Catch Up with Catch Basins: WDSU Investigates looks at the plan for SWB to take over 72,000 basins to help the rain drain
When it rains in New Orleans, it sometimes doesn't drain.
This is a problem WDSU has covered extensively.
While we sit in the middle of hurricane season, WDSU looks into what the city is doing to keep us above water, how a new agency is taking over plans to tackle the clog and asks our leaders if we will be ready if a storm hits.
Right now, there are 72,000 catch basins across the city, and the agency tasked with cleaning them is the Department of Public Works.
"The first concern is the number of catch basins," said Rick Hathaway director of DPW.
He said It's a task that has been a challenge.
"DPW in-house staffing has been an issue keeping enough crews available," Hathaway said. "The associated equipment we have is nine trucks, four are not operatable. We only have three crews who can go out on the street."
WDSU Investigates was first to uncover $10 million that was given to to the city to clean catch basins across New Orleans but for 15 months, almost all of it sat unused at the taxpayer's expense.
Since then, the city has ramped up the catch basin cleaning, spending more than $4 million and cleaning more than 4,000 basins.
"When the contract is done, that will be over 6,000 catch basins will be done contractually and with our average of 400 a month we will be able to meet our goal," Hathaway said.
Hathaway said the delay with spending was due to a slow start to contracts and the contract process.
At the beginning of August, in the middle of hurricane season, more than 65,000 basins are left untouched.
To help carnival krewes like Feret have taken matters into their own hands, holding catch basin clean-up days.
"How many are we going to be able to clean out today? I don't know, but making a small difference, a point and awareness to the city, this is something we need to do to come together to prepare for storm season," said Bobby Hjortsberg, captain of Krewe of Freret.
State lawmakers also took action during the last legislative session.
The latest bill puts the flow of responsibility to the Sewerage and Water Board starting Jan. 1.
When asked if SWB could take on 72,000 catch basins, the director, Ghassan Korban, said absolutely.
Korban admits, though, that it won't be easy.
"We're inheriting a backlog," Korban said. "Over 1,500 miles of pipe, I want to say, have been neglected. It hasn't been funded in any real way, so that makes this task even harder."
DPW said they've removed 2,706,900 pounds of trash from catch basins just this year. So, imagine how much trash still sits in the thousands more that haven't been cleaned.
"We're talking about years of sedimentation. Trash soil is practically impossible for water to get through," Korban said.
Even though the switch is four months out, SWB is already working on a plan.
"The idea here is to have a five-year cycle so we would touch about 20 percent every year; if you do that every basis, you'll have less issue and be preemptive instead of reactive," Korban said.
The price tag of this goal, Korban said, would be between $20 to $25 million.
It's a tall order, as the agency aims to double what DPW is attempting to do this year.
"If we get appropriate money is yet to be seen to if they, do we will deliver if they give us less, we have to deliver less it's a matter of numbers," Korban said.
The traffic cameras will play a part, that's because when you pay a ticket a portion will go toward paying for catch basin cleaning while the other portion goes to the schools.
Traffic tickets generate more than $15 million for the city every year.
But some of that money is going down the drain as the city turned off those traffic cameras amid negotiations.
The city sent WDSU this statement:
"The City of New Orleans is updating the public regarding the new state legislation for school zone camera operations. The City reports that as negotiations continue regarding how the city operates the school zone cameras under the new law, no school zone traffic tickets will be issued even if there is a camera light flash from a school zone camera.
The City will update the public as soon as the negotiations are finalized for school zone camera operations and continues to urge drivers to always operate their vehicles safely and to take extra caution and drive responsibly in school zones."
"The cameras need to be turned on," said council member Joe Giarusso. "The city need to put the money into an account and then as people found out where the money goes you iron out the details. Again, we're day five or day six, it's not like you're losing a lot of revenue. If you go two months from now, you basically are."
When asked if the city can fit the bill for SWB, Giarusso says they should be able to do so.
"That's why the traffic cameras are so important," Giarusso said. "Sewerage and Water Board are getting four vacuum trucks from the city. As we look at the funds, ARPA funds are available. Just how much can go to SWB starting off and are there other special funds? I think cobbling off pieces won't be that big of a lift but I always worry that when you throw too much money at one agency because it takes time to send that money and for people to see results."
Korban said this is a step in the right direction.
"It's the beginning of a good effort because everyone is acknowledging it hasn't been done right, and now there is an effort to find the money and do it the right way," Korban said.
But until it rains and drains the people impacted most remain weary and we will continue to follow up on this story.