City leaders say an Uptown water main break is contained as crews work to fix damage and a boil advisory is issued.
NEW ORLEANS — City leaders were on scene after a large water main break in Uptown flooded streets in the Carrollton area and left a car stuck in a sinkhole on Panola Street Saturday evening.
Deputy CAO of Infrastructure and Interim Director of Public Works Steve Nelson, posted a video on the City of New Orleans Instagram account around 8 p.m. near South Carrollton Avenue and Spruce Street, close to the break on a 48-inch water main near Carrollton Avenue and Panola Street.
“That main break has been contained and water is receding,” Nelson said. “Pressures are improving. There will be a boil water advisory but there will be more information from the Sewerage and Water Board.”
He added that repairs will take a couple of days. “The break has been contained, but has not been fixed, but that should take another couple of days and there will be more information,” Nelson said.
Councilmember Aimee McCarron, representing District A, also visited the area after receiving calls from neighbors.
“I went out there to check it out cause I got some calls from neighbors,” she said on her Instagram account. “There was a lot of flooding everywhere. And actually there is a car that fell into basically the sinkhole from the water main breaking.”
“So please avoid Sycamore Street just before Carrollton Avenue,” McCarron advised. “Please avoid that area because it is a big mess.”
McCarron reminded residents to trickle water to prevent frozen pipes overnight due to freezing temperatures, even under the boil water advisory.
“Obviously it’s going to be freezing tonight so you still do need to run a trickle on your faucets to be safe,” she said.
The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, with the Louisiana Department of Health, issued a precautionary boil water advisory after water pressure dropped below 20 pounds per square inch in parts of Uptown.
Carrollton Ave from I-10 (Pontchartrain Expressway) to Mississippi RiverI-10 (Pontchartrain Expressway) from Carrollton Ave to Mississippi RiverMississippi River from Carrollton to Pontchartrain Expressway.
Residents should use boiled or bottled water for drinking, cooking, cleaning food, and brushing teeth until testing confirms water is safe. Crews continue working to isolate and repair the main.
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