NEW ORLEANS — Drinking water is safe and pressure is stable, but the Sewage & Water Board of New Orleans is asking residents to conserve their usage as the majority of sewer pump stations are still offline.
S&WB said Wednesday it hopes to increase the number of pump stations operating on generator power from 14 to 35 by end of day on Wednesday. There are a total of 85 pump stations in the city.
The Eastbank Wastewater Treatment Plant did lose back-up power, but emergency procedures are in place to ensure sewer operations continue, and Entergy is actively working on the issue.
Particularly in New Orleans East, residents are asked to take measures to limit their water usage, including short showers, and limit laundry and dishwasher use.
S&WB also said the power supply to Hamilton Substation, the primary power supply for the major water intake station, is being hardened.
The 504-52-WATER number is not operation, but customers can call 504-864-8266 to report sewer backups and water leaks, and S&WB is also monitoring social media.
S&WB's data center is also down, taking out the website and all other online assists. AT&T is working to restore service to those services.
"Our goal is to make this city operable for the people who are here, which is somewhere in the neighborhood of 200,000, and get our city ready for the folks who need to come back," Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Infrastructure Ramsey Green said on Wednesday.
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