For Immediate Release: Friday, July 11, 2025 3:08 PM
Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO), in consultation with the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), has canceled the precautionary boil water advisory for limited parts of New Orleans East, which included the area bounded by:
While testing has passed for the majority of New Orleans East, some areas remain under boil water advisory and testing is underway. The limited parts that are still under boil water advisory includes:
A map of the area currently under a precautionary boil water advisory is here.
Water pressures in this area fell below 20 pounds per square inch (psi) while crews performed a test closure to assess repairs to a 50-inch water main on Filmore Ave. Repairs will still need to be made at a later date after more water valve work is done to get a better water closure.
Samples have been collected for the areas that remain under the boil water advisory. Although there are no detectable coliforms in the samples collected, the area in Venetian Isles remains under a precautionary BWA due to chlorine residual values below the LDH regulatory threshold of 0.5 mg/L, that were recorded during the sampling. During the summer, this area of the water distribution system is susceptible to low chlorine residuals, due to higher temperatures and it being at the end of the distribution system. As such SWBNO institutes a routine flushing program from April to October.
SWBNO crews will continue the flushing throughout the night and throughout the weekend in this area to improve the chlorine levels. When chlorine levels rise above 0.5 mg/L, then crews will collect coliform samples again for testing. It is possible that the precautionary BWA will remain in place over the weekend and into early next week.
Customers outside of the parameters above are not affected and do not need to boil their water. Customers who have not used their water supply during this precautionary boil water advisory are advised to flush their internal and external plumbing by running water through their system for several minutes.
Residents in the affected areas (listed above) 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.
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.
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 bacteriological contaminants to enter.
Continue to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during a boil water advisory by washing your hands often with boiled or bottled water.
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.
SWBNO will notify residents when the boil water advisory is canceled. If you have any questions, please call 52-WATER(504-529-2837).
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 ready.nola.gov/plan/boil-water.
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