Press Releases

NEW ORLEANS – The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO) has issued a precautionary boil water advisory for the Lower 9th Ward and portions of St. Claude, Bywater, Florida and Desire areas.

Households and businesses east of Almonaster Boulevard to the Industrial Canal and those in the Lower 9th Ward are affected. This advisory doesn’t apply to New Orleans East.

Residents in the affected area are advised not to consume tap water until further notice. Use bottled or boiled water to drink, cook, clean food or brush teeth. Residents with compromised immune systems should also use safe water to wash hands, shower or bathe.

SWBNO, in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), issues boil water advisories out of an abundance of caution whenever water pressure drops below 20 psi.

Water pressure in the Lower 9th Ward dropped below 20 psi at 10:06 a.m. for a duration of less than 15 minutes. Pressure has returned to normal. SWBNO is investigating the cause and will provide more details as information becomes available.

Healthy adults should take the following precautions:

Washing hands:  Use soap and tap water, dry hands then apply hand sanitizer; the safest option is to wash with bottled or boiled water.

Showering or bathing: Be careful not to swallow any water. Infants, young children and disabled persons should be supervised to ensure water is not ingested. Residents with open wounds, chronic illness or weakened immune systems should use boiled or bottled water to bathe until the advisory is lifted.

Customers in other areas of the city are not affected and do not need to boil their water.

SWBNO will notify residents when the boil water advisory is canceled. If you have any questions, please call 52-WATER (504.529.2837).

We agree with the recommendations of LDH that it is prudent to issue these advisories out of an abundance of caution.  The concern is that a pressure drop inside a water pipe could allow contaminants to enter.  SWBNO also adds chlorine to water to combat contamination. Staff maintain a high chlorine residual in the water distribution system to prevent bacteriological growth.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BOILING WATER

Bring water to a rolling boil in a clean container for a full minute. If the water has a flat taste afterward, shake it in a bottle or pour it from one container to another.

Please review general and LDH recommendations for managing a boil water advisory at http://ready.nola.gov/plan/boil-water/

Media inquiries can be made to the Communications Department at 504.585.2254 or media@swbno.org.