Residents of the Lower Ninth Ward are unhappy that they don’t have drinkable water yet and may not for a while.

WWL-TV

Gwen Adam protests the lack of quality drinking water in the Lower Ninth Ward.

Several people protested at the Sewerage and Water Board Wednesday, saying that the inability to get quality drinking water is preventing their return.

“We can’t get trailers. We can’t start working on our homes,” shouted Gwen Adam, a Lower Nine resident.

Mayor Nagin said there are at least three major things that prevent the city from certifying the water in that area: lack of consistent water pressure, too many broken water lines and the poor quality of the drinking water.

“Unfortunately, the realities are that there’s heavy damage in the Lower Ninth Ward,” said Nagin.

The Sewerage and Water Board said it could not issue a timeline on when water would be certified.