Sewerage & Water Board Of New Orleans Community & Intergovernmental Relations Department 625 St. Joseph Street, Room B-47 New Orleans, Louisiana 70165 504-585-2175
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 28, 2001
Water Quality Report 2000

The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans has mailed its third "Report on the State of Tap Water" in the city to its 145,000 customers.

The report, called "Quality Water 2000," is a requirement of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which calls on water utility operators to advise customers of the source of their water, the treatment process, test results and specific issues relating to the possibility of certain contaminants in the source water.

S&WB Executive Director Harold Gorman said, "We are pleased to report to our customers that New Orleans' drinking water is safe and meets all federal and state requirements. There were no violations of drinking water regulations in 2000, 1999 or 1998, the three years the reports cover."

He added, "This very positive report card is the result of hard work and commitment by our Board members and a staff of very dedicated managers and water quality experts, including chemists, engineers, technicians, machinists, electricians and utility maintenance workers."

Under the new EPA provision, a report must be issued to all customers each year. In the year 2002, the results of water quality tests from 2001 will be presented.

Gorman said, "The report is very technical because much of the information required by EPA involves chemical terms, complex processes and detailed analysis. We have taken this opportunity to provide additional information to help introduce our quality water system to customers who may be unfamiliar with its operations."

Other features of the report include a chart depicting the various compounds the S&WB tests for on a regular basis and the results of the tests; a diagram explaining the Board's treatment process; a list of commonly used terms in the treatment process; the answers to frequently asked questions; phone numbers to call for more information, and cautions for immune-compromised persons.

It also describes an early warning detection system, operated by the state Department of Environmental Quality, which alerts water operators along the Mississippi River of spills in the river.

The Sewerage and Water Board operates two water treatment plants--one on the East Bank and one in Algiers. In 2000, its Carrollton Plant provided an average of 128 million gallons per day and the Algiers Plant provided an average of 12 million gallons per day. The treatment capacity is 350 million gallons per day at the Carrollton Plant and 40 million gallons per day at the Algiers Plant.

The Board's state-of-the art water quality laboratory, located at the Carrollton Plant, is capable of testing for thousands of compounds on an around-the-clock basis.

Water is distributed to homes, businesses and fire hydrants through a network of 1,610 miles of mains, ranging in size from six inches to 60 inches in diameter.

For more information e-mail, waterinfo@swbno.org or see the Sewerage and Water Board website, www.swbnola.org.