NEW ORLEANS — Whether it’s through flooded streets or a questionable bill, many folks in New Orleans have a water-logged relationship with the Sewerage and Water Board.
“We have estimates that are grossly incorrect,” said District A councilman Joe Giarrusso during Monday’s public works committee meeting.
Estimated bills will soon be gone. House Bill 525, sent to the governor, will prohibit it starting January 1st. Legislation also requires a new arbitration process to be set up for anyone who needs to dispute a bill.
"The smart meter program is really going to take that to the next level for us," said Giarrusso.
Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans General Superintendent Steve Nelson says about 20,000 smart digital meters have been installed so far. A digital meter hopefully means exact billing and no need for manual readings.
Nelson expects another 50,000 will be installed by the end of the year. That would be half of the utility's 140,000 connections.
“Having meter reads that happen once an hour, as opposed to every other month is going to be a fundamental shift,” said Nelson.
Customers who don't have a smart meter by January 1st will have the option for a fixed monthly rate until one is installed.
Giarrusso worries about inaccuracies finding their way into the new system.
“We keep on telling the public that smart meter is going to be the panacea to your problem, but I just do not want that bad data to start getting integrated into what should theoretically be no human error,” said Giarrusso.
Another big change is moving small drainage pipes and the city’s 72,000 catch basins out from under the Department of Public Works.
The Sewerage and Water Board will be responsible once legislation is signed by the governor. Nelson says finding money to maintain it may be the biggest challenge.
“We have the expertise, we have the know-how, we just need the funding to be able to have the equipment, the recurring funding, not just one-time funds, but recurring dedicated funding to be able to address that system,” said Nelson.
While new legislation includes ways to pay for it, Giarrusso says there will be internal discussions on where the money will come from and points to existing sources.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.