Two years ago former SWB director warned of 2026 catastrophic pipe failures, New Orleans faces its sixth water main break this year
Two years ago, the former head of the Sewerage and Water Board warned that if New Orleans did not begin replacing its aging water pipes, the consequences could be catastrophic.Now the city is dealing with its sixth major water main break this year.Water was still sitting in parts of an Uptown neighborhood nearly a day after a major water main break near Willow and Audubon streets. Officials say a 30-inch water main running beneath Willow Street ruptured around 1 p.m., sending water rushing through nearby streets.SWBNO Interim General Superintendent Kaitlin Tymrak said crews are still working to isolate the line so repairs can begin. At this time, officials say they do not expect the break to trigger a boil water advisory.Earlier Thursday morning, officials said a separate 48-inch water main near Panola Street and South Carrollton Avenue had just been returned to service. Crews had also been preparing to resume repairs at Magnolia Street and Jackson Avenue before the latest rupture forced them to pause work.Tymrak said the problems are connected.“This location, the leak at Willow and Calhoun and the one at Magnolia and Jackson are all on the same water main,” Tymrak said.While some neighbors tried to make light of the flooding, others said the situation highlights deeper problems with the city’s aging infrastructure.“It’s definitely funny. We were expecting to wake up to much drier than this,” one neighbor said. “We have lakefront property, though. All things considered it doesn’t suck.”Others were far less amused.“It was inevitable that this was going to happen,” another community member said. “The infrastructure has been slowly degrading Uptown and neglected for a hot minute.”Officials said repairing the rupture is complicated because crews must first isolate the aging line.Tymrak said the utility was unable to complete a closure on part of the system earlier because of the configuration and age of the pipes.“This is due to the configuration of our distribution system and the age of the system,” Tymrak said.Officials said specialized equipment has been ordered to install a temporary valve upstream of the break so crews can isolate the section of pipe.“We should be able to install that equipment sometime in the next 24 to 36 hours to make the formal repair,” Tymrak said.Sewerage and Water Board Executive Director Randy Hayman said the repeated breaks highlight the challenges of maintaining an aging system.“We know that we have a series of significant leaks across town,” Hayman said.He said the agency is finalizing a broader plan expected next week that will assess the oldest parts of the system and explore new technologies to repair or reinforce pipes. The strategy includes issuing a request for information from companies that specialize in water infrastructure to evaluate options such as pipe liners, joint reinforcements and leak detection systems.Officials estimate roughly 33 miles of the system’s transmission mains are more than 100 years old.“This is an old system,” Hayman said. “We do not have the funds necessary to replace the entire system at one time.”Hayman said the utility is working with city, state and federal officials to secure additional funding and has already requested about $20 million in federal earmarks for water system improvements.The latest break is also resurfacing concerns first highlighted by WDSU Investigates two years ago.In a February 2024 interview, then-Sewerage and Water Board Executive Director Ghassan Korban warned that unless the city began replacing aging pipes, New Orleans could face a serious infrastructure crisis.Reporter Cassie Schirm asked, “In two years, if we don’t continue replacing the pipes, what kind of condition will the city be in?”“It could be very catastrophic because those water mains, the breaks are going to get worse and worse,” Korban said. “And when we talk about the distribution system, it’s not just the mains. It’s also the valves that help us isolate a break. When those valves don’t work, that main could run indefinitely. It could take days before we’re able to isolate.”Korban also acknowledged that water main replacement had not been happening consistently for years when asked who was responsible.“I have taken the position not to look back too much and dwell on it,” Korban said. “Certainly the numbers speak for themselves. We have not been replacing water mains for years.”He added that earlier leadership may have prioritized other projects or lacked funding but said the work had not been done in a systematic way.“It was just left alone,” Korban said. “And we spend a lot of money and effort on a daily basis making repairs to those mains, which impacts the quality of life of our residents.”When asked whether that situation was acceptable for New Orleans, Korban responded, “This city does need and deserve better attention, and it should.”At that time Korban said it would cost $80 million each year to replace the aging infrastructure. He said it would take two decades to replace every pipe. During that same period, the New Orleans City Council also raised concerns about funding for pipe replacement. In 2024, council members said they would not consider additional funding for large-scale pipe replacement until the Sewerage and Water Board resolved ongoing billing problems that had drawn widespread complaints from residents.At the time, billing issues were a constant concern, with many residents reporting they had been overcharged hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of dollars on their water bills.Korban announced his resignation in February 2025 and officially stepped down from the role May 2, 2025. Randy Hayman was selected as the new executive director in April 2025 and formally began leading the utility in July 2025.Now, two years later, New Orleans is dealing with repeated major breaks across some of its oldest infrastructure, including the latest rupture in Uptown.For now, water remains pooled in parts of the neighborhood as crews work to isolate the line and begin repairs.
Two years ago, the former head of the Sewerage and Water Board warned that if New Orleans did not begin replacing its aging water pipes, the consequences could be catastrophic.
Now the city is dealing with its sixth major water main break this year.
Water was still sitting in parts of an Uptown neighborhood nearly a day after a major water main break near Willow and Audubon streets. Officials say a 30-inch water main running beneath Willow Street ruptured around 1 p.m., sending water rushing through nearby streets.
SWBNO Interim General Superintendent Kaitlin Tymrak said crews are still working to isolate the line so repairs can begin. At this time, officials say they do not expect the break to trigger a boil water advisory.
Earlier Thursday morning, officials said a separate 48-inch water main near Panola Street and South Carrollton Avenue had just been returned to service. Crews had also been preparing to resume repairs at Magnolia Street and Jackson Avenue before the latest rupture forced them to pause work.
Tymrak said the problems are connected.
“This location, the leak at Willow and Calhoun and the one at Magnolia and Jackson are all on the same water main,” Tymrak said.
While some neighbors tried to make light of the flooding, others said the situation highlights deeper problems with the city’s aging infrastructure.
“It’s definitely funny. We were expecting to wake up to much drier than this,” one neighbor said. “We have lakefront property, though. All things considered it doesn’t suck.”
Others were far less amused.
“It was inevitable that this was going to happen,” another community member said. “The infrastructure has been slowly degrading Uptown and neglected for a hot minute.”
Officials said repairing the rupture is complicated because crews must first isolate the aging line.
Tymrak said the utility was unable to complete a closure on part of the system earlier because of the configuration and age of the pipes.
“This is due to the configuration of our distribution system and the age of the system,” Tymrak said.
Officials said specialized equipment has been ordered to install a temporary valve upstream of the break so crews can isolate the section of pipe.
“We should be able to install that equipment sometime in the next 24 to 36 hours to make the formal repair,” Tymrak said.
Sewerage and Water Board Executive Director Randy Hayman said the repeated breaks highlight the challenges of maintaining an aging system.
“We know that we have a series of significant leaks across town,” Hayman said.
He said the agency is finalizing a broader plan expected next week that will assess the oldest parts of the system and explore new technologies to repair or reinforce pipes. The strategy includes issuing a request for information from companies that specialize in water infrastructure to evaluate options such as pipe liners, joint reinforcements and leak detection systems.
Officials estimate roughly 33 miles of the system’s transmission mains are more than 100 years old.
“This is an old system,” Hayman said. “We do not have the funds necessary to replace the entire system at one time.”
Hayman said the utility is working with city, state and federal officials to secure additional funding and has already requested about $20 million in federal earmarks for water system improvements.
The latest break is also resurfacing concerns first highlighted by WDSU Investigates two years ago.
In a February 2024 interview, then-Sewerage and Water Board Executive Director Ghassan Korban warned that unless the city began replacing aging pipes, New Orleans could face a serious infrastructure crisis.
Reporter Cassie Schirm asked, “In two years, if we don’t continue replacing the pipes, what kind of condition will the city be in?”
“It could be very catastrophic because those water mains, the breaks are going to get worse and worse,” Korban said. “And when we talk about the distribution system, it’s not just the mains. It’s also the valves that help us isolate a break. When those valves don’t work, that main could run indefinitely. It could take days before we’re able to isolate.”
Korban also acknowledged that water main replacement had not been happening consistently for years when asked who was responsible.
“I have taken the position not to look back too much and dwell on it,” Korban said. “Certainly the numbers speak for themselves. We have not been replacing water mains for years.”
He added that earlier leadership may have prioritized other projects or lacked funding but said the work had not been done in a systematic way.
“It was just left alone,” Korban said. “And we spend a lot of money and effort on a daily basis making repairs to those mains, which impacts the quality of life of our residents.”
When asked whether that situation was acceptable for New Orleans, Korban responded, “This city does need and deserve better attention, and it should.”
At that time Korban said it would cost $80 million each year to replace the aging infrastructure. He said it would take two decades to replace every pipe.
During that same period, the New Orleans City Council also raised concerns about funding for pipe replacement. In 2024, council members said they would not consider additional funding for large-scale pipe replacement until the Sewerage and Water Board resolved ongoing billing problems that had drawn widespread complaints from residents.
At the time, billing issues were a constant concern, with many residents reporting they had been overcharged hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of dollars on their water bills.
Korban announced his resignation in February 2025 and officially stepped down from the role May 2, 2025. Randy Hayman was selected as the new executive director in April 2025 and formally began leading the utility in July 2025.
Now, two years later, New Orleans is dealing with repeated major breaks across some of its oldest infrastructure, including the latest rupture in Uptown.
For now, water remains pooled in parts of the neighborhood as crews work to isolate the line and begin repairs.