Our West Bank customers were mailed notices in late March to explain that for the last quarter of 2018, the West Bank Water Treatment Plant in Algiers was unable to acceptably reduce the amount of substances known as total organic carbons (TOC) during the treatment process.
This doesn’t constitute an emergency. Your drinking water is safe to use and consume.
TOCs by themselves are not harmful. It is their interaction with chemicals used to disinfect water during the treatment process that can create unwanted and potentially harmful byproducts. These byproducts in the Algiers water supply are well below the maximum contaminant level standards as set by our regulators. Lowering the amount of TOCs in the water is an effective way to keep those byproduct levels low.
SWBNO is making planned improvements to the Algiers water treatment plant that are expected to improve TOC removal and help ensure compliance with the Louisiana Sanitary Code's TOC removal requirements.
In the meantime, again, your water is safe to use. This public notice appeared in The Times-Picayune in February and was mailed to more than 15,000 West Bank customers in March at the request of our regulators. We recognize how important it is to our mission of promoting good health and safety to keep our customers well-informed about the status of New Orleans’ drinking water. We will continue to do so at every opportunity.