According to city officials, repairs to the broken water line are expected to be completed Monday.
NEW ORLEANS — Cleanup is underway, and a boil water advisory remains in place for parts of Uptown after a major water main break flooded neighborhood streets Saturday night.
The break happened on Panola Street, where water rushed through the area, tearing up pavement, leaving thick mud and creating a sinkhole that swallowed a parked car. Resident David Baldwin described the scene as chaotic, saying, “It was like a tsunami. I mean it swept up all of the leaves, everything. It was amazing that, that much water moved that fast.”
Officials say the flooding was caused by a failure in an aging water line. Sewerage and Water Board Executive Director Randy Hayman said, “It is a 48 inch line about 100 years old. And has two major breaks in it.”
Crews worked through the night and into Sunday to isolate the break and begin repairs. While damage remains extensive, Hayman said residents are still receiving service.
“The residents on this block, while it’s a mess right now, are not without water,” he said. According to city officials, repairs to the broken water line are expected to be completed Monday. Water quality testing is ongoing, and the boil water advisory is expected to remain in effect through Monday pending test results.
New Orleans City Councilmember Aimee McCarron said officials expect the advisory to be lifted once testing is complete.
“They do anticipate that boil water advisory to continue until tomorrow once they have the results,” McCarron said. She added residents should expect continued low water pressure until Thursday. Street repairs, including full pavement restoration, are expected to wrap up by Thursday.
“They will repair everything by Thursday. It’ll be a full pavement repair. So people will be able to drive down that street,” McCarron said.
The boil water advisory has created challenges for businesses that rely on clean water. CR Coffee Shop owner Kevin Pedeaux said his team has taken extra steps to stay open.
“We’ve got to jump through tons of extra hoops so we’re brewing hot coffee in big Cambro containers and bringing them uptown so we can have fresh coffee up there,” Pedeaux said. He added that he made at least six trips Sunday from his St. Roch location to the Uptown shop.
McCarron said preventing future water main breaks is difficult because of aging infrastructure and limited funding.
“They don’t have the revenue coming in to have that capacity to do these sorts of repairs,” she said.
Under the boil water advisory, the CDC recommends boiling tap water, even if it is filtered, for at least one minute before drinking, cooking or brushing your teeth. Cleanup and repairs are expected to continue through the week.
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