Most New Orleans residents have water service this morning, but it’s not officially safe to drink. A boil-water advisory remains in effect for the east bank of the parish.
The problem started Sunday morning, when many residents discovered no water was coming through the faucet. Pressure was restored in about an hour, but a small fire that triggered the pressure drop is being blamed for a contamination check.
The Sewerage and Water Board says samples of water were taken throughout the city after the outage. About 300,000 residents are being told to boil water for drinking, brushing teeth and food preparation.
The same warning was made last October, and in November 2010 after failures at the east bank treatment plant.
Test results will be studied for signs that any bacterial contamination was allowed into the system when pressure fell. Results should be released sometime today.
