NEW ORLEANS — As part of WWL-TV’s “Down the Drain” series, we told you about oil droplets in the air coming from the direction of the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board’s main plant in the Carrollton area.
Well, it’s happening again, and neighbors are complaining about the issue and the greasy residue it leaves on their property.
“Back on my boat, oil,” Johnny Wilson said. “I mean, oil on the shed in the backyard. Oil on the shed in the front yard. There’s oil everywhere and we’re just tired of it.”
Wilson lives across the street from the Sewerage and Water Board complex. We met Wilson 10 years ago when he first told us about oily droplets coming from the plant. He’s just as frustrated now as he was in 2013.
“The same thing that I’ve been talking about for the longest,” he said. “They’re not doing any better with it. It’s the same thing over and over and over.”
Wilson says the droplets appear to fall every time the Sewerage and Water Board is forced to use Turbine 5. That’s one of the century-old power generators that send electricity to run the utility’s drainage and water pumps.
The board’s Executive Director Ghassan Korban says Turbine 4 is out of service, so they have no choice but to use the troubled T5.
“We’re clearly not satisfied or happy with the situation,” Korban said. “We know it’s a concern for our neighbors and we’re doing everything we can to alleviate it and ultimately solve it.”
Another option would be to fire up the electro-motive diesel generators (EMDs) that provide backup power to the utility. But they are extremely loud which is another source of frustration for neighbors.
The permanent solution, a new Entergy power substation is now being built.
“Turbine 4 and Turbine 5 will eventually be decommissioned, once we have the power complex running which is slated for the end of 2024,” Korban said.
In the meantime, Wilson says he and his neighbor will continue to endure the oil, noise, and other problems from the plant.
“That don’t give me any relief whatsoever,” Wilson said. “No it don’t.”
Korban hopes to have Turbine 4 repaired and online before the start of hurricane season, June 1. He also said the utility has a claims process set up for property owners to report any damages.
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