Press Releases

In anticipation of this weekend’s expected rainfall, the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO) has repaired and tested Turbine 5, bringing it back in operation as of Friday, Dec. 15, 2023.

Turbine 4 remains temporarily out of order until further notice.

SWBNO’s current 25Hz power generation capacity is at 45.5 megawatts (MW), which is above our peak generation demand of 44MW.

With Turbine 5 back online, the utility has sufficient power to run pumps at peak capacity, which is about one inch of rainfall in the first hour and a half and an inch of rain each hour after that. Given this, SWBNO can optimize its ability to pump runoff from New Orleans’ streets.

"Even with Turbine 5 back in operation, we cannot be too careful when it comes to high intensity rains,” said SWBNO Executive Director Ghassan Korban. “While we have power capacity and the personnel resources to handle this weekend’s forecasted rainfall, we know these turbines may fail at any time. In any instance of failure happens, there is a possibility that draining the streets of New Orleans will take longer than our customers are accustomed to.”

We continue communicating with our partners at Entergy, NOLA Ready, and the National Weather Service to prepare for the weather event. 

While Turbine 5 was down, crews continued to make adjustments to address any potential oil issues and are monitoring the issue very closely. We will continue to communicate with our neighbors surrounding the plant to notify them when Turbine 5 and the back-up generators are in operation. 

Residents are urged to remain vigilant and weather aware. SWBNO will also work closely with NOLA Ready to inform residents of any potential impacts related to this weekend’s weather.

Online Pumping and Power Dashboard:

In the spirit of transparency and empowering our customers, we launched a beta version of a public dashboard that shows which pumping stations are on in real-time and features our available power more prominently. Customers can test the dashboard at https://www.swbno.org/projects/PumpingAndPower and provide feedback to SWBNO via email at outreach@swbno.org. The page will continue to evolve as we add more capabilities and receive user feedback. The beta version of this dashboard is best viewed on a desktop or laptop. We are working on optimizing a mobile version.

Equipment Status as of December 15, 2023

Pumping Status:

Major Drainage Pumps: 93 of 99 Major Drainage Pumps Available For Use

• DPS 3 on Florida Ave near Hwy 90: D Pump out of service due to replacement of bearing housing unit.
  •  4 additional drainage pumps available at this station + 4 constant duty pumps
• DPS 10 at Hayne Blvd. and Shubrick Ave. at Citrus Canal: No. 1 Pump out of service
  • 3 additional drainage pumps available at this station
• DPS 13 near Tall Timbers Algiers: No. 4 Pump on standby for Emergency Use Only.
  • 5 additional drainage pumps available at this station + one constant duty pump
• DPS 17 near Florida Ave. and Peoples Ave: Pumps A & D out of service due to issues with the electric motor. 
  • Please note, DPS 17 is serviced by DPS 19 located on Florida Ave and the west side of the Industrial Canal and DPS 19 has 5 out of 5 pumps available.
• DPS 20 near 6600 Terminal Road, along the Intracoastal Waterway: No. 2 Pump out of service due to electrical issues.
  • 1 additional drainage pump available at this station

Underpass Stations:
All underpass pumps in service. 

Click here for an overview and an interactive map of our drainage system.

Power Status:

• Turbine 5 is available for use.
• Turbine 6 is available for use.  
  • Turbine 4 out of service due to a mechanical issue.
• Back-generators #3 #4 and #5 are in service. 
  • Back-up generators #1 is offline due to a radiator leak and #2 due to electrical issues  
  • These are back-up generators that provide 25Hz power.
• Frequency Changer #1 at Carrollton Frequency Changer Facility is available for use.
• Frequency Changers #3 and #4 at Station D are available for use.
• Frequency Changer #3 at Algiers Water Treatment Facility is available for use.
  • Frequency Changer #2 at Carrollton Water Treatment Plant is out of service.
  • Plant Frequency Changer at Carrollton Water Plant is out of service due to an electrical issue.
• Frequency changers convert modern 60Hz power generated by T6 and Entergy into the 25Hz power.

SWBNO advises all residents to stay weather aware by following @NOLAReady for updates or text NOLAREADY to 77295 for text updates. For the latest information on SWBNO’s pumping and power status, visit https://www.swbno.org/Article/Details/pumping-and-power-equipment-status.

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