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Citywide boil water advisory could be lifted on Thursday

S&WB said the advisory comes after a power failure at the Carrollton Water Treatment plant.

NEW ORLEANS — WWL Louisiana is tracking boil water advisories in the area.

If you know of a boil advisory that is not on our list, please email webteam@wwltv.com and use the subject line "boil advisory."

Orleans

A precautionary boil water advisory has been issued for the entire East Bank of New Orleans and a portion of the Westbank until at least Thursday afternoon, according to the Sewerage and Water Board.

SWBNO has collected 100 tap samples across the East Bank and West Bank, and testing is underway. If all sample results pass, SWBNO will lift the precautionary boil water advisory in conjunction with the Louisiana Department of Health. SWBNO will notify customers when the advisory is lifted.

"While we recognize a precautionary boil water advisory is inconvenient for our customers, we have issued this advisory out of an abundance of caution to ensure our city’s drinking water is safe,” said Ghassan Korban, SWBNO Executive Director. “We appreciate your understanding and patience as we complete testing over the next 24 hours."

A map of the affected area is here.

According to Entergy, a power outage caused by a Mylar balloon connecting with a power line near the Carrollton Water Treatment Plant led to the precautionary advisory. 

Entergy says the Mylar balloon made contact with a power line in the 8500 Block of Oleander Street—less than a mile from the SWB plant.


The impacted areas of the Westbank are:

  • Donner St. to Idaho St.
  • Idaho St. from Donner St. to General de Gaulle Dr.
  • Wall Blvd. from General de Gaulle Dr. to Pace Blvd.
  • Pace Blvd. from Wall Blvd. to General Meyer Ave.
  • Merrill St. from General Meyer Ave. to Patterson Dr.

What to do during a boil water advisory 

Advisories don’t necessarily mean that the water is contaminated but that viruses or bacteria could have gotten into the system, and the current water quality is unknown.

During a boil advisory, you should use bottled water or water you’ve boiled for one minute on the stove.

This goes for washing dishes, cooking, drinking, brushing your teeth, mixing baby formula, or filling your pet’s water bowl.

The CDC says you should boil your tap water even if you have a water filter because most kitchen filters don’t kill bacteria or viruses. Only a UV water disinfection system can kill them. 

Don’t use any ice made with tap water during the boil advisory, and be sure to empty your ice maker after the order is lifted.

Baths and showers are okay, just try not to get water in your mouth. You should sponge-bathe babies and small kids to keep them from swallowing water. Laundry and using the dishwasher is okay, too, as long as you have good enough water pressure and the parish isn’t specifically requesting residents to conserve water.

During this precautionary advisory, 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.

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