By Erin Lowrey
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NEW ORLEANS (WDSU) — A significant watermain break is still gushing water Friday morning after it was first reported in Uptown New Orleans Thursday afternoon.
The watermain break happened at the intersection of Audubon and Willow Streets.
The 36-inch watermain that broke is suspected to be around 80 years old.
According to Deputy CAO of Infrastructure Steve Nelson, the valve to the watermain break is broken, which is preventing them from being able to turn off the water.
Nelson said the water that is gushing from the street will continue to flow while they scramble to install a temporary valve to shut off the water.
According to an update by New Orleans City Councilwoman Aimee McCarron, the part for the temporary shut-off valve is expected to come in either tonight, or sometime Saturday.
Thursday night, a SWBNO contractor installed two pumps to pump water out of the area.
Crews continue to pump water to discharge at Jeannette and Audubon & at Broadway and Willow intersections.
While crews continue to pump water out of the area, please be aware of the below street closures:
Local traffic access will be limited:
Tulane officials tell WDSU that the water main break will not impact the ongoing Book Festival or the baseball games scheduled for this weekend.
At this time a boil water advisory has not been issued because Nelson said water pressure levels are holding steady.
This comes after a massive watermain was just replaced on Panola Street.
This is the sixth watermain break in Uptown this year.
WDSU has reached out to the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board for information on the leak.
The utility posted on X, that they are aware of the break and have crews “en route.”
McCarron said the leak has been reported for month, and issued the following statement:
“We have reported this to the Sewerage and Water Board and will continue to follow up. My office has been reporting gushing water a block away for months, which was never addressed. This is a clear consequence of ignoring these reports.”
Tracking the leaks: Crews have placed new pipe in the ground on Panola Street as work continues to repair the major water main break that triggered a boil water advisory earlier this week.
While progress is being made there, concerns are growing about other leaks across New Orleans that residents say have been reported for months and sometimes years.
WDSU Investigates has been following several of those locations and reviewing the Sewerage and Water Board’s public work order dashboard to see how widespread the issue may be.
During a recent City Council meeting, members pressed Sewerage and Water Board officials about aging infrastructure and the growing number of leaks reported across the city. Council members asked the agency to provide a comprehensive list of problem areas and a clearer plan for how those issues will be addressed.
Councilmember Lesli Harris told WDSU that the lack of a clear roadmap is why she and Councilmember Jason Hughes are writing a letter to the Sewerage and Water Board demanding both a list of problem locations and a plan for how the agency intends to fix them.
“The fact that they don’t have a comprehensive list and do not have a comprehensive plan is troubling to me,” Harris said.
Sewerage and Water Board officials said leaks reported through the city’s system are inspected and prioritized before a work order is created.
The public work order search database currently shows 1,740 water-related work orders across New Orleans. Residents can search the system to see whether a leak reported in their neighborhood is listed.
According to the dashboard, more than 140 of those reports involve water main leaks, including at least one in Uptown that has remained on the list since April of last year.
WDSU also visited several locations where residents say leaks have persisted.
At Willow and Calhoun, water continues to flow from a hole more than a foot deep. Neighbors told WDSU the problem has been ongoing for months.
At Cartier and Fillmore, residents say water ran down the street for more than two years before crews eventually shut it off following repeated complaints and multiple WDSU Road Patrol reports.
Now the street remains torn open with pipes exposed beneath boards and Sewerage and Water Board cones.
“They did turn off the water. And then the holes began to be just larger and larger,” one resident said. When asked when repairs might be completed, the neighbor replied, “Heaven knows when.”
Frustration from residents has grown as they say calls to report leaks often go unanswered.
“Well, I guess you get on camera with the news and say, ‘Come fix it,'” said one resident.
Meanwhile, crews continue working at the Panola site where the major break occurred earlier this week.
Sewerage and Water Board leaders say they understand the frustration but point to financial limitations as a major challenge.
“Sewerage and Water Board is not satisfied until we’re able to say to you when you say there’s a leak, we’ll be there that afternoon,” said the agency’s director, Randy Hayman. “But because of the financial constraints that we have, we’re not able to do that.”
The director also said the agency maintains a master list of reported leaks through its work order system and that repairs are prioritized based on inspections and available resources. City leaders say they will continue pushing for answers as residents wait to see how quickly repairs move forward across the city.
WDSU will continue following the leaks and reporting on how the city responds to these problem areas.
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