After a new power complex for New Orleans’ drainage system recently failed its first major test, Sewerage & Water Board officials said Tuesday they will rely on backup power to keep the city’s streets dry during major storms, a dramatic turn after S&WB for years touted the complex as the solution to perennial power failures.
Two new in-house turbines will run the city’s pumps during big storms, S&WB officials told City Council members on Tuesday, while conceding that a $300 million, Entergy-powered new complex can shut down at any time during normal electricity disruptions.
That’s what happened during Tropical Storm Arthur on June 18 and during an earlier failure on May 20, they said, more than a week after they and Entergy New Orleans leaders traded blame over system glitching…