Press Releases

The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO) is closely monitoring Tropical Storm Sally.

Currently, 98 of 99 drainage pumps are available for service. As of last night, the drainage pump at Drainage Pump Station 13 in Algiers that was under repair is now back in service. One drainage pump, located at a drainage pump station on Grant Street in New Orleans East is out of service pending electrical repairs. It is a small, 70 cfs (cubic feet per second) pump. We expect to have it repaired by tomorrow. But we know there is a chance for heavy rainfall before the repair is made. That’s why we pumped the canal down further than normal to increase water storage capacity. Additionally, because the area that pump station drains is largely wooded, there is naturally stormwater storage capacity there. We don’t expect any significant impacts from not having that pump available.

One constant-duty pump is out of service, but these are smaller units used to regulate groundwater in canals and are not large enough to be critical during a flood fight.

Turbines 1, 3, 4 and 6 are available for service, as well as all 5 Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) generators and all frequency changers.

As a reminder, underpasses should be avoided during severe weather because they are prone to flooding.

We encourage residents to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @SWBNewOrleans for updates.

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