storing formula.
Learn more: Saltwater Intrusion
You will not be able to reduce or eliminate salt from your tap water at home. Salt is extremely difficult to remove from drinking water and cannot be taken out through boiling or conventional filtration like Brita filters or other common household store-bought water filters.
We will inform customers as soon as possible if and when New Orleans water becomes impacted by salt water. In partnership with city and state agencies, we will provide guidance for customers and their drinking water consumption
In partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), we will issue an advisory if chloride levels reach 250 parts per million.
However, if you notice an unusual taste, odor, or appearance in your tap water, contact SWBNO at (504) 52-WATER.
Introducing salt water to our system could undermine our current corrosion prevention methods. This could cause substances like iron and lead from older pipes in our water system to dissolve into the treated water.
We need more data to understand the impacts higher salt levels may have. We are working with top experts at LDH and the EPA to prepare a corrosion sampling plan to increase our testing for lead and many other substances. We will work with our partners to address impacts swiftly with a full range of resources.
If the amount of chloride in our drinking water reaches 250 parts per million, alternate sources of drinking water and cooking water will be necessary. The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness will support SWBNO and the City of New Orleans in providing drinking water if needed. If you are concerned about your water, contact (504) 52-WATER.
You can also visit the following resources to learn how to limit exposure to corroded metals in your drinking water.
Should I conserve water? Conservation practices are always a good idea and become even more important if and when salt water arrives. As always, we will continue to keep our customers informed well in advance of any proposed changes to their water use.
Visit the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) website for guidance on how to safely store water: https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/emergency/creating-storing-emergency-water-supply.html