St. Roch-Florida area pumping station was offline hours before Francine, says S&WB

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A major sewage pumping station serving the St. Roch and Florida neighborhoods in the Upper Ninth Ward was out of service late Tuesday (Sept. 10) as rains from Hurricane Francine were just hours away.

The utility said pumps A and D at the drainage pumping station, designated DPS-17, were out of service “due to problems with the electric motors.”

The Sewerage & Water Board’s website listed the station’s status as red dotted, but the utility did not immediately respond to questions about the station. It was unclear whether the station’s pumps would be repaired before Francine’s expected landfall Wednesday afternoon or evening.

DPS-17 is located near the Florida Avenue Canal and Peoples Avenue.

Overall, the Sewerage & Water Board said 90 of 99 major pumps were available Tuesday evening.

The utility’s fragile power system appeared to be in good shape as Francine approached. S&WB reported that turbines 4, 5 and 6 were operational and that all five backup generators were functioning.

The sewer and water board says it needs 44 megawatts of 25-Hz power to run its oldest sewage pumps at peak demand. Current capacity as of Tuesday evening was 70 megawatts, the utility said.

Other equipment issues reported prior to Francine’s arrival included:

• DPS 6 on Orpheum Avenue: One pump is out of service due to mechanical repairs, but 12 additional dewatering pumps and two continuous duty pumps are available at this station
• DPS 10 at Haynes Boulevard and Shubrick Avenue on Citrus Canal: Pump #1 out of service for pump refurbishment, but three additional dewatering pumps available at this station
• DPS 13 at Tall Timbers in Algiers: Pump No. 4 on standby only for emergency use, but five additional dewatering pumps and one continuous operation pump are available at this station
• DPS 14 at Hayne Boulevard and Jahncke Road: Pumps #3 and #4 are out of service due to mechanical repairs, but two additional dewatering pumps are available. Dewatering in this area can be accomplished via DPS 10, DPS 16, and DPS Dwyer via the Morrison Canal.
• DPS 15 near the Intracoastal Waterway and Industrial Parkway: Pump #1 out of service for gear repairs, but two additional dewatering pumps are available at this station
• DPS 18 near Maxent Canal and Michoud Bayou: Pump #1 out of service for mechanical repairs. A portable pump has been installed to provide temporary pumping capacity if needed, and an additional dewatering pump is available at this station.

As for the New Orleans underpasses, the utility said that at the Old Carrollton Underpass Station, Pump No. 1 is out of service, but two other pumps are available. One temporary pump has been deployed. All other underpass pumps are operating.

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