NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans is warning residents that a citywide boil water advisory could occur in the next 24 hours because of water pressure drops caused by freezing water mains under the streets.
The city is expecting temperatures to be below freezing for about 12 hours, starting at about 3 pm Monday.
Ghassan Korban, the head of the Sewerage & Water Board, said that the utility does not have much of a margin for error with little backup power.
"Our power and pumping system is vulnerable and (will likely) have challenges," Korban said.
After an explosion last year at one of their main power-generating turbines, S&WB has been operating on a shoestring power budget, with generators picking up the slack.
This means that if any part of their system gets overloaded and goes down, there could be domino-like effects throughout the city.
One of the most pressing of those is a citywide boil water advisory, which Korban said was more than possible.
"We are likely to see water mains ... rupture throughout the city," Korban said.
This will likely cause localized boil water advisories and low pressure in various areas throughout the city.
But if enough pipes freeze, or if a crucial main fails, S&WB could take more drastic preventative measures, such as a citywide advisory.
Korban asked residents to do their part in saving the city from that worst-case scenario, such as running a trickle of water through their home, and to call a plumber immediately if pipes inside the house burst or freeze.
"It wil take a citywide effort to get through this freeze," Korban said.
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