NEW ORLEANS -- Another of the Sewerage & Water Board’s power-generating turbines is operating once again.
The agency said Monday that turbine No. 3, which had been out of service since last May, was put back into service after it was tested during the weekend.
That, coupled with a number of generators, gives the agency 71.25 megawatts of power. An S&WB spokesman said the city’s drainage system needs about 52 megawatts of power to run at “full go.”
Many of the turbines that power the city’s drainage pumps have been in a perpetual state of disrepair for years. At one point during the summer, just one of five turbines was available to produce power for the pumps.
Repairs to the antiquated pieces of equipment have cost tens of millions of dollars to fix. WWL-TV’s “Down the Drain” investigation found that it would have been more cost-effective to replace the steam-powered turbines with new diesel-powered turbines.
It would have cost $93 million to build, install and connect three brand-new turbines, each with its own newly constructed building. WWL’s investigation found the price tag to get three of the turbines that failed during last summer’s flood fully operational is $123.3 million.
The successful repairs to turbine No. 3 came months after it tripped following another repair job, which once again put it out of service.
The S&WB said it has also fixed problem with the pump at Drainage Station No. 12 near West End and Robert E. Lee boulevards in Lakeview. The agency said that pump had an issue with its “suction capability” during a rainstorm on April 14. The issue was first reported during the recent board meeting on April 18.
Meanwhile, five of the 120 pumps across the city were being repaired Monday, the S&WB said. Of those, four are drainage pumps and one is a smaller constant duty pump used to move smaller amounts of water.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to note that an issue with Pumping Station No. 12 in Lakeview was first reported during the S&WB board meeting on April 18 and was not unreported, as the story first noted.
