Hundreds of thousands of residents in New Orleans were issued a “boil water advisory” after electrical malfunctions on the city’s water pumps.
The New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board issued the advisory after a Mylar balloon struck a powerline, causing drinking water pumps to go offline.
A spokesperson for Entergy New Orleans stated, “A Mylar balloon contacted a power line near the Carrollton (water treatment) plant at approximately 7 p.m., which created a very brief power fluctuation — causing pumps to be tripped offline.”
According to WBRZ, when the water pressure dipped during the power outage, a SWBNO employee attempted to turn the pumps back on manually and was injured.
Getting phone calls to the newsroom asking what kind of balloon caused the power outage/boil water advisory. Mylar balloons are made out of a special type of polyester film. They’re made by sealing together plastic/nylon sheets coated with metallic materials. pic.twitter.com/VFWASDZAPb
— FOX 8 New Orleans (@FOX8NOLA) August 7, 2024
Per WBRZ:
Some residents in New Orleans will have to go another day without water as after a Mylar balloon hit a power line Tuesday afternoon, which caused an electrical malfunction and knocked the drinking water pumps offline. The New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board said they are in the middle of testing, which should wrap up Thursday afternoon.
If all of the samples pass inspection, the boil water advisory will be lifted.
The SWBNO said after the balloon hit the power line, workers tried to put the pumps back on manually.
One SWBNO employee was hurt during the crisis response and two other employees prioritized rendering medical aide to their colleague. Because of the medical emergency, it took the team roughly 50 minutes to get the pumps back on. During the wait, the water pressure dipped for 10 minutes — triggering the advisory.
Mylar balloon causes boil water advisory for most of New Orleans, Entergy says
Click image for more…https://t.co/rcobP2bCCZ
— WWL-TV (@WWLTV) August 7, 2024
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