WWNO skyline header graphic
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Local Newscast
Hear the latest from the WWNO/WRKF Newsroom.

Support local, independent journalism on WWNO with your Member Fest gift now! Click the donate button or Call 844-790-1094.

Sewerage And Water Board Still Making Repairs Post-Freeze

Scott Akerman
/
Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
The Sewerage And Water Board of New Orleans says the freezing weather created leaks in 452 pipes. So far 143 have been repaired.

The Sewerage and Water Board answered questions from New Orleans city council members Tuesday about the impact of last week’s freeze, but the agency is still taking stock.

 

The Sewerage and Water Board was already scheduled to go before the Public Works, Sanitation, and Environment Committee of the New Orleans City Council to present a standard quarterly report. But because things got a little crazy with the hard freeze last week — with broken pipes and boil water advisories — they faced questions about it from city council members.

 

Marcie Edwards is interim executive director of the Sewerage and Water Board. She says they still don’t know how much damage the weather caused.

 

“I think until we address everything in that particular time frame, we’re not gonna have a specific price tag,” she says.

 

Edwards says the freeze caused more than 400 leaks in the system. Employees and contractors are working around the clock, but so far only about 30 percent of the repairs have been made.  

 

Support for the Coastal Desk comes from the Walton Family Foundation, the Greater New Orleans Foundation, and local listeners.

As Coastal Reporter, Travis Lux covers flood protection, coastal restoration, infrastructure, the energy and seafood industries, and the environment. In this role he's reported on everything from pipeline protests in the Atchafalaya swamp, to how shrimpers cope with low prices. He had a big hand in producing the series, New Orleans: Ready Or Not?, which examined how prepared New Orleans is for a future with more extreme weather. In 2017, Travis co-produced two episodes of TriPod: New Orleans at 300 examining New Orleans' historic efforts at flood protection. One episode, NOLA vs Nature: The Other Biggest Flood in New Orleans History, was recognized with awards from the Public Radio News Directors and the New Orleans Press Club. His stories often find a wider audience on national programs, too, like NPR's Morning Edition, WBUR's Here and Now, and WHYY's The Pulse.

👋 Looks like you could use more news. Sign up for our newsletters.

* indicates required
New Orleans Public Radio News
New Orleans Public Radio Info