Press Releases

For Immediate Release

May 3, 2019

PRECAUTIONARY BOIL WATER ADVISORY ISSUED FOR LIMITED AREA IN UPTOWN NEW ORLEANS

NEW ORLEANS - The Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO) has issued a precautionary boil water advisory for a limited area in uptown New Orleans bounded by S. Carrollton Avenue to Napoleon Avenue and from S. Claiborne Avenue to the Mississippi River.  Water pressure in the affected area has dropped below 20 psi due to a water main break on Claiborne Avenue near Soniat St.  SWBNO has crews are working to isolate the leak and make repairs.  Details will be provided as information becomes available.

Residents in the affected area are advised per Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) not to drink, make ice or brush teeth, until further notice.  Residents in the affected area that are immunocompromised are advised not to wash hands, or shower or bath.  All other residents are advised to take precautions for the below hygiene actions:

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

Shower or bath:  Being careful not to swallow any water, one may take a shower safely.  Using caution when bathing infants and young children so that no water is swallowed is considered fairly safe.  A sponge bath reduces the chance of swallowing water.  The time spent bathing should be minimized.  Children and disabled individuals should have their bath supervised to ensure water is not ingested.  Though the risk of illness is minimal, individuals who have recent surgical wounds, are immunosuppressed, or have a chronic illness may want to consider using bottled or boiled water for cleansing until the advisory is lifted.  For those who want to be absolutely safe, use safe water until further notice per the LDH – Infectious Disease Epidemiology Section.”

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

The boil water advisory will remain in effect until further notice for customers in the affected area.  SWBNO will notify residents when the advisory is lifted.  If you have any questions, please call 52-WATER (529-2837).

Boil water advisories are issued out of an abundance of caution whenever the water pressure drops below 20 psi.  We agree with the recommendations of our regulatory partner, LDH, that it is prudent to issue these advisories out of an abundance of caution.  The concern is that a pressure drop inside of the water pipe could allow an opportunity for contaminants into the pipe.  Chlorine is a chemical that is added to water to combat contamination.  SWBNO staff maintains a high chlorine residual and we aggressively and continually monitor our chlorine residual to ensure that our potable water has the ability to fight off bacteriological growth.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BOILING WATER

Boil water for one full minute in a clean container.  The one-minute boil time begins after the water has been brought to a rolling boil.  (If there is a flat taste, it can be eliminated by shaking the water in a bottle or pouring it from one container to another.)

Please review and follow recommendations for Boil Water Advisories listed here: http://ready.nola.gov/plan/boil-water/

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