New Orleans – New Orleans Mayor Mitchell J. Landrieu joined officials from the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this morning for a ribbon cutting at Drainage Pump Station #1, signifying the completion of a $39.6 million effort to repair the Parish’s pump stations following Hurricane Katrina.
Mayor Landrieu, who also serves as President of the Sewerage and Water Board said, "The Orleans Parish Pump Station Repair Program gives us the opportunity to recognize an incredible partnership between the Board and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. This relationship has brought these projects from concept to reality during the last five years."
He added, "This program provides greatly improved flood protection throughout the City and, in addition, there have been great economic benefits and job opportunities in our City for our citizens from such a massive construction program like this one.
"I say to the Corps and our Board of Directors and employees who worked hand-in-hand on these projects, congratulations on a job well done."
In all, the Corps restored 23 pump stations and the Carrollton Frequency Changer Building to their Pre-Katrina levels of operation. The final pump station to be repaired in Orleans Parish was Elaine Street Pump Station, which was completed in October 2010.
The pump station repair work was broken into 14 separate contracts. In total, construction for the Orleans Parish Pump Station Repair Program cost an estimated $39.6 million. With repair projects complete, the Corps has turned over maintenance and operation of all repaired pump stations to the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans (S&WBNO).
The work included repairing roofs, rebuilding electric motors and pump bearings, repairing drainage lines, intake basins, debris removal and other miscellaneous civil, mechanical and electrical repairs.
“This event today is the result of a strong partnership between the Corps and the Sewerage and Water Board,” said John Ashley, Chief of the Corps’ Existing Pumps Branch. “Together we restored many of the hardest-hit pump stations and all of the citizens of New Orleans will benefit from a stronger interior drainage system.”