METAIRIE – Jefferson Parish President Mike Yenni said last week's cold snap strained the Jefferson Parish Water System pipes, prompting 82 point repairs in three days.
"We normally do six to eight point repairs a day," he said Friday Jan. 19. "This was an unprecedented event – we've never had this much cold weather."
On Thursday, Jan. 18, low water pressure from water line breaks resulted in toilets not flushing at several buildings in Jefferson Parish, including the Louis Armstrong Airport, Eustis Office Building on Veterans Avenue, Lakeside Mall and two Ochsner Medical Center locations. The airport scrambled to bring in portable restrooms for passengers and staff.
The parish also issued the first parish boil water advisory since Hurricane Katrina.
On Friday morning, water pressure had returned to normal. As of noon Saturday, Jan 20, the boil water advisory for the Eastbank of Jefferson Parish was lifted.
Yenni said Friday there were reports of low water pressure across neighborhoods in Jefferson Parish.
"Some people may have been worse than others depending upon where the pressure in the lines dropped; it's sporadic and depends on when the neighborhood was developed, the size of water line and how far away it is from the water tower," he said.
"Reduced pressure in the line could result in seepage and contamination—I don’t believe there were any in the parish, but out of precaution there was no way I could not (issue) that," he said. "An after action report will help us better the system."
-By Jenny Peterson, Associate News Editor, Biz New Orleans
