New Orleans City Council questions why construction of freshwater pipeline hasn’t started

By Morgan Lentes

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    NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (WDSU) — Officials with the Sewerage and Water Board went before a New Orleans City Council committee Tuesday to discuss the utility’s latest efforts to combat saltwater intrusion.

Last Thursday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced the saltwater wedge moving up the Mississippi River has stalled, delaying potential impacts upriver. The new projections show no threats to the Sewerage and Water Board’s Carrollton Plant through the end of November.

That is as far out as the agency can accurately predict.

Parts of Jefferson Parish will also see delayed impacts; however, local leaders there have said they will continue work to construct a freshwater pipeline. Construction has already begun at its West Bank water treatment facility in Marrero.

“I do want to get to the elephant in the room,” Councilwoman Lesli Harris said. “We’re getting questions about Jefferson Parish’s progress on (its) pipeline. ‘Why haven’t we progressed?'”

Steve Nelson, the deputy general superintendent for the Sewerage and Water Board, said they now have more time to make sure the job gets done right.

“We are continuing to move forward with obtaining permits. We’ve got a bid package ready to go. We are going to look for that forecast (from the Army Corps) to come out again on Thursday, and we’ve been assured by contractors they can complete the work within 30 days,” Nelson said.

Nelson and other representatives from the utility were also questioned about the cost of building the pipeline, which has been estimated to cost between $150 to $250 million.

While Jefferson Parish is using lay flat pipe or heavy-duty hoses to funnel freshwater downstream, the Sewerage and Water Board is using 48-inch plastic pipes to bring fresh water into its Carrolton plant.

“For us at 150 million gallons a day at our East Bank plant, we just couldn’t put that many lay flat pipes down,” Nelson said. “The infrastructure for that would be immense. It would be really heavy, which would be a challenge for the levee. It would be very expensive. So, if you scale those costs up, it’s not as cheap. Jefferson Parish just needs less water, which is great for them, but for us, that (48-inch) pipe is really the best solution for us. Unfortunately, it’s just more expensive.”

Jefferson Parish officials have estimated their pipeline will cost $15 million a month to operate.

Both municipalities are hoping the federal government will reimburse some, if not all, of the costs associated with any pipeline construction.

Councilmembers also stressed the need for a long-term solution to saltwater intrusion.

“(We need to ask), ‘What can we do preventatively using all the states that line the river? What can we all do if we see the salt wedge coming? What can we do, minor adjustments throughout that entire area, to potentially lessen the impact?'” JP Morrell said.

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