How an S&WB project to replace lead pipes across New Orleans was left in limbo

The Sewerage and Water Board set out last year to replace as many as 85,000 lead water pipes across New Orleans. A year later, the plan is in limbo because one of the bidders for the project protested and the utility has yet to resolve the squabble.

The delay has left residents waiting for word on when, or whether, the S&WB will begin what could potentially be a $1 billion project to tear up and replace lead water lines throughout the city. At the same time, the S&WB recently sent notices to customers with information about the materials in the public service lines feeding the pipes on their private properties.

The notices are part of an ongoing effort to inventory all 278,000 service lines, identifying which contain lead and which are free of contaminants. An interactive map on the