Field Work
NOTE: We are doing everything we can on behalf of our customers to resume normal operations. We have temporarily replaced our main Office, Contact, Apply for Service, Bank Draft and Pay Stations pages with the Special Hurricane Frequent Asked Questions Page. Click Frequently Asked Questions for the policies & procedures we are currently following due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Major Facilities The Sewerage and Water Board provides water treatment, wastewater (sewage) treatment, and stormwater removal (drainage) to over 40 facilities throughout the city. Treatment facilities for water and wastewater are located on both sides of the river along with drainage pumping stations. More information about water, wastewater, and drainage facilities and the history of the Sewerage and Water Board can be found online. Drainage (SELA) The purpose of the Southeast Louisiana (SELA) program is to reduce flood damages in the City of New Orleans and surrounding parishes. This will be accomplished by constructing new pump stations and better drainage canals throughout our city. The program was authorized in 1996 by the United States Congress and administered under a project cooperation agreement between the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The program is comprised of three phases. Phase One projects include:
The current status of all Phase One projects can be found online. In addition, the website has updates about major changes to traffic patterns in the construction areas. For most of the SELA projects in Orleans Parish, no major changes to traffic patterns is necessary. Sewer Rehabilitation (SSERP) The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans has undertaken a multi-year program, the Sewer System Evaluation and Rehabilitation Program (SSERP), to identify and address structural and mechanical deficiencies in the wastewater collection system and to ensure that the system has adequate capacity. These improvements, currently estimated to cost $499.1 million over a ten year period, are required to comply with Section XV-Clean Water Act Remedial Measures: Comprehensive Collection System Remedial Program of the Consent Decree between the S&WB and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The Consent Decree was signed in June 1998. Between 1998 and 2002, two sewer rate increases were approved to fund these improvements. The rate increases were necessary to meet Consent Decree requirements. Both the Board and City Council have worked hard to minimize the impact on customers but additional rate increases will be needed to continue the program on schedule. Failure to meet required milestones for rehabilitation can result in severe financial penalties being imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency. More information on the SSERP project, including the current status, can be found at theGoSSERP website. Montgomery Watson Harza maintains the GoSSERP website as the Program Manager of the sewer rehabilitation program. |