Water unsafe to drink for 250K residents in metro New Orleans
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A pipe broke outside Jefferson Parish's east bank water treatment facility Tuesday. Photo: Courtesy of Jefferson Parish
Jefferson Parish residents on the east bank should not drink tap water after a massive water main broke Tuesday, prompting a boil water advisory for about 250,000 people.
Why it matters: Tap water is not safe to use for drinking, eating or brushing teeth until further notice. It's fine to drink in New Orleans and the West Bank.
Driving news: Water pressure was slowly returning to people's homes Wednesday.
- The water was turned off late Tuesday so repairs could be made, according to parish president Cynthia Lee Sheng, leaving people unable to flush toilets and take showers.
Threat level: It's unknown if contaminants entered the water system. Test results should be back Thursday or Friday.
How it works: The Jefferson Parish Water Department collects 100+ samples throughout the east bank once pressure is back to 20 psi, according to parish spokeswoman Rachel Strassel.
- The samples are sent to the Jefferson Parish Water Quality Lab, where they must sit for 18-24 hours before they can be analyzed.
What happened: The 80-year-old water main broke Tuesday "in the worst place it could have happened," Lee Sheng said. It's at the start of the distribution system in front of the East Bank water treatment plant.
- Officials say the cause was a combination of age and extreme weather.
- "Everybody experienced the drought, then we turned around and experienced a lot of rain in December and then turned around and had a freeze again in January," which changed the soil, said parish water director Sidney Bazley.
Be smart: The broken pipe runs under Jefferson Highway. Workers are racing to fix the road before heavy rain arrives, Lee Sheng said.
- The eastbound lanes remain closed between North Arnoult and Shrewsbury roads.
Between the lines: Many Jefferson Parish schools were closed Wednesday due to low water pressure.
- It's the third time they've had to cancel classes in January, with two previous closures due to weather.
Flashback: This is the second boil water advisory for the Jefferson Parish's east bank in less than a year.
- In June 2023, power outages and surges at the water treatment plant caused water pressure to drop. The boil water advisory lasted about 42 hours.
- And in March 2021, a sewage main broke and created a smelly geyser for about 30 hours on West Napoleon Avenue.
- Hurricane Ida later that year also caused a mess with the water and sewage system. Officials urged residents to avoid flushing toilets and shower for days.
Safety tips: Drink bottled water or boil tap water for a full minute before using, advises the CDC.
- Do not use ice made when under an advisory.
- Showering is OK, the CDC says, but take care not to swallow any water.
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