Press Releases

New Orleans, La - The Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO), in consultation with the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), is testing water quality samples, which may take up to 24 hours to achieve results. Until clear test results are back, a precautionary boil water advisory (BWA) remains in effect for portions of New Orleans East including the Lakefront Airport and the Oak Island neighborhood. 

Click here for a map of the affected areas.  

The boundaries for the precautionary boil water advisory are: 

• Jourdan Rd (Inner Harbor Navigation Canal) from Hayne Blvd to Paris Rd 
• Paris Rd from Hayne Blvd to Lake Forest Blvd
• Lake Forest Blvd from Paris Rd to Mayo Rd 
• Mayo Rd from Lake Forest Blvd to Dwyer Rd 
• Dwyer Rd from Lake Forest Blvd to Jourdan Rd (Inner Harbor Navigation Canal)
• Jourdan Rd (Inner Harbor Navigation Canal) from Dwyer Rd to Hayne Blvd.
• Lakefront Airport
• Entire Oak Island Subdivision

Sample collection has been completed in the Oak Island neighborhood. Testing is underway for all affected areas.

Water pressures in these areas fell below 20 pounds per square inch (psi) due to a break near Morrison and Benson. SWBNO crews and contractors have repaired the issue at Morrison and Benson and water has been restored to all customers. A precautionary boil water advisory is necessary until all water samples can be collected and tested.

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

Residents in the affected areas are advised to use bottled or boiled tap water to drink, cook, clean food or brush teeth until further notice. Residents with compromised immune systems should also use safe water to wash hands, shower or bathe.  Customers in other areas of the city are not affected and do not need to boil their water. 

We agree with the recommendations of LDH that it is prudent to issue these precautionary advisories. The concern is that a pressure drop inside a water pipe could allow bacteriological contaminants to enter.

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 cognitively 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.
• Continue to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during a boil water advisory by washing your hands often with boiled or bottled water.

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.

SWBNO will notify residents when the boil water advisory is canceled. If you have any questions, please call 52-WATER (504-529-2837).

Please review general and LDH recommendations for managing a boil water advisory at NOLA Ready.gov.

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