Sewerage and Water Board, city leaders discuss funding needs at Lakeview pump station

Councilwoman Aimee McCarron toured Pump Station 7 Tuesday alongside Sewerage and Water Board officials Tuesday.The tour came after issues with the pump station over the weekend contributed to flooding in Lakeview and Mid City.WDSU was initially told we could also tour the facility. However, when we arrived we were only allowed to film from inside the front entrance area. They said there were too many people to take everyone on the tour, citing safety and security concerns. Following the tour, McCarron spoke to the media about what she learned. “I am more confident with that today, by being out here, seeing the employees and the staff and meeting those employees here, and making sure that they are watching and aware of the weather we are expecting the next few days,” she said.She learned more about how the pumps work after the Sewerage and Water Board said employee error led to them going offline for 45 minutes Saturday.But Executive Director Randy Hayman said they need to look at the bigger picture. “Even with the human error aspect of it, we have an older system,” Hayman said. “So we need to make sure that we have the monies and the funding to maintain our drainage system.”The city council will gain authority over the Sewerage and Water Board next month, and at the top of their to-do list is a full audit of the utility’s financials.Mccarron said they are looking into a parcel or stormwater management fee to generate more revenue, but there are steps that need to be taken first.”I wouldn’t ask them to pay more at this point, because we have to rebuild that trust. I think this council and administration have been pretty clear on, before we ask residents to pay anything else, we need to see where the money has gone and where it’s going to go in the future,” she said.As far as the issue Saturday, Hayman said they are still investigating what happened.