Historic Louisiana

ehabilitated 194,000 feet of sewer lines,
inspected 15,400 sewer manholes, and
repaired or renovated 2,320 manholes.
One modernization project already in
operation is SCADA, (Supervisory Control and
Data Acquisition) a sophisticated computer
system which will provide online monitoring of
the 83 sewer lift stations and pumping stations
located throughout the city. Sewer Pumping
Station A, located behind the Municipal
Auditorium, houses the “heart and brain” of this
state-of-the-art $1.7-million monitoring system.
The Sewerage & Water Board investigated all
water sources and concluded by scientific testing
that the Mississippi River was the best supplier.
Raw water from the Mississippi River is
pumped to the Carrollton Water Purification
Plant from both the Oak Street River Station
and the Industrial Avenue River Station. The
intricate purification process includes
chemical treatment, flocculation and
disinfections. Fluorosilicic acid is used to add
fluoride to the drinking water to aid in the
prevention of dental cavities.
The final step in the purification process is
filtration through 44 rapid sand filters. After
filtration, the purification process is complete,
and drinking water is pumped out to customers.
The Sewerage and Water Board also
operates a water treatment plant on the West
Bank of the Mississippi River in Algiers.
Combined, the two plants treat approximately
47 billion gallons of water per year.
The water is then pumped through more
than 1,610 miles of mains to more than
164,000 service connections and delivered to
approximately 440,000 people on the east
bank of Orleans Parish and approximately
57,000 people on the West Bank.
The quality of finished water and river water
is tested daily at the Water Quality Laboratory
of the Sewerage and Water Board by a staff of
highly trained chemists, microbiologists and
technicians. Samples of drinking water from
various points in the distribution system are
also analyzed for chemical and microbial
parameters at regularly scheduled times.
Samples of river water and finished water
are analyzed daily for hundreds of
compounds. In the years since this screening
began, the running annual averages observed
have always been found to be below the
Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) set
by the EPA. In fact, since the inception of the
Clean Water Act in the early ’70s, the S&WB
has never had an EPA violation.
The Sewerage and Water Board participates
in two major multi-agency programs to
protect the water supply for all consumers
along the lower Mississippi River: the Lower
Mississippi River Water Works Warning
Network and the Early Warning Organic
Compound Detection System.
From dependence on cisterns and jars for a
water supply and trusting to shallow canals
for drainage and privies for sewerage disposal,
New Orleans has progressed. Through
ingenuity, sophisticated engineering, an
inventive spirit and the dedication of employees
over more than a century, the New
Orleans Sewerage and Water Board has created
a model of an urban water infrastructure,
engineering marvels and a safe home and
workplace for its citizens. Thanks to the
S&WB, the city can look forward to a healthy
and prosperous future.
More information about the Sewerage and
Water Board of New Orleans may be obtained
on its website: www.swbnola.org.
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A complete rehabilitation of the sewage
collection system is underway. Trenchless
technology, like cured-in-place lining, is used
whenever possible.
SHARING THE HERITAGE
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