Posted on June 28, 2018
By Amanda Roberts, Fox8
After the Sewerage and Water board’s report to City Council Monday, some residents sid they have more questions than answers. Residents questioned whether or not the Sewerage and Water Board is tending to drainage canals and ditches as often as they should.
The concern was highlighted in a meeting with the New Orleans City Council. For more than 20 years, Elvirus Anderson has lived next to the Lawrence Canal in Algiers. She said for the most part, she feels safe when there’s the threat of a big storm.
“In the past, they never hardly come; they might come October, January or so,” she said.
Anderson said looking into the canal and seeing garbage and branches and other greenery as often as she does, it concerns her. Especially because whenever there is major cutting and cleaning, she said it’s because neighbors called to complain.
“Now we call so much on this corner, we always call. They come a lot to cut it. They didn’t used to come to cut it that much,” she said.
S&WB officials gave a quarterly update to council members. Cleaning, cutting and dredging the canals is a question Councilwoman Kristin Palmer voiced today.
“These have not been dredged since Katrina, and my concern is in Algiers, we have trees growing out of our canals, and I don’t see why we need to wait until 2019 when we’re in the middle of hurricane season right now,” she said.
When asked how to expedite cleaning the canals to get all the debris removed, Vicki River, the Sewerage and Water Board’s deputy director, said they know they need more help.
“We have 23 people in the crews to cut approximately 40-plus canals, ditches and other lots that we own,” she said.
Anderson said she can imagine how the workers are spread thin, but said it shouldn’t be a fight to maintain something that helps save life and property.
Rivers said they have put in a request for proposal for another contractor to help with the work on both the east and west banks. She said the canals are scheduled to be dredged next year.
Source: Fox8
