New Orleans Water System's Recovery May Take a Year
Restoring New Orleans� drinking-water supply could be a year-long chore, says a water system expert whose company is intimately familiar with the city�s water and wastewater systems.
Denver-based MWH Global has worked extensively on the water system for 25 years in New Orleans, says Mark Swatek, president of MWH�s municipal division. The drinking-water purification plant �is generally OK� because it is above water, he says, but it�s not functioning because the power is down. �It hasn�t been as significantly damaged as other elements,� he says.