Following yet another water main break Monday morning that flooded streets near South Carrollton and Panola and triggered a boil water advisory across much of the East Bank, officials with the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans announced a bold new strategic initiative to address the increasing frequency of water main breaks occurring throughout New Orleans.
Officials confirmed today’s broken water main has since been shut off and repairs are expected to begin promptly, according to a SWBNO spokesperson who said the matter has been “elevated for review through the proper channels,” though an almost citywide boil advisory remains in effect in the meantime.
The plan outlines a comprehensive 10-year approach to addressing growing public dissatisfaction with the city’s water system.
“With this strategic plan, our goal over the next decade is to not look at emails, answer phones, schedule appointments, or even be physically present in the office,” said SWB Executive Director Clyde Jackson.
Jackson added that the agency has spent months carefully evaluating the many ways residents attempt to contact them. The recent spate of water main breaks accelerated the process, which officials acknowledged is unusual for the Sewerage & Water Board but said the extra effort now should help reduce the amount of work required later.
“It took seven long months and hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Jackson said. “But I firmly believe we’ve identified and plugged every possible way someone could reach us.”
Over the last decade, residents have repeatedly called on the city to modernize its aging infrastructure, citing constant boil advisories, broken pipes, flooding streets, and wildly inaccurate water bills.
Jackson said the new plan takes those concerns seriously.
“We hear the public loud and clear,” he said. “Which is why we’re making sure there’s absolutely no way to hear from them directly.”