NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Officials with the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans say they were prepared for Saturday’s rain event. That is until one of their turbines failed.
Turbine 4 going offline exasperated the conditions because one of their other turbines, Turbine 5, was already offline because of a mechanical issue.
With both turbines offline, SWBNO Interim General Superintendent Ron Spooner explained there wasn’t enough power to distribute to all the pumps.
“It is a mechanical issue associated with Turbine 4,” Spooner said. “We’re looking at the data, going through that. Once we get it broken down, disassembled, into the shop, we’ll get further information on what’s the cause.”
According to a spokeswoman for SWBNO, Turbine 4 was built in 1915, and Turbine 5 was built in 1958.
Some who live on S. Tonti Street in the Broadmoor neighborhood now have car troubles, from mechanical issues to mildew, after being partially submerged in flood water.
“I pulled up the night before it really flooded and parked the car right there,” said Harry Carlson, who lives on S. Tonti Street. “Car’s fine. Had to put a bunch of kitty litter and those little rabbit pellets in there to keep it dry, but still a little mildewy.”
Spooner says crews are working around the clock to get Turbine 4 back online, and Turbine 5 is expected to start operating again in five to 10 days. Until then, the Sewerage and Water Board is using frequency converters and three backup generators to distribute power among the affected drainage pumping stations.
In the long-term, construction is underway at their West Power Station to counteract an aging system.
“Composed of two parts, one you see right behind me with the steel structures, that is our electrical substation where we will acquire energy, electricity from Entergy New Orleans’ transmission grid, right as you see there,” Spooner explained. “So, the substation is one part of the West Power Complex, and the second part is really a new backup power plant.”
Although these plans may come as good news for customers, some say it would have been helpful if they received a notification from the city, letting them know of the flood risk.
“I know they’re doing their job, but just maybe do it a little better,” Carlson said. “I don’t know. I don’t work for the Sewerage and Water Board. I think they could have done a better job, again, just notifying people about what was going to happen.”
Spooner says the Sewerage and Water Board does work hand in hand with NOHSEP, but he isn’t sure why a notification wasn’t sent out.
The answer may be revealed Wednesday because SWBNO was asked to present at the New Orleans City Council’s committee meeting.
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