Press Releases

NEW ORLEANS- The precautionary boil water advisory for the Lower 9th Ward, portions of Upper 9th Ward of New Orleans is still in effect. Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO), in consultation with the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), is testing water quality samples, which may take up to 24 hours to achieve results.

SWBNO will notify residents and businesses when the boil water advisory is canceled.

SWBNO crews were testing valves in connection to work on the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Program (SELA) project on Florida Avenue. During tests, pressure dropped unexpectedly. Crews immediately suspended the valve testing and normalized pressure. SWBNO teams continue to investigate the cause of the pressure drop.

LDH on Aug. 1, 2018 raised the threshold for minimum public water system pressure from 15 pounds per square inch (psi) to 20 psi. SWBNO, in partnership with LDH, issues boil water advisories out of an abundance of caution whenever water pressure drops below 20 psi.

SWBNO agrees with the recommendations of LDH that it is prudent to issue these advisories. The concern is that a pressure drop inside a water pipe could allow contaminants to enter.  SWBNO also adds chlorine to water to combat contamination. Staff maintain a high chlorine residual in the water distribution system to prevent bacteriological growth.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BOILING WATER

Bring water to a rolling boil in a clean container for a full minute. If the water has a flat taste afterward, shake it in a bottle or pour it from one container to another.

Please review general and LDH recommendations for managing a boil water advisory at http://ready.nola.gov/plan/boil-water/

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