NEW ORLEANS — The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans has canceled the boil water advisory for the east and west bank of the city.
The utility company said the water samples collected "tested negative for contamination, including the Hollygrove and Tulane/Gravier neighborhoods," in a release on Thursday.
This comes after the utility company announced an extension of the advisory after two samples taken on the east bank came back positive for total coliform.
The two positive samples were taken from the Hollygrove neighborhood and in the Tulane / Gravier area.
"Customers who have not used their tap water during this precautionary boil water advisory are advised to flush their internal and external plumbing by running water for several minutes before resuming regular water use," S&WB said in a release.
According to the S&WB, "Total coliform itself is not usually harmful, but it can indicate that other, potentially harmful, bacteria may be present. However, both samples tested negative for E. coli bacteria."
The S&WB said that all other 88 east bank samples and all 10 west bank samples were clear.
The boil advisory began Tuesday night after a Mylar balloon caused a power outage to the Sewerage and Water Board that caused water pressure to drop too low for too long of a time.
Though specifics have not been provided, a "serious injury" to an S&WB employee apparently contributed to a delay in backup measures being taken to keep the water pressure sufficient.
Once the water pressure went too low, samples had to be taken at a variety of spots and tests had to be run by the state.
In the meantime, healthy adults and children should continue to 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.
What to do after an advisory
- Run all cold water faucets for at least 5 minutes.
- Flush ice makers by making and getting rid of 3 batches of ice.
- Drain and refill hot water heaters if the heater was set below 113° F.
A series of events at the New Orleans main water plant in the Carrollton neighborhood caused the citywide boil water advisory. Tuesday night, around seven, a Mylar balloon touched an Entergy line, tripping a circuit feeding power to the plant.
That shut down four pumps and the city’s water system.
If you are experiencing very low or no water pressure, or witness a water or sewer emergency, please call 504-52-WATER (504-529-2837) and choose your language option (1 for English) and 1 for emergencies.
► 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.