NEW ORLEANS — The City of New Orleans has a new online tool that it hopes will help keep the city’s 72,000 catch basins clear.

The tool allows neighbors to see if their catch basins have been inspected or cleaned in the past three years.  The city hopes people will also use the new technology to help make the city aware of catch basins that have yet to be cleaned.

The technology is essentially a mapping feature that allows the city to assign vacuum trucks to the catch basins that need attention.  The system will also keep a record of the inspection and maintenance work.

“We know that improved technology and more efficient coordination of City services leads to a cleaner New Orleans. We encourage our residents to utilize this tool and work with us in identifying and helping clean our catch basins, which in turn help prevent street flooding during heavy rain events,”said Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Infrastructure Ramsey Green in a written statement announcing the new technology.

Even with the new system, the city is urging neighbors to be proactive and to keep their catch basins free of debris.  Anyone who wishes to report a clogged catch basin can do so my calling 311.  Be sure to know the nearest street address to the catch basin.  Once a catch basin is reported, it will be entered into the Department of Public Works’ new system.

If you’d like to see the mapping program yourself, just click here.