NEW ORLEANS — UPDATE: The boil water advisory issued Monday, Feb. 4, in the Lower 9th Ward and portions of St. Claude, Bywater, Florida and Desire areas has been cancelled.
The water is safe to drink and use.
ORIGINAL STORY: A precautionary boil water advisory issued on Monday morning for the Lower 9th Ward and parts of St. Claude, Bywater Florida and Desire areas is still in effect.
According to the New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board, Areas impacted include homes and businesses east of Almonaster Boulevard to the Industrial Canal and the Lower 9th Ward. The advisory does not apply to New Orleans East.
Residents in the area should not drink tap water until further notice. Residents should use bottled or boiled water to drink, cook, clean food or brush teeth.
The S&WB said water pressure in the Lower 9th Ward dropped below 20 psi around 10:06 a.m. for less than 15 minutes. Pressure returned to normal shortly after the drop, they said.
On Monday afternoon, the S&WB published an explination for the advisory, saying that crews were testing valves for the ongoing Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Program (SELA) project on Florida Avenue when pressure dropped unexpectedly.
"What happened: SWBNO crews were testing valves in connection to work on the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Program (SELA) project on Florida Avenue. During tests, pressure dropped unexpectedly. Crews immediately suspended the valve testing and normalized pressure. "
Can't see the tweet? Click here.
A cause or causes for the unexpected drop was not stated.
As of 3:15 p.m., utility officials said that water testing had begun but the advisory was still in effect. Testing water quality samples typically takes up to 24 hours for results, they said.
Stay with Eyewitness News on WWL-TV and WWLTV.com for more on this developing story.