The Committee on Public Works, Sanitation, and the Environment met on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at approximately 1:00 PM. The meeting included a comprehensive monthly operational update from the Sewage and Water Board, discussions on water main repairs, lead service line replacement, sewer issues in the Dwyer Canal, and a major sanitation contract amendment for the French Quarter and Downtown Development District. Public comments were heard, and multiple actions were taken.
Okay. We're ready for roll call. All right, good afternoon, everyone. We're gonna ask everybody to please take their seats. Today is Tuesday, April 14th. This is the committee on public works, sanitation, and the environment. Uh, I am gonna ask staff to please call the roll. Roll call. Councilmember Hughes. Here council member Willard, Councilmember McCarran. Here, Councilmember King, Councilmember Green. Here. We have four members. We have a quorum. Thank you so much. Um, ladies and gentlemen, just some housekeeping. If anybody is here for the city planning commission meeting, that meeting will take place at one thirty PM across the street at thirteen forty Pordress on the twenty first floor. City planning will not take place here. Um moving on with our agenda. Agenda item number two adoption of the minutes from the meeting on March tenth, and the joint utilities committee meeting on March eighteenth. Uh, move by Vice President Willard. Second by Councilmember McCarron. Please vote your machines. No nays, and that's adopted. Uh next up, agenda item number three sewage and water board presentation. Monthly operational update. Members, I'm gonna ask this. I'm gonna uh ask that we allow sewage and water board to get through their entire presentation, and then the floor will be open for questions. Mr. Executive Director. Yes, good afternoon. I have with me today, Gray Lewis, the Chief Financial Officer and Caitlin Timmerick, the general superintendent against Sierra Labot, head of our communications. On the agenda today, we have we're going to discuss the water system, water transmission mains, lead service line replacement. We'll discuss the sewer system, the Dwyer Canal update. We'll discuss the drainage system, DPS 15, pipe replacement and canal cleaning. And we'll also discuss the financial system transition that we're going through. With that, I will go ahead and hand it over to our general superintendent. Alright. Good afternoon, Council members. Please to present an update on the work related to the repairs to the high priority water mains. Since our last meeting, we have completed the 30-inch valve replacements at the corner of Spruce and Carrollton and Magnolia and Cades, as well as completed the repairs that were ongoing the last time we spoke at Magnolia and Jackson, as well as Magnolia and Phillip. Right before Easter, we were able to open some valves along this line that allowed us to boost pressure a bit in the CBD and the French quarter, which was which was great for that area. And as of today and continuing likely through tomorrow, we will be fully opening the new valves, which will allow us to fully uh return the entire 30-inch water main to service, which has been uh out of service since uh the breaks on Willow Street in uh early mid-March. So that will be the final the final step there. Uh we are still doing work in those areas though. We are have to rebuild the valve vaults for those large valves, which allows us to access them from above the ground in future scenarios. So the excavations, and there's still contractors will be working in those areas, uh likely over the next couple of weeks for before full restoration is complete in that in those areas, but the repairs have been completed. We're also really excited to have completed the 20-inch water main repair at the corner of Burgundian Des Lawn in the lower ninth ward. This had been a long-standing issue. Our crews were able to do this, and um the re the water main is repaired.