The Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans resolution provides that for all claims related to the August 5, 2017 flood event, we are extending the period to file a lawsuit  to July 18, 2019. This extension ONLY applies to the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans and not any outside entity.

Similar to a statute of limitations, liberative prescription denotes the time in which constituents have to file a lawsuit. Louisiana law sets the period that individuals have one year to move forward with filing a lawsuit.

All claims must be received by the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans by August 5, 2018 to be eligible for the extension.

As the 2018 hurricane season commences, the Sewerage & Water Board is taking a new, assertive approach to better supply the public with real-time information during rain events and emergencies, as well as updates on daily operations. We have activated our social media accounts as an integral part of that strategy. You can follow us at:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SWBNewOrleans

Instagram: @SWBNewOrleans

Twitter: @SWBNewOrleans

We have also created a simple map to guide citizens and customers through the city's Drainage System. Draining New Orleans begins with the catch basins and smaller drainage pipes, which are managed by the Department of Public Works. The water then flows to larger, 36-inch pipes managed by the S&WB and into box culverts and drainage canals before reaching the city's 24 pumping stations.These pumps then send storm water to Lake Pontchartrain and surrounding waterways.

You can view the map here.

The most visible interactions customers have with the Sewerage & Water Board are the bills they receive. Ensuring those bills are accurate and that customers have a full understanding of the billing process are critical to building the public's confidence in this agency to carry out its mission.

To that end the S&WB has launched a strategic plan to improve Customer Service and billing procedures.

• Billing System Improvement Plan May 2018 (PDF)
  This presentation lays out what problems have been uncovered, actions taken to eliminate billing irregularities and recommendations to continue to improve the customer experience.
• Billing Investigations Dashboard
  A public dashboard also has been created to track our progress.

The S&WB is committed to rebuilding its workforce to meet its mission of keeping New Orleans safe and healthy. Each month, the Board of Directors receives a summary that tracks retirements, resignations, new hires and existing vacancies. Attached is the Human Resource Activity Summary for July 2018.

• New Orleans Drainage System Status Report (PDF)
• SWB Power Generation and Drainage Systems FAQs Relative to 8/5/17 (PDF)