NEW ORLEANS — Rushing water from a broken 30-inch water main flooded blocks near Tulane University's Yulman Stadium Friday, dropping pressure and prompting a precautionary boil water advisory for several blocks.
Residents in the area said around 6:30 Friday night that they had lost all water pressure, and did not have running water in their homes.
The affected area included:
Properties along Calhoun and Palmer Avenue between South Claiborne Avenue and Story Street, including the dead-end blocks of South Johnson, South Prieur and Barret Street.
Properties between South Claiborne, Audubon Boulevard, Hickory and Lowerline streets.
Despite being next to the burst water main that caused the flooding, Tulane University and Yulman Stadium were not included in the advisory. (For a interactive map of the advisory, click here)
"Residents in the affected area are advised to use bottled or boiled tap water to drink, cook, clean food or brush teeth until further notice. Residents with compromised immune systems should also use safe water to wash hands, shower or bathe," S&WB officials said.
The water will be sent to the state health department and tested, which typically takes 24 hours to clear following the advisory.
The break near South Johnson and Calhoun streets caused water to flood the area, turning nearby streets into rivers including South Claiborne Avenue and flooding some cars. Large chunks of debris could also be seen in the roadways.
A driver first reported the leak as early as 2 a.m., but 10 hours later it appeared water was still flowing from the leak.
Yulman Stadium is set to host a championship football game Friday night between Archbishop Rummel High and Baton Rouge Catholic High schools. The stadium was not damaged by the floodwater.
About a dozen Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans trucks were spotted at the scene as crews work to repair the 100-year-old water line. There have been at least five major water main breaks in the Uptown area this year, with the newest pipe recorded at 80-years-old.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who serves as the president of the water board, said the broken pipe is another example of the state of aging infrastructure in New Orleans.
"We have not consistently maintained our infrastructure around here," Cantrell said. "This is what happens. We're living it and you cannot make it up."
While the water did cause some traffic issues along Claiborne Avenue, it did not result in a precautionary boil water order. A spokesperson for the S&WB said the agency is monitoring water pressure in the area as crews work to repair the line.
It is unclear how long it will take for crews to make those repairs and get the water off of the streets.
The area appears to be a problem area Uptown for water main breaks. In October, water was seen gushing out of a broken water main near Panola and Lower Line streets. That break triggered a precautionary boil water advisory for the Uptown area that lasted for days.
That same month, a few blocks away from the most recent break, a 114-year-old water main broke, flooding streets and forcing school closures. A boil water advisory was also issued in another boil water advisory.
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WWL-TV reporters Paul Murphy and Meghan Kee contributed to this report.