NEW ORLEANS - The Sewerage & Water Board issued a precautionary boil-water advisory for the Lower 9th Ward Friday morning.
Residents in the neighborhood should not drink, make ice or brush teeth with tap water until the advisory has been lifted, the S&WB said. People with compromised immune systems should not wash hands, shower or bathe. Everyone else should be careful not to swallow any water when showering, according to the S&WB.
The Louisiana Department of Health recommends that anyone with recent surgical wounds or have chronic illnesses should consider using bottled water for cleansing until the order is lifted.
According to the S&WB, water pressure dropped below 20 pounds per square inch around 8 a.m. when a water pump at the Carrollton Water Plant was taken out of service and another was brought online. The advisory was then issued "out of an abundance of caution."
The boil water order will be in effect until further notice. Customers in other parts of the city are not affected and do not need to boil their water.
Anyone with questions can contact S&WB at (504) 529-2837.