Residents in New Orleans’ Irish Channel are upset after receiving delayed notifications from the Sewerage and Water Board about a water quality violation that occurred during a January freeze.
“I think they kind of dragged their feet on this and I’m very disappointed,” resident Stephen Defilippis said, expressing frustration after letters from the Sewerage and Water Board highlighted a concern that some believe should have been addressed months ago.
The letter, which accompanied their bills, stated that the January freeze event violated drinking water requirements for New Orleans residents on the East bank due to elevated turbidity levels, or cloudiness, in the water from the New Orleans Carrollton Treatment Plant.
“I feel like they should’ve notified us the second they knew there was any kind of turbidity whether they knew it was bad or not, and they should’ve followed up with us afterwards preferably sooner than what they did,” Defilippis said.
Another resident Jamie Gaymon added, “Six months seems like a long time for that to have passed without the public being notified about it.”
The Sewerage and Water Board issued this statement:
“SWBNO received the violation notification on April 22, 2025, from LDH. SWBNO published the notification in the paper within two weeks of receiving the violation.
We distributed notifications regarding increased turbidity during the January 2025 winter storm to all customers. These violations are classified by the EPA and LDH as Tier 2, which means they do not pose an immediate threat to human health. Water quality testing during the period of violation showed all results were negative for harmful bacteria. SWBNO submitted all required public notifications within the timeframe mandated by LDH.”
Leaders assured residents that there is no need to boil water at this time, but some are still concerned about potential health risks.
“I’m actually type two diabetic so I’m very careful about what I put into my body so we are bottled water drinkers all the way,” Gaymon said.
READ MORE: Irish Channel residents frustrated by delayed water quality alert
