The entire West Bank of New Orleans remained under a boil water advisory Sunday morning as the Sewerage & Water Board began testing water quality samples, a process that officials said could take up to 24 hours.
S&WB officials said they are working with the Louisiana Department of Health to test water as of 9:45 a.m., roughly 30 hours after after a contractor damaged a water main near General DeGaulle Avenue and Indiana Street, sending pressure plummeting across the area.
The contractor was performing work for another agency when the break happened, officials said. Kaitlin Tymrak, superintendent of the S&WB, said in a video posted to social media Saturday that the main needed multiple repairs.
Homes and businesses between General DeGaulle, Highway 428, and the Parish line, as well as between General DeGaulle, Wall Blvd, and Westbend Parkway were affected by the disruption and had little to no water pressure, Tymrak said.
Many West Bank residents complained early Saturday morning of having no water at all.
Though water pressure had been restored to the entire area by Sunday morning, the agency advised affected customers to continue boiling water for at least a minute before drinking, cooking or cleaning.
S&WB will notify residents when the boil water advisory is canceled.
It’s the second time in less than two weeks that Algiers residents have faced challenges with their water. On July 25, the S&WB issued a boil water advisory for their West Bank customers after a drop in water pressure.
At the time, the agency attributed the drop to planned maintenance on the West Bank water tower, but later said the scheduled maintenance was not the cause of the problem and that the matter remained under investigation.
“We are challenged in having limited data to make a definitive conclusion,” the statement said.