Oh good morning, everyone.

Would I ask that you please take your seats.

Today is Tuesday, June 9th.

This is the committee on public works sanitation and the environment.

I'd ask that we please call the role.

Councilmember Hughes.

Councilmember Willard.

Councilmember McCarron.

Councilmember King.

We have five members.

But please say aye.

Any oppose that motion cars?

Alright, agenda item number three, uh, our favorite folks, original water board.

Uh, uh, good morning.

Good morning.

Uh, floor is yours.

Uh members of the committee, as always, I'm gonna ask that we allow uh sewage and water board to get through their entire presentation, and then at the end, uh certainly uh welcome your questions.

Good afternoon.

It's a pleasure to be with you this afternoon.

The morning.

Good morning.

The day is going fast.

Our agenda this morning will be the uh communications, upcoming meetings, customer portal milestones, water system.

We'll talk about the water main repairs, the prince quarter, the ledge service lines, and the water treatment updates.

We also will discuss training drainage systems, hurricane readiness, our DPS 7 discharge bell system, uh sewer system industrial canal update, Dwyer canal update, and the Washington Estra work.

Community engagement is a major part of what we have to do.

It's a major focus that we have at the sewage and water board.

I'm getting out into a community meeting, having town hall meetings.

In May, we held two meetings.

Uh we've completed two in June so far, and we have five more public meetings to do this month.

And so we're looking forward to being out into in the community.

It's been very engaging with the community, a lot of questions, and it's just good for the sewer and water board to be out there so they get to know what our goals are, what our strategies are, and we're able to listen to them.

With the portal customer engagement, the electronic efforts that we have, over 100,000 registered accounts at this time.

That's 75%.

And then we also have done well with the auto pay and the paperless sign-up as well.

And so we're moving forward with that, making better and better connections.

We're now going to why do we make water main repairs with Caitlin?

Yes.

Good morning, committee members.

Uh, happy to be here again with you all.

Uh, have some um good updates to share at uh the we have uh did an investigation and some repairs at the leak on South Clayborne and Third Street.

Uh that was an ongoing issue.

Uh we know caused some traffic disruption.

Uh we did find two leaking joints on the water main there, which we were able to repair.

Uh 4800 Florida was also uh one of those locations that was identified as a water main leak, potentially on a very large water main that we wanted to address as part of our immediate action plan.

Uh what we found there instead was a leak on a six-inch water line as well as a leak on a sewer line in that area.

And so we are presently um underway working on repairs for that uh location, and um the Florida Bridge Avenue Bridge does remain closed at this time.

We understand that this is an ongoing disruption to the Lower Ninth Ward community, and they are concerned about continuing traffic impacts um due to the uh the traffic detours uh for the uh the EMR Southern Recycling location.

Uh, we are hopeful that within the next two weeks we will be able to get that uh the traffic details all squared away and be able to return the Florida Avenue Bridge to service.

Um, along those lines with that, um, you know, we'll be continuing to work with DPW on those traffic areas uh and make sure that we are coordinating appropriately with DPW and DOT regarding those traffic detours.

Again, hoping to be able to return that uh the Florida Avenue Bridge to full service within the next couple of weeks.

Um there's been some additional ongoing um items.

Uh in particular, um, you all are aware we had a uh precautionary well water advisory last week due to repair that was ongoing in the Lake Vista area.

Uh ultimately uh there is a water eight-inch water line there that we feel just needs to be fully replaced uh due to some repeat uh issues along that street.

So we are ordering those parts and continuing to make repairs, uh point repairs as we can in that area.

We know this is a disruption there as well, and uh want to be able to return that to uh full service with with no disruptions going forward.

And then last but certainly not least on this slide, um, we know there was a major impact to the Lorem Garden District last week.

Uh, we were doing a closure for a DPW project to install a 20-inch uh valve on camp street.

And even though we had originally done a test closure that identified the area that would be out of water during this time, unfortunately, what we found during uh the construction was an additional 12-inch valve that was broken, and so unfortunately we had to expand that disrupted area rather significantly.

Uh we did do you know as much communication as we could at that time.

Uh we know residents were were impacted into the evening, and we will in fact be meeting with uh Councilman Councilman Harris office and lower garden district uh neighborhood leaders tomorrow afternoon to discuss this project.

We know there have been ongoing uh challenges in that neighborhood with multiple projects happening all at the same time.

So we're looking forward to to meeting with her office and the neighborhood leaders to discuss that um and you know engage with those residents a little bit more.

Uh on the the French quarter transmission main project.

We know this is this is an ongoing uh source of uh you know frustration and disruption uh to the French Quarter uh businesses in particular.

So I wanted to provide a uh you know more uh update on each of the individual blocks that is still under construction.

Last month we began the work on the uh the final block, which is the 900 block of Decatur, and we are currently working 24 hours a day actually to minimize the disruptions to the buses and the area so we can um continue to work on that.

Uh the overall project still is is on track for what our recent up projection is the September, but um in the short term we know there are continued disruptions on the 600 block of St.

Peter, the and the 1,000 and the 1100 block of Decatur.

So, want to provide a more summary update on each of those individually.

On the 600 block of Decatur, uh I want to make a correction to the slide.

Uh there is still some manhole work that entergy needs to do, but that is not stopping us from taking down those fences as long as they are able to and they're planning to um secure um any open remaining manholes in that area.

So we'll be um we're going to be working to take the fences down on the 600 block as as soon as practical, as soon as possible.

Um, I mean, I mean in the matter of you know days or less than a week at this point.

So there is still work that has to be done, but that can be uh secured in other ways.

Uh on the 1100 block of Decatur, we have finished the final concrete pour on that street, and as soon as that is done, we will be and cured, we will be able to remove that fence and again coordinating um with entergy on any uh barricading work that has to be done there for any work that's remaining on their end, and then on the 1000 block, we're anticipating around the end of June for that concrete to be fully poured and cured, um, and again we'll be taking the same action.

So, kind of in summary, there's three phases of the work for each block.

There was the underground work, the you know, water sewer drainage, and then there was the street restoration, which is the concrete pouring and curing, which is happening, and then when after that is all done, we'll be moving to the sidewalk restoration.

So all of these um continue to be in progress, and um again the 900 block is the last block, and we are working 24 hours a day on that to minimize disruptions to the extent possible.

All right, okay.

We're now look at the lead service line program.

I have a question.

Uh Councilmember King, I'm sorry if at the beginning uh had asked all the council members to hold the questions.

Yeah, I'll apologize.

No, no, no, no worries.

I'm gonna just let them get to their presentation and you'll be first in the queue.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you, sir.

All right, thank you very much.

I now give you a lead service line program update.

The funding sources for from the state revolving fund require that we have a total line that is lead free.

And so one element of that is we are responsible for the public side, the homeowner is responsible for the private side.

And we have a situation where we understand it is expensive to replace the lateral, it can be tens of thousands of dollars to replace the lateral in an effort to be uh public or customer centric.

The sewage and water board made the determination to take on the responsibility of replacing the entire line and make efforts to do that.

Now, to do that, we had to be able to have the ability to use public funds on private property.

Now, ultimately, we would be reimbursed by EPA.

But an EPA to do the reimbursement requires that you complete the entire line.

And so that's the efforts that we've gone forward with.

And so we're going to replace the private line at no cost to the customer to make these replacements feasible for every resident in New Orleans.

We have some exciting legislative updates to give.

One of the key factors to our design was to be able to utilize the funds.

We have to complete the private side replacements, as I noted.

The support to support this efforts, Senate Bill 268 and Senate Bill 228 have been both passed.

Senate Bill 268 allows municipalities to create ordinances to grant access to private property, replace lead lines with a proper notification.

Is a constitutional amendment requiring the vote in November to allow public funds to be used on private side of the line.

We have also received a favorable attorney general opinion on the use of public funds on private property for lead service line replacements and restorations.

So it's been a very coordinated and strategic effort to get there.

Ultimately, as I said, we made the decision to help our customers, and we'll be able to move forward in the near future to replacing the public and the private side with the assistance we got from the city council, the legislators, and the passing of these two bills.

Next, I'll look at the lead service line repair customer communications.

One of the key aspects of this program is customer communications.

This is a very complex program.

Individuals and homeowners need to be comfortable and confident in what's being done on their property, and so communication is a core issue that we must do an excellent job with.

Now we will implement a large scale communication effort later in 2026 in conjunction with our program manager.

We'll also be creating our construction procurement packages to ensure contractor accountability.

Now, this is important.

This includes both a before and after photos to ensure cleanliness and restoration of the work.

Then we'll have to have to flush out the lines or have to test and mitigate after replacement and to capture all appropriate data and update our inventory and stay in compliance with the regulations.

Now we'll talk about the water treatment.

Good news is we completed our water quality master plan.

Last month we shared that information with you.

One of the first projects we want to do is for corrosion control pilot test in Algiers.

This was uh this was started on June 8th of this year, just recently.

Also, we're thankful to our legislative delegation, and we're very thankful to the mayor's office for championing a new state capital outlay program.

We put in an application for about $50 million over five years to fund critical projects at the water treatment plants.

$9.5 million was approved for this year, and $4.5 million was approved for future years.

The next step is for the state bond commission to authorize these funds.

We expect to be able to have the funds available for drawdown by the end of the year.

So again, we want to make sure that we thank the mayor's office and the legislative delegation and the efforts of city council in helping us to move forward in this important effort.

The first three projects identified for these funds are the upgrade to flow controllers at the Clare Barn Filter Gallery, rehabilitation of raw water intakes pipes at the Oak Street intake station, and improvements of lime storage facilities at the central water plant.

I now will turn to the important issue of hurricane preparedness.

Hurricane preparedness is well underway underway.

Just uh at the end of last month, we had our internal tabletop at the sewage and water board where we actually go through a hurricane scenarios to make sure that the different leaders and individuals understand what the roles and responsibilities are.

And I have to admit, I've been in three utilities before.

This was the most detailed and strategic and forward thinking uh tabletop experience that I've had.

I want to commend staff for the work that they did in preparing for it, because it's actual scenarios that we have to draft out beforehand and then actually go through them during the time we had together.

And I thought it was very good.

Uh later the next day, we participated in the mayor's departmental hurricane preparedness meeting, and we prepared and we also participated in the mayor's press conference that we had for hurricane preparedness.

Next issue.

We'll look at the drainage network support.

The first line of defense for us in high water situations is to have clean catch bases.

Now, at this time we have three internal crews, we have 10 contractor crews that are available after a storm passes.

We've already cleaned 6.5 miles of drain lines, over 1,500 catch bases, and we moved over 1.4 million billion pounds, I mean to say, of debris per year.

But at the same time, we have a lot of work still to do.

And to the extent the community sees trash that's in the street on the sidewalk or about to go into a catch basin, remove it.

And instead of taking a potato chip bag or a soda can and toss it into the gutter and into the catch basin, put it in the right place.

Dispose of it in a trash can in a trash bag.

That will go a long way.

But we are, as I said, making efforts and moving forward with cleaning the catch basin.

That is our first line of defense.

We're going to do our part, and we strongly express that we receive the help and commitment of the community to do their part too.

And now Caitlin will discuss the power complex.

Alright, so this is a really big moment that we get to put up on this slide that Turbine 4 has been retired after 73 years of service, and it was a hundred and nine years old at the time.

So, for those of you who have been engaging with the organization for many years, uh Turbine 4 has had a you know a lot of challenges, and we're really excited to say that going into hurricane season, we are relying on the new power complex.

So we've got a photo here on the left of turbine 4, and on the right is what the new power complex looks like with uh the three new static frequency changers.

They're with the stars over them, and those are the new modern uh pieces of equipment that we are now using on a daily basis and have been using uh also for for rain events, uh such as those that occurred this spring.

So uh we're very excited to be able to make that announcement.

Uh the new frequency changers, as a reminder, are connected to a dedicated entergy substation on our property, and what they do is they convert 60 Hz power from the transmission line from entergy to 25 hertz power, which uh many of our pumps, not all, but many of the the pumps, and particularly that the older pumps use the 25 hertz power.

We are still uh we will still keep turbine five in a backup capacity.

Uh it is presently out of service for some repairs, but we will we will make those and it will be available in a backup capacity.

We also will still have the older rotary frequency changers and uh the EMDs as a backup at this time.

So overall, we have really significantly improved the uh from a power reliability standpoint uh in the best situation we've really been in in decades, which um is very much in large part thanks to city council's efforts over the years, including uh Mayor Marino and um current CAO Drusso.

And so we're very thankful we are in a really excellent uh position going into hurricane season and very prepared, very excited to be able to formally announce that to you all today.

If you follow us on social media, and I hope that everybody does, uh, we will see that we post updates to our current pumping and power status on a regular basis.

Uh we have a page called our pumping and power dashboard, which has uh all of its information as well.

It includes the status of our drainage pump stations as well as a drainage pump station status map, uh, and it shows you the 24 pump stations and which towns of those um which areas of town are served by each station, and what sorts of pumps are each station.

So that information is available for residents at any time.

We do have, speaking of power, 93 megawatts of 25 hertz power available.

And although not shown here, we also have our 60 hertz backup turbine turbine six, which you know we were used extensively during Hurricane Ida when we were able to use that to provide continue to provide services to the community during that time.

And we are also in the final stages of bringing on turbine seven, which will be a new additional backup turbine for 60 Hertz.

On our pump status, again, this is all posted on our on our website and updated routinely as well.

We do have 87 of 93 major drainage pump stations available.

At station six, which is the largest pump station, F pump is out of service.

There's some bearing work that we're working on and hope to be able to return that in July.

At station three, and I'm sorry, 13 in Algiers.

We have two pumps out of service there.

One of them is an emergency use that we can use if needed, and the other is we're working on some repairs as well.

In at Station 14 in New Orleans East, one of three, sorry, one of four pumps are out of service, with uh the return to service there.

Um is being developed.

We're going to have to go out to bid for some motor repairs on that pump.

At station 15, one of three pumps is out of service.

We're actually replacing the discharge bells, uh, the discharge piping, not bells, different different topic, but replacing discharge piping there, so it's not a pump issue, it's it's that we're doing some capital repairs to the station overall.

And at uh station 18 or uh what we call Maxcent in the Village de Lest area.

Uh we have one of uh two pumps is available there, and we've recently installed a small temporary pump uh to assist with uh with drainage in that area.

At the Carrollton underpass, there are three permanent pumps there, which are all unfortunately inoperable.

So a term, but a temporary pump has been installed and has been and has been serving that location, but we have put out a contract to make those permanent repump repairs, which will begin later this summer, at which point we'll be able to remove the temporary pump.

Okay.

At this point, I want to discuss DPS 7, the discharge bells.

There's been a lot of discussion about it on the news recently, which we want to explain a little bit more.

The project is one that we've been highlighting for years, has a needed investment, but due to the small amount of drainage funding that we have left over for capital projects, we have not been able to address it.

While we don't want people to panic, we do want to clearly highlight the risk of what can and eventually will happen if we do not repair this piece of equipment.

This is why finding additional funding sources, which we are actively attempting to do at the federal and state level, is so very important.

At this point, I'd like to hand it over to Caitlin to go into a little bit more on the engineering detail.

Yes, so I know there's been a lot of questions about this.

I'm gonna uh do my best to explain this a little bit more detail with some graphics, which I hope will be helpful here.

So we have a couple of graphics on this slide, and the one on the right is actually one of the patent drawings for the original uh what are called the wood screw pumps.

Uh, these were designed and patented by a surgeon one board engineer, uh Baldwin Wood.

They were very revolutionary at the time and were the most advanced low lift drainage pumps in the 20th, early 20th century and have been used across the world.

So they they work on the principle of a siphon, which reduces ultimately reduces the amount of energy that you need to move the water from a lower elevation to a higher elevation.

And the siphon uh allows allows that water to to make that change in elevation.

And so for us that means pumping uh the water out from the drainage canals, uh over levees, in this case at station 7 into uh the Orleans Avenue Canal, and ultimately into the lake.

So to make that siphon, both ends of the pipe do have to be submerged in water.

So when there is corrosion, which is what you can see uh on the steel piping on the right, I'm sorry, the photo on the right, the left, the left, um, there is less metal that can be covered by the water.

So as this metal corrodes, there is a higher chance of not being able to be fully covered and not being able to be able to make that siphon that is needed for the pump to fully operate.

Excuse me.

So this the photo that you see was taken in 2012 when the core dewatered the canal.

We did again inspect this phone do an underwater inspection in 2017.

And this year we are coordinating with the flood protection authority to dewater the canal again, which of course will be weather permitting, so that we can see the current extent of the corrosion.

I do want to be clear that we are not currently having any issues running this pumps.

We would be able to gradually observe that and see and gradually observe those issues with the operation of the pumps themselves.

And while we don't expect all of the pumps to not be in service at the same time, replacement of these discharge bells, which are you know custom sizes, they're between 14 and 20 feet wide, as you can see here.

They're kind of an odd-shaped size.

Uh, this is a really necessary capital project.

And it's not, it's the DPS 7 is the most pronounced, and it is the one where you have the you know the best photos to illustrate the issue, but this is a similar design in other stations, including um stations one, two, three, four, five, and six as well.

So some of those locations lend themselves more to being able to uh see that um or inspect them underground, um, sorry, underwater, uh, others, others are less so.

But we do have a conceptual design to replace these steel discharge bells, which is uh what we estimate is a current cost estimate of between 12 and 15 million dollars.

This is a very complicated project because the steel structures are, you know, these uh kind of come custom varying shapes, uh varying sizes between 14 and 20 feet.

You have to dewater the canal, and there's also structural considerations for the building since the steel is actually built into the wall of the pump station.

And then there's the the cost of replacing them.

So this is about a six-month process for each one, and would require significant coordination with the core and the levee district.

Uh there's cranes, there's dewatering, um, there's a lot of effort to be done here.

So, you know, we wanted to bring this um again to this to this body and um you know just continue to discuss the importance of finding additional funding uh for our system.

Right.

Do my notes.

Okay.

I'll go on to the industrial canal.

I'll give you a sewer brick update.

As you know, the 54-inch sewer force may was damaged April 17th.

We are in the process of removing concrete and locating and making repairs to the damaged pipe.

Uh it's about a 30-foot section of pipe that is damaged.

Uh we no longer have any sewer discharge into canal.

That's good news.

Uh the recreational advisory has been lifted.

Nevertheless, the Florida Avenue Bridge remains closed at this time.

And I'll allow Caitlin to add any additional information that we have.

Yeah, just this is you know a complicated um and challenging uh project to do.

You know, when you have a pipe, such a large pipe underwater, uh, you know, there's limitations on how long someone can work underwater depending on what depth.

And so, you know, I certainly understand the you know any concerns around the ongoing nature.

We are looking forward to getting this wrapped up.

Uh, but we do think this will continue to be a multi-month process at this point.

All right, and an update on the Dwyer Canal.

We are continuing to make progress on the uh this the die testing and the point repairs that we spoke of last time.

We have uh last time I was able to report that we had completed all of the repairs on Galahad Street.

Uh I'm also pleased to report that we have completed the repairs that we identified on Bonita Street, and as of yesterday, also completed all of the repairs on lower line.

So instead of orange, that should now be green.

So that was an update as of yesterday.

Uh we have run into some excuse some challenges with the dye testing on those remaining streets.

Uh the rain uh does make that difficult to do as we're working in the stormwater system, but we will we are continuing to make this a priority, and um we hope to be able to make some additional progress on Charlene Street this week, and then move on to Arthur and Citrus.

And we are also getting quotes from a contractor to replace the suction lines at the Castle Manor pump station, which is at Gwane Street, and that will allow us to remove the temporary pump that has been at that location and be able to not have to reel on a temporary pump there.

So we are continuing to make progress, but this time still recommend to that you know residents are not contacting of that water in the Dwyer Canal based on you know what we ongoing issues in the canal.

As requested last month, uh we are also developing a new website that will have this information as well as ongoing, you know, ongoing updates that we've shared here with the council, not just on Dwyer, but also in the industrial canal, as well as the pilot project that we had spoken of last month, and just generally looking at our website overall, finding where there may be opportunities to add additional communication for the residents.

So I'm hopeful that we will be able to get that up within the next couple of weeks and have that information uh available for the public.

We also spoke last month about communications and outreach regarding what can and cannot be flushed, and we have recently uh flushed down you know your pipes, and so we've recently done some more social media updates around that.

Um fats, oil, and greases, or otherwise known as fog, include every day, everyday you know, cooking materials such as cooking oil, fats and greases, butters, you know, large sauces.

Uh, when these substances are poured down sinks, they can cool, harden, and stick to pipes, which cause buildup and blockage over time.

It's gonna cause clog drains, backup, uh overflows, and increased maintenance cost in general.

Uh, we also discussed that the flushable wipes are not flushable as they will also cause backups in our system.

So we have done some additional outreach uh on uh social media, and that's part of the website campaign that we're working on is to update that information to make that a little bit more visible and readily present on the website.

It is there, but you can have to dig for it a little bit, and so we want to bring that closer to folks for more readily accessible information.

If I may, I want to just add in and put an exclamation point on it.

If you cook bats, oils in Greece, if it's a restaurant or at home, you have to dispose of them properly.

You cannot simply put them down the drain or into the sewer system.

Uh they'll clog up the system.

If you've never seen it before, it's amazing how it's liquid concrete in the pipe.

It really clogs up the entire system.

So we have to be careful with that.

And I want to also stress stress that the uh flushable wipes aren't truly flushable.

In the sewer system, there's a grate that comes up and pulls waste and materials out from the water.

And I've seen it where it has, and there's pictures on the internet where it has the debris and the flushable wipes entangled in it, and it stops the efficiency of that piece of equipment, and it can damage the piece of equipment.

So it seems like a minor issue, but it has major consequences.

So I stress that people pay attention to the again the flushable wipes, and they pay attention to the fat soils and grease in the industry we call it fog.

So we want to eliminate that from the system.

Thank you.

Yeah, and just um do want to note that our environmental affairs team does really excellent outreach on this topic, and so I know that they go out to a lot of different community meetings and and you know, events and uh that we're invited to.

So we do a lot of outreach uh when we when we go to those uh those events on this specific issue as well as others, and we have a lot of good materials, but we want to get those, you know, more readily available online as well.

All right, and I think last but again not least, this is an update on the Arata Street sewer main relocation.

Uh you know, this was a topic of concern in our last meeting regarding the traffic detour and the traffic impacts.

Uh, since that time, we met with representatives of Bike Easy to help redesign the bike tour, uh, as well as have just redone the detour in general.

So the map that you're seeing here on the screen is the current detour, which is the uh what we're calling uh the phase one detour, which would be May through summer 20 May through the summer, and then um we will do a second detour um from this fall to uh early spring of next year.

So again, we're splitting this into phases to reduce the impacts on traffic.

Uh the crews are working 7 a.m.

to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Uh it does seem to be working generally well uh at this point and um have received some good feedback from that collaboration with Bike Easy.

So we appreciate the community's engagement with us on that topic.

I think that concludes our presentation for today.

Well, thank you very much.

Councilmember King is working on us.

Thank you, Councilmember Council President, Councilmember.

You know, from your lips to God's.

Thank you, man.

Uh thank you for your presentation, especially about the French quarter transmission main project.

Um, welcome this morning, ran into some um business owners and NOPD officers who raised concern about Wilkerson Street being closed.

Um that is a the street between charters and decatur.

It aren't allowing the parking on a street, and and you have a number of restaurants, um, residents and businesses who were just confused as to why that block where there is no construction on this closed.

So if you don't have that answer, readily available right now.

Can you please just send me an email?

So I have to relay that to the first quarter.

Unless you have an answer right now, we can follow up if you all know.

I want to be clear.

I want to say thank you to the community for being patient and and also working with us.

I've been at different meetings in the French Quarter, and I understand the frustration, but they also have been understanding and trying to give us some advice to the extent that we can get out of the way and that the businesses get back to doing what they do.

We want to do that as quickly as possible.

So if there's a way to ameliorate the situation, we'll do as quickly as we can.

Thank you.

Councilmember McCarron is working on us.

Thank you, Chairman Hughes.

Uh, thank you, Surgeon Water Board for being here today.

I want to go back to the pump and bell situation.

Um, okay.

You you said that it has been inspected since 2012, or it has not.

In 2017, there was an underwater inspection that was done.

Uh those are kind of difficult comparisons to draw between the two since one was more visual and and you know one was underwater.

So that's why we feel it's really important to go do another inspection so we can see what's changed since then.

And what were the results of that 2017 study of it?

Yeah, basically confirming you know what we what you can see in that photo, but again, it's um difficult to make those comparisons as you know there's not necessarily measurements taken in 2012, uh, and it's difficult to do that in underwater setting, uh, which is why we need to just dewater it again.

So then in 2017 we had that big flood in half of the city, and we knew at that point that this was an issue, and uh obviously the power plant was number one priority, but we we basically haven't done anything since then to solve these issues on the bells.

Yeah, we in a you know financially it's just not been uh a practical thing for us to do at this point based on the the limited cap hole that we have on an on an annual basis.

So what is the plan now?

Like what is the timeline for figuring out?

I mean, look, I know we have a lot of priorities with sewage and water board, but at what point are we like understanding that you know, I'm reading the article that severe consequences for residents unlucky enough to be located close to whatever piece happens to break.

I mean, if that is not like a number one priority since we've gotten the power station situation solved, then I don't know what else is.

Do we have a timeline on when we're gonna do another detailed inspection and figure out like what these costs are and how we can help advocate?

Yeah, so again, we'll be doing that inspection uh this summer again, uh weather permitting, and we'll have some more information and we'll be able to uh assess, you know, necessary timeline at the point.

Again, and I I hate to harp on the funding, but that is our challenge there a moment, but look forward to working with you all.

And how much is it costs to have a detailed inspection done for all for all of them?

Because I know that there are issues at the other other pumps as well.

Yeah, and so in terms of assessing the the discharge bells of the location, uh that is uh you know a manageable cost from uh either a dewatering or an underwater inspection, and so that is something uh that we can do this year, uh, to be able to get uh a handle on everything.

I hear the urgency and your concern, and as the executive director, I feel it too.

We all feel it, we live here.

Um, but I want to be clear, and I know I sound redundant, but the need for money does not go away for funding does not go away, is in front of us every day that we operate.

We only have about three million dollars for water, wastewater, and sewer, and so that's a limited amount, and these projects are much more than that.

And so that's why I have an obligation to continue beating the drum trying to get money at the federal level and all.

And then what are we doing?

We did develop a water master plan, and that's the first thing you have to do.

You have to be strategic and know what it is that needs repair, and it is very large.

It's two billion dollars.

Okay, and so that too, we need to receive funding.

And the truth of the matter is someone who's been in water for over 25 years, is the fact that there's a number of projects that are critical that for for failure to do A, you won't be able to do B.

And this is one of them, but there's also other aspects that need to be done, or we would have a situation, and the GSO general superintendent is doing a good job of prioritizing those and addressing those, even in the short time that she's been in her in her position.

I want to stress too, and I think I said this before at the last meeting, that the water industry and the water arena is evaluating water and looking at a different way.

We used to kick the can down the road, they used to say let's just repair it and go on.

Now they're admitting in the AWWA report that to fix the water system across the country is about two trillion dollars.

So we're not alone.

There is a sound of a drum in Washington, I think, that there's a need to address this, and we're gonna continue to push.

But the truth of the matter is we can't simply say let's stop and fix this project.

There are others too that we have to look at together as we prioritize, because any one of them could have substantial consequences.

Yeah, and I hear you, and I know I and I realize look that you guys are new to Sujan Water Board, and a lot of these issues obviously have been maintenance that hasn't happened over time.

Just a lack of, you know, I think somebody in the in the quote uh says that you know this is sewage and water board world where we do things backwards that we fix things when it breaks instead of maintenance.

And so, you know, I am imploring you all to figure out a way to change that because now we're at a point where we haven't done it, and now we need you know, billions of dollars to fix these things, and every single one is a priority, but we've got to be able to figure out together what are the like top three priorities that we have to get funding for and we have to do in order for our our entire city to still run.

And I get that there's probably a list of like 15, but I think you know, this council has asked many times for you guys to give us your top five so we can help you figure out how we move forward and how we get funding, and what needs to be the priority as far as you know, if we need you know two million dollars to do a uh underwater review of all of these pumps, then like we got to figure it out.

So we have a uh a basis point of saying all right, this is what it looks like, and this is what it's gonna take to fix it.

I agree with you.

The bones of the answer to what you're asking for is in the water master plan that we've recently completed.

So a lot of work has been done to go in that direction to develop the answer, and we can go back to it and come back at a later time with the top three, the top five, and go forward.

But again, I I just want to be honest as a water professional, that I can give you five, but there could be others or a combination of others that would also have consequences, and so again, we just have to be the best professionals we can to evaluate it and and address them as as quickly and uh as efficiently as we can.

But thank you.

Great, thank you.

Council member green is recognized.

Thank you, Chairman.

Um, I want to start off with a couple of good notes.

I want to um thank you for the community meetings that you're having.

I've had a chance to attend both of them, and I will attend more than um more than my share because I have certainly issues in my district that people bring up all the time.

But I want to hear what people are saying in other places.

So I do want to thank you for having those meetings.

I want to encourage the public to attend those meetings in even larger numbers.

There are many more comments on next door and Facebook than there are people who have been showing up.

But I've been sharing that information.

I want to encourage people to um participate by coming to those meetings.

I also want to encourage you all to recognize a little challenging thing.

We want to hear from as many people as possible.

But there are sometimes people who go to meetings, and their intent is to come invent, as we saw maybe at the last meeting, and they spend too much time.

Do whatever you can to maybe have the questions be direct, have the cards in.

Because we had some people leave the meeting at Milney because unfortunately, one or two people were giving 10 to 15 minutes each to talk about issues that weren't relevant to the sewage and water board.

They were talking about streets issues or other issues of lighting, and I understand your courtesy and you want to re reach out to the public, but those who attend really have a desire to find out more about what's going on relative to the sewage and water board.

Thank you.

You know what I'm saying?

I want to bring up just a couple of things with you.

Your work crews, I want to thank them.

We always gonna have issues, but I'm gonna tell you the work that's being done in the Lake Vista community, um, in the midst of all of that smell and all of that um sewerage and the like is appreciated.

Please tell them that was something that is on my mind because I've seen it.

I see the gigantic hole, I see the big hole in the pipe.

But what people don't see is the raw nature of the sewers that flows from those pipes.

Thank you for that work.

Um, two things I want to ask these meetings are a good opportunity for me to get in at least one priority concern.

I want to ask you for two.

Um, North Durge Noir and Louisa Street.

Very specific.

The Morris Jeff School has um taken over a playground there.

There used to be a school locket school, and at that corner, there you can hear rushing water under the ground.

There are children playing there now.

There's a woman who has built a new home there for she and her four children, and there's a church there, and there's a gigantic hole, and you can hear the water.

I'm asking you to prioritize that one for safety's sake, and also because that community of the ninth board deserts a little bit more.

And a second concern is I want to ask you a specific address.

3600 Desire Parkway.

Councilman Hughes is going to be familiar with it.

He received a call from it for some reason.

The person who called him didn't know that the desire community included my district, but I certainly am pleased to address any concerns that happened as they happen.

We have a situation there where there is a one water main that connects to a medical facility, a gym, and a school.

And because of a non-payment of a bill, someone was sent out to that particular location on yesterday and said that they couldn't find the meter.

Couldn't find the meter.

That's a brave concern because each of those entities receives a separate bill, but in order for him to turn off the water, he turned off the water specifically to three institutions by cutting it off at one location.

Clearly, we can't have that happen.

But I will be fair and give you a backdrop of information that I've been told that for five years, someone has been receiving a bill which was for sprinkler and fire suppression and didn't know that it wasn't the water bill.

So somebody has been receiving something.

I'm asking you to clarify and make sure that that does not happen again, that the water bill goes to the right person.

And um, it's important because it's across the street from where Gail and Tom Benson are going to be doing a school that's gonna also be on that water main.

I want to make sure that everyone knows where their meter is, and if we have to dig up to find out where it is, that we dig up to find it out so that we never have a situation where multiple institutions like that that are public institutions are cut off all at once.

It was cut back on.

Councilman Hughes received the call.

He was able to get in contact with Mr.

Nelson.

I was making that same call after the person find out found out that I was the council member for that district.

That issue got resolved in terms of the water being back on, but the fundamental issue has not been addressed.

Where is the meter for 3600 Desire street so that it can be read and that it can be given that it could be accurate bills given?

But I thank you all for the work that you're doing.

Thank you for prioritizing those two matters.

These opportunities are good to get a couple of things done each month.

But I do want you to go, I'm gonna go out of my way and be repetitious.

Please tell the people that I see them in the sewer, I see them in the heat, I see them in the rain.

The work crews need to be given as much recognition as possible.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And I will send out an email so they are they know if you're addressing them and thanking them.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

And I think you can let them know we all echo that sentiment.

So please send our thanks on behalf of the entire council.

Uh Council Vice President Willard is recognized.

Thank you, Chairman Hughes.

Um, few few issues that I want to run through the Decatur Street transmission main project.

Um obviously big concern for the city because it's really crippling economic activity.

Um we saw another black owned restaurant this week announce its closure.

Um wanted to know um apparently there's a sign I believe on St.

Philip Street that says uh the closure will last through September of 27.

Are you all familiar with that sign?

It should be September 26.

Yeah, so last I heard it said September 27, which was obviously um creating more panic uh for residents and and business owners down there.

My my request would be to get that sign um replaced as soon as possible.

Um and then anything you can do to accelerate that timeline.

Um, our businesses in the quarter are suffering enough, so whatever council member King needs to bring this project to a close, I'm there to support it.

But I just want to reiterate the urgency of wrapping that up.

Um the next thing I wanted to go through was on the hurricane readiness slide.

Um you talk about renting backup power.

I wanted to know if that's kind of standard operating procedure for sewage and water board as we approach hurricane season.

It is, and so um, is that on demand or is that something that we just rent and if we don't need it, we it's a sunk in cost.

So there's a couple of different uh ways that we'll go about that.

And so uh we do uh in the past have rented a number of temporary generators uh for you know uh uh four to six months period during peak hurricane season.

Uh those uh can and have supported us during larger scale power outages, primarily at the sewer pump stations.

And so the you know the sewer pump stations are obviously very critical.

Uh many of them do not have uh backup generators.

There are you know 82 of them, 83 across the city, and so uh in the past we have done that.

We have recently purchased a number that we will have now in our in our permanent possession that we can deploy for those instances.

Uh and there's other facilities that uh you know we know are vulnerable to power outages, and so we will rent uh we will rent generators during that time.

Uh certainly the Carrollton underpass is uh is one that we we have around the clock at this point due to the important nature of that.

Uh, but we'll back up again some sewer pump stations and a couple of the pump stations in New Orleans East where we have we do have permanent generators, but they are not in the best condition, and so we have rented those uh for those pump stations as well.

So it is um, you know, we're we're balancing those costs, but know that that's an incredibly important action for us to take is to have those resources available.

Okay.

Um, the Carrollton underpass three pumps inoperable, you have one temporary pump in place.

Is that enough power to deal with that underpass?

Because that's hard rain.

I mean, that's one of the spots in the city that you can bet will flood.

Yeah, I think we have uh we did see one issue on uh May 25th that day that we had quite a bit of rain that morning.

Uh the the pump actually was not operable and the uh the temporary pump.

Temporary pump was not operable and the the underpass was uh impassable for several hours.

But we got another temporary pump in there, and we're eventually able to replace the larger one.

So I guess my point is saying that we have um seen the temporary pump work really well, uh, but we've also, you know, it can sometimes can have challenges.

But when it's when it's working, it's in good order, and we've been able to keep up with it.

And I think you said the repairs to those three pumps will take place place this summer.

Is that when the contract goes out, or is that when the work starts?

That'll be in the work starts.

The contract has already been bid and awarded, and we're working with the contractor to order that equipment that they need in advance.

Okay.

Any idea how long it'll take to fix those?

Uh I will I will confirm that and get back with you.

It will be a several month process.

Okay.

Um your drainage network support.

I want to thank y'all for transparency.

I mean, last meeting we heard that there were like 50 million pounds of sewerage dumped into the industrial canal.

On this slide, we say we've removed 1.4 million pounds of debris.

That's just this year from our drainage systems.

Is that is that average?

So I think last year we had over 10 million pounds that we removed over the course of the year, and so we feel that we're on track to get that same amount.

Any idea how much of that is tied to like litter?

It's not necessarily being quantified in that way, but that's a good question, and it's something that we can ask to see if there's some any qualitative observations from our team.

Okay.

Yep.

Just curious.

I mean, if if you guys can put any type of quantity on that, please let me know.

Um, so heading into the hurricane season, we have 87 of 93 pumps available.

Um, are we expecting those other six pumps to stay offline as we go through hurricane season?

I mean, I know you got three of them tied to the canal.

I mean the Carrollton underpass.

Are we expecting those six to remain offline?

Well, so at two of those, um, a DPS six, one of those will be coming, uh, I'm sorry, the one pump that is out of service, we anticipate being able to put back in service in July.

Uh at 13, uh one of those is emergency use, the other um is still gonna take some time.

Um, I'm hopeful that we'll be ready for peak hurricane season.

Uh, I need to get a better timeline on that, and then at station 15, uh, one of those will come back into service very quickly.

Okay.

That emergency use pump, is that um it's toward its life end of its lifeline or it it can be run in the same, but we just don't use it very often.

Um, we would be concerned that there could be additional damage, but if we need to use it, we'll use it.

Gotcha.

Um, uh discharge bells.

You said that um other pump um other pump stations have these dish discharge bells.

Uh any indication that any of the other stations have severe corrosion?

The the one other station that we've been able to do an inspection on, which was also done in 2017 was at station five.

So there was an underwater inspection that did indicate uh you know some matter of corrosion, and the challenge with that is um you know lack of measurements and uh where's station pump.

Um I'm sorry, station five happen is um in the lower ninth ward, so it's on the east side of industrial canal.

Uh and so that uh is the same situation where the pump uh sorry the the pumps discharge into an open basin that you can easily put um you can easily access through underwater divers.

That is less easy to dewater that to be able to see that physically.

Uh there is also a very high level conceptual design uh for that location as well.

Uh but we need to reinspect that location similarly to these others.

So it is it's not just a problem at DPS 7.

Uh, this is the one that we have the most striking visual, you know, observation of.

Uh just going back to that, we you know, you know, these were all put into similar uh service in similar time.

I think uh 1913, and then again in the the 1950s, and so they've certainly done us a large service for a long time.

Um what can we expect if it if it just totally breaks down?

What happens in that situation?

And are we at a point where you guys are concerned that that could occur?

So at station seven, um, so kind of going back to the the principle of the operation of the pump, which is based on uh a suction, and so uh both ends.

Uh you can see on the diagram uh the suction bells were which are in the canal basin, uh, and then it goes up through an impeller, which is uh mounted horizontally and is rotating, and that's pushing the water into the higher side, in this case the lake side.

Um both of those uh ends of the uh pipe have to be submerged, and so uh the the concern would be continued deterioration of the touch the water.

Yeah, that's so then it would just not be submerged and would not be able to make a suction.

Uh again, I think we would I know we would be able to observe that with the operation of the pump.

It you know wouldn't be operating as we would expect it to, and so we would have some indication.

Uh the corrosion is not necessarily even across those, but that is that's why it's important for us to be able to identify these and and others is a high priority and seek those funding.

And right now you don't have any um funding identified to fix the one at station seven just just for the assessment?

No, for the assessment, we certainly can do that, um, but in terms of the 12 to 15 million dollars to make that repair.

Uh no, that is not something we have at this time.

Is that for both of those bells on each side, or is that per bell?

That is uh there's actually three pumps at that station, only two are shown here, the other one is off to the side, and that is for all three of those.

Okay, all right.

Um, industrial canal, last time we talked about water quality in the lake.

Um, have you guys done any recent testing or any other agency done testing in the lake related to the water quality?

Yes, so the Ponchatrain Conservancy continues to uh monitor water quality conditions weekly at uh Seaberk Harbor, and um no issues to my awareness.

Okay.

Uh last question, saw in the news recently that um some New Orleanians are having issues with property damage uh as a result of um sewage and waterboard cruise.

Uh I've received a couple of emails to my office.

Um you want to say on on those issues.

I mean, I think everybody's seeing the lady with the fence.

Um, well, I would say this, I don't know specifically the the issues, but I will say this to the extent that any customer is affected by the work of the sewage and water board, they should contact us.

We have a uh risk uh department and a claims department, and we're more than happy to get their information to evaluate it and to work with them.

Okay, um, well, I might jump in to help with some of those, the ones that have come to my office.

Okay, all right.

All right, thank you guys.

Appreciate it.

Thank you, Mr.

Vice President.

Um, orders clear.

Uh I do have several uh questions, so bear with me.

Um, let me start with Senate Bill 268, Mr.

Executive Director.

You uh tolered the passage of that bill and and certainly appreciate that.

Um, you know, I've been riding in legislation for the past 22 years, and in a former life I actually passed bills.

Um I'm a little perplexed when I read um Senate Bill 268 last week after I was contacted by a reporter, and um some of the onus is put on the municipal water system, but there are some clear mandates that are put on the municipality.

For example, the noticing requirements, um, if the water system is gonna go on the property, the noticing requirements, the onus is on the municipality.

The problem here in New Orleans is we don't govern the municipal water system, we don't govern sewage and water board.

So tell me how is that gonna work?

Um, have you all started coordinating with the city to make sure they are no hiccups, or are we gonna kind of get there and it's just gonna be a oops moment?

What's our plan to ensure that we're complying with the law?

I'm just a little perplexed that nobody caught that.

Um we probably could have cleaned that up a little bit.

Okay, but at this point, we're gonna be working with our legal department to work with the city to see what's the best way for us to develop proper protocols to go forward to the extent there's any confusion or a need for a correction, we'll address that.

Yeah, I think it's on track, quite frankly, to be a disaster, being that we have to notify residents by certified mail.

Um, and we don't even, you know, control the accounts and things like that.

So let me just give you a heads up.

It's gonna require some major, major coordination, and I would implore you all uh to begin figuring that out now.

Um let me shift now to the 4800 block of Coronado.

I sent you all corresponded yesterday.

Um this is from a resident um that uh has been dealing with this issue for nine months.

Um I did see a crew out this morning uh when I passed by.

Uh I did go see it for myself yesterday.

Uh I would like that addressed with a great sense of urgency.

Uh I can't tell you the number of emails I get with a very lengthy paper trail of residents that have been reaching out on issues 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, still not resolved.

So 4800 block of Coronado, I'd like that addressed, and I'd like you all to report back to me uh within the next 24 hours.

Um the 1400 block of Charbonnet Street.

This is the rising sun senior living facility.

Are you all familiar with that?

Had a chance to go there yesterday.

Street torn up, looks like a third world country, it's wreaking of raw sewage.

So, what is the plan?

This is a senior living facility uh where we have seniors on scooters and with mobility issues, uh, can't even drive down the street, can't walk in the street.

So, what's our plan there?

What's the timeline?

Councilman, I we will look into that and get back with you as soon as possible.

Okay, I'd like you all to please get back with me today on that.

Um Florida Avenue Bridge.

Um, Madam General Superintendent, um, you said within the next couple weeks, this is where I get a little frustrated, um, and this is where we continue to lose trust with the residents, right?

Uh everybody wants more money, they want residents to put more skin in the game, but residents don't have a lot of trust.

And this is what we've traditionally done in the city of New Orleans.

Lincoln Beach is a good example, right?

We looked the residents in the eye and we promised them a beach many years ago.

Then we said, nope, you're not gonna get a beach this year, you'll get it in 24.

Then we said, nope, you're not gonna get it in 24, you'll get it in 25.

Then we said, nope, you're not gonna get in 25, you'll get it in 26.

Now we're saying, nope, you're not gonna get in 26, you'll get in 27.

So eventually the residents just lose hope, right?

When I give my team deliverables, I give them finite deadlines.

So when we say the next couple weeks, is that one week, is that two weeks, is that six weeks, is that eight weeks?

Because the residents are frustrated, um, it has become too damn hard to live in this city, and everything takes too long.

It's too slow.

You know, yesterday I had a staff meeting, right?

And you know what one of my staff members told me?

They said, Councilmember, your expectations are just unrealistic.

And rarely am I lost for words, but I was speechless in that moment.

Took a deep breath.

I say, Well, what do you mean?

They say, Well, you know, you you want to move with a sense of urgency, but that's just not the way things are done in the city of New Orleans.

I say, Well, maybe it's time for us to set a new standard.

Okay, I said don't succumb to that behavior that has been the way we do it for the past decades.

So, I think we need to have finite timelines and be transparent with the residents and work over time to meet those timelines.

That's how we build trust.

So, Florida Avenue Bridge, tell me a finite timeline, deadline.

When is it gonna be repair?

My goal um is to have the repair done by the end of this week.

If and then restoration would need to proceed after that, and so if that changes, we'll absolutely let you know.

Okay.

All right, um.

Mr.

Executive Director, you know, we live now in a very visual society, so I think you probably need to come up with some creative video so residents can see like if you pour grease down the drain, um, you know, this is what happens, right?

I think when a resident has a visual, it might hit home a little better.

And then, you know, with the flushable wipes, I hear what you're saying, loud and clear, and I learned that you know from you at the last meeting, um, that that this is detrimental to our water system.

Here's the problem.

When you go in the Costco, you got a big display of flushable wipes, right?

When you go in grocery stores, Walmart, Target, you got a big display of flushable wipes, and God forbid you put them on sale.

So what are the residents gonna do?

They're gonna flock to them.

So I think we're gonna have to work with our retailers, right?

I I know they're in the business to make money, but if if it floods around Costco, they're impacted by this too.

So I think we're gonna have to think outside the box on this one if we know that our water system is very delicate, very fragile, and we're gonna have to educate our retailers now, and you know, in a in a free enterprise economy, they can do what they want to do, but I do think we're gonna have to uh educate them.

Um I know you all are pressed for money.

Um, have you all thought about uh furloughs uh within the sewage and water board, or is that off the table?

Maybe that'll be a good way to help you all get some money.

It's not off the table, but we have to look at what we have and what we need to do, and how many employees we need to do the job.

Uh we have little money, and we also have a relatively small workforce for the amount of work that we do that's required to protect the health and safety of this community.

But nothing is off the table as far as reviewing and evaluating, uh, but at this juncture, um, for the amount of work that we need to do and the vacancies that we have, I think it's important that we keep the staff that we have.

Yeah, well, um I asked about furloughs in quarter one, and um, you know, the city has instituted furloughs, um, and there are creative ways that you can do that.

Uh the women and men that are on the streets probably not making a lot of money up in the sun in the rain up.

I wouldn't want to furlough them.

Um, but when I requested data of those making a hundred thousand dollars or more, um, quite a quite a bit of people.

So I think you can look at this as a tiered system, but you know, my grandmother used to say sometimes people come and cry hungry with a loaf of bread in their hand.

And so I just want to make sure that that we're looking at this in the big grand scheme of things and and we're being creative um in these challenging financial times.

The reality is everybody's looking for money.

And the reality is, you know, we're not gonna be able to solve these problems on the backs of our taxpaying residents.

Okay.

Let me talk about this weekend.

Um I have been in the city of New Orleans for every hurricane since Katrina.

Okay, and as long as I'm a public servant, I'll never leave.

So I've seen a lot of rain events.

Um, I saw when Hurricane Crystal Ball stalled over New Orleans.

I saw when Zeta, Ida stalled over New Orleans.

But this weekend, I didn't really consider that a major rain event.

But I was just blown away at the amount of flooding in New Orleans East that we have not had for major rain events, okay.

Um major thoroughfares were flooded, crowder bullet read, um residential streets were flooded.

So so tell me what what caused that sheer amount of flooding.

Something had to break down, or I don't know, if catch basins are not being clean, but there's an issue because I've lived in that community for four decades, and I have not seen that amount of flooding since May 8, 1995.

Yeah, I was similarly and you know, surprised to hear that from you, just based on the you know the amount of the total amount of rain.

Um certainly when you have a very high-intense rain event, which it's on, you know, there which did happen um over the weekend uh in that part of town, uh the streets and the catch basins can become overwhelmed.

Uh even a uh, you know, a perfectly uh a catch basin in an excellent working order, um, it still acts as a funnel.

And so um a funnel, you know, going into a a canal or smaller drain line.

And so when you have a a um can have a high intensity rain event where there's water that's going to be in the street, it can take some time to drain off the street.

And that's um what I believe happened in this instance.

Uh we did identify um at Reed and Chef there was some uh some something unusual there related to um I think uh nearby, you know, recent development in a wooded area, and so there was some flooding in the streets and neighborhood streets, which did go down uh fairly quickly, I think within a matter of hours, and we have since gone out to clean those catch basins um and make sure there's no uh any issues there.

So I think that there is uh an expanded catch basin review that needs to be done along Reed and Crowder.

Well, I will say I am terrified as we go in the hurricane season, especially you know, in an El Nino pattern where we know that we're more at risk for wet weather.

Um if this weekend was any indication, and that was not a major rain event, in my opinion, it was not a prolonged rain event.

Uh I am absolutely terrified if we get a prolonged rain event.

Uh, and one thing that we've always celebrated in New Orleans East in particular, unlike other parts of the city, is just not a part of the city that typically floods.

So I think we need to have a keen eye on that.

In that same vein, we have cleaned 6.5 miles of drain lines and 1,506 catch basins this year.

Uh I need that put into context.

Which per what percentage of the system has actually been cleaned uh and which high flood risk areas are still waiting?

So the the risk of doing the math in my head, which I won't do that we have a total of 75,000 catch basins, so it is a relatively small percentage thus far.

Uh and I think last year we got to about 9% of total catch basins have been cleaned.

It would be our goal to do 20% in any given year.

Uh I think based on the the again the the resources that we'll have available to us this year, we will end up in about that same.

And so uh thus far we've been doing a number of you know, 311s uh have been focused on uh the Trimay area as well as Carrollton, and um we're gonna continue to focus on those areas as well as some other repeat uh 311 issues um in Algiers and the bywater, and now certainly um New Orleans East has indicated to us this weekend.

Okay.

I'd like to know who is responsible for that.

What is the full repair timeline?

But is there gonna be any accountability for the culpable party uh for causing 50 million gallons of sewage to go into the canal?

Absolutely.

We will aggressively pursue uh compensation for the damage that was done to the pipe and the and and the any cost that we in we incur.

Uh I want the board the uh council to understand and remember I am an attorney.

I'm also the former general counsel for two major water utilities for over 15 years.

I'm aware um that I will work with our with our council and we are evaluating uh next steps.

Now we have to get the actual final report, which we haven't been given yet from the Corps of Engineers.

Uh, but once we get all of the information and we would and we already already have started having meetings and all, and so we will pursue it.

Uh we will litigate it if necessary.

And it's our intention to get any and all monies that are due to us because of that break.

It was not our fault.

We did not cause it, and we need to be compensated.

Absolutely.

And I hope you all will be really, really aggressive uh in that.

Let me go back to the Florida Bridge.

Uh so the Florida Avenue Bridge remains closed.

Residents need more than ongoing.

Who owns the next step?

What work remains?

What is the reopening date?

Additionally, this weekend a resident reached out regarding the rerouted traffic that is causing major disruption and damage to our residents' homes.

We have, you know, big 18-wheelers that are now causing damage.

What are your next steps to work between agencies to reroute major commercial traffic?

And do you plan to install no truck route signage to detour these vehicles?

So we're working with D DPW to understand the responsibility for that.

Um there are signs that the uh the current signs have the truck detour down Jordan Avenue, um, but it sounds like that has been impractical uh for the larger trucks, and so they have just been going up uh Fat Stop New Avenue.

And so um, been in touch with DPW this morning and we're working on what the remedy is there.

Okay.

I would I would request that we work just with a little greater sense of urgency there.

Uh for the Dwarf Canal, the public is still being told to avoid swimming, boating, and fishing.

Uh, what specific test results or repair milestones must happen before this warning is lifted?

Yes, so we are working on those six streets, and um the those are the infrastructure issues that we've identified so far.

Uh if we do not see improvement in test results there, we will continue our inspections along additional streets.

So our goal is to complete all of the the work on those six streets by the end of June, and then we will continue um our assessment of the area.

Okay.

All right.

Um on lead service lines.

Um when will when will we begin communicating to the public and notifying the public about lead service line replacements?

Yes, so that is our um we will be doing that into your earlier point.

That will be you know our responsibility in conjunction with our you know, program management team to do that.

That's not a burden that we're you know expecting the city to take on.

So we'll be very clear around those responsibilities.

And uh right now, uh we are you know working with early learning centers and schools for those replacements.

We are in touch with those customers already, and um by the end of the year we will be putting out our larger team, our larger communication campaign.

So I understand you're actually asking for a more specific timeline on that, and I'm I'm hearing that, and we'll come back.

Yeah, I just don't know why we're waiting so long, you know, to to start giving the public a heads up, Mr.

Executive Director, as you're having these town hall meetings.

Are you starting to give the public a heads up about these led service line replacement?

Absolutely.

And I'm working with our director of communications to organize proper communications and be in the process of getting that out.

All right.

Look, um, I I appreciate and and and look, I'm rooting for y'all.

I want y'all to know that, and I want y'all to consider me a partner.

But I want you all to take note.

I want you to to look at elections, not just in Orleans Parish, right?

I want you to look at the past few election cycles and look at millages that have been on ballots across the state of Louisiana, they're failing.

They're failing in Republican parishes, they're failing in democratic parishes.

Okay.

Residents are very skeptical.

You all have a millage up for renewal next year.

I'm a little terrified because you have a very skeptical public.

The best way to to remove that skepticism is to build trust, right?

But when we have streets torn up for six months with no action, when we can't give residents specific timelines, when residents are pleading and begging for results, and all we can tell them is to be patient, that is not going to work.

So we've got to have a greater sense of urgency on rebuilding trust with our residents, and that's going to require results.

With that, we will move to public comment.

Uh Mr.

Willie Thompson.

Yes, good morning.

Thank y'all for letting me speak.

Um, this probably been going on since uh before you was in office about this border that's on Ozintele Road that's flooding at 1062 road.

Um it's continue to be in the problem.

I had pictures that have sent pictures in.

I've been to these council meetings, keep saying this, nothing being dead.

Uh my father-on-in law lived there, the eighty years old.

I just saw some pictures tell you, young man.

What we gonna do about it?

I mean, um, it's not even a long distance, but for the Cedar Pitches and to live like that is horrible.

So I'm trying to get some answers hit it down what we're gonna do.

This is Steve Nelson been knowing about this.

Everything I don't know what else to do.

All right.

Uh Mr.

Thompson, what I'm gonna do, my constituent services director is on her way down, and so we will figure out what side this is on, DPW sewage and water board will we'll coordinate and we will get on this issue for you, okay?

Thank you.

So just hang tight.

Miss Pierce is on her way down.

Okay.

Uh Rick Sinclair.

Yes, sir.

Thank you.

Um, I'm here to alert the surgeon water board because I didn't know who to alert.

Um, that four years ago, when they opened up the pumps at London Street, and it was in the newspaper that the um they were going after the contractor for not putting in the uh anodes.

I happened to see the pictures in the paper and noticed that uh it wasn't electron uh electrolysis problem, but there was a much bigger problem.

I think those pumps are suffering from something called MEC.

It's microbiologically induced corrosion.

I was backed up by um a biochemist at Tulane said the same thing.

Walked over to the pumps and uh got together with a uh young man from uh the core.

We crawled in them.

I was able to do a visual and a rudimentary inspection and confirm that there is Mick there.

Um, the bad news is if that is in one pump, it's in every pump, and it's a rare form of corrosion.

I have been in the corrosion industry for 44 years.

I have traveled the world, um, mitigating corrosion problems in China and held seminars in Dubai.

I understand um these rare forms that you don't normally see.

So it may not have been noticed by anybody here.

It's not really rare, it's more uncommon.

And uh the good news is that if that's um that these pumps can be mitigated a lot cheaper than replacing if it's gotten too sooner, but we have to treat that mix sooner.

Um, it's a complicated issue.

It's too much to go into in one and a half minutes or two minutes here.

But uh I've got a lot of information on it.

I can share that uh later on in the meeting with anybody that wants to, but if it's not addressed, you're gonna be looking at millions of dollars of replacement.

Uh, I know you just replaced a lot of thank you, sir.

What we're gonna do, sewage and water board is here, so hopefully you all can connect and talk, and you can feel free to send any information to my office.

Thank you so much.

Um, Sage Michael.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair, members of the committee for the opportunity to speak.

Um I do want to say to Surgeon Water Board New Orleans, thank you all.

Um I think there have been improvements along Dwight Canal.

Uh, have not been receiving community reports uh of large orders.

Uh and and I did observe that uh less sewage was in the canals on my pass by observations.

Yet I have um yielded my uh intensive 22-point infrastructure failure on sewage alone.

So I have allowed them the time to go do the work and bring the results back.

Um core in Washington did reach out and would like to schedule a meeting with community stakeholders in July.

And so we're scheduling that meeting.

Um, there are some tests being done and some efforts, and I do want to tell Surgeon Waterboard thank you for the work that you all been doing.

Improvements must be made.

Um I will say this as well, Mr.

Chair and members, I echo all your concerns.

Um, every one of you all, and thank you all for speaking for no roster and advocating for our communities as strong as you can.

Um, I believe we must look at management as well as funding.

See, we have a I believe there must be uh more of a management incident communication issue than money that was spoken about a little while ago.

Things are deferred for too long.

Um, I and I will say that we need to be more engaged with sewage and water board at all levels.

There is a pump subcommittee created from the last legislation, which the mayor created executive order and some things will be happening in that subcommittee.

Uh it's a public meeting.

I look forward to engaging with that subcommittee, that pump subcommittee is an acronym for it.

Well, what I would like to know how that pump subcommittee will work with existing governance models.

I attended uh uh a governance meeting to the committee meeting today.

There's a finance and administrative committee meeting tomorrow, and I did attend the board of directors of Surgeon Water Board meeting a couple of weeks ago.

So I'm doing my best as a community member attending the board member meetings, and we need to thank you very much.

Um appreciate it.

The board is clear uh for the public's benefit at the July meeting.

Uh sewerage and water board will of course be on the agenda.

Public works will be here on the agenda, uh, and Lincoln Beach will also be on the agenda for the public's benefit.

Uh with that, Councilmember McCarron moves that we adjourn, second by councilmember King.

We stand adjourned.

Thank you very much.

Are you?