NEW ORLEANS – As the City of New Orleans continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City assures residents that our city’s tap water is safe to drink and well-protected against viral contamination. Protecting the health and safety of our city remains the top priority of the New Orleans Health Department (NOHD) and the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO).

The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has not been detected in drinking-water supplies and is highly susceptible to standard disinfection and treatment processes, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Therefore, the risk it poses to water supplies is low.

SWBNO uses a combination of chlorine and ammonia at their water treatment plants in Algiers and Carrollton to provide long-lasting disinfection against microbes and pathogens. They also continue to use standard disinfection techniques to treat sewage at their wastewater treatment plants in Algiers and the Lower 9th Ward. The World Health Organization has stated that, to date, it has no evidence that COVID-19 has been transmitted by wastewater.

To make sure residents have access to clean water throughout this emergency, SWBNO has minimized water service interruptions by suspending shut-offs for non-payment, restoring water to customers previously shut off, and limiting field responses only to emergencies that prevent longer and more widespread water disruptions in the future.

More information can be found here.