New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board

logo_sewer Today, New Orleans is provided with water, drainage and sewerage facilities 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, where and when they are needed. The Louisiana Engineering Society, in honor of it's 75th anniversary in 1973, selected the water, drainage, and sewerage systems of New Orleans as among the ten most outstanding engineering achievements in the state. This is a great honor accorded to both our community and the Sewerage and Water Board. By 1893, it became apparent to city leaders that accommodation of area growth would depend on their ability to keep New Orleans drained, dry, adequately supplied with water for drinking and fire protection, and provided with a sanitary sewerage system. Planning for the three systems -- water, sewerage, and drainage -- began that year.

bisso_state The New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board was authorized by the Louisiana Legislature in 1899 to furnish, construct, operate, and maintain a water treatment and distribution system and a sanitary sewerage system for New Orleans. It continues in that role today.

Separate from the city's famous streetcar system, the Sewerage & Water Board operated a short freight line using trolley locomotives. It was a single track line along Eagle Street from the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad along the river levee to the S&WB water purification plant on South Claiborne Ave. Diesel locomotives took over the short line in 1959.