New Orleans council moves to overhaul Sewerage and Water Board

By Rob Masson

Source: Fox 8

July 28, 2026

A proposed ordinance would expand oversight, require long-term infrastructure planning and give the board new authority over top agency leaders.

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The New Orleans City Council is preparing to take on expanded oversight of the Sewerage and Water Board as council members consider a proposed ordinance aimed at improving the city’s aging sewerage, drainage and drinking water systems.

The council is scheduled to discuss the 13-page draft ordinance during a meeting Thursday at 10 a.m. The proposal comes as new oversight authority approved under state law is set to take effect Saturday.

The change follows flooding in Lakeview, Mid-City and Hollygrove three weeks ago that Sewerage and Water Board officials blamed on human error.

“We’ve been blamed for all the issues for quite some time, but I’ve had no direct control,” Mayor Helena Moreno said.

The ordinance would require the Sewerage and Water Board to develop a five-year capital improvement plan. The agency has identified nearly $800 million in infrastructure needs, according to the Bureau of Governmental Research.

“We all see the evidence of the broken pipes, the water geysers. There’s a lot of work to be done,” BGR’s Rebecca Mowbray said.

The proposal also calls for an emergency notification system to alert customers about service disruptions.

Another provision would give the Sewerage and Water Board responsibility for hiring and firing top agency employees, including the executive director, subject to City Council approval.

“When you ask the executive director what’s wrong, they look at the superintendent and say, ‘Tell me what’s wrong so I can tell them.’ That’s a half-million-dollar position for somebody to be a translator,” City Council President J.P. Morrell said.

Sewerage and Water Board Executive Director Randy Hayman declined FOX 8’s request for an interview.

Hayman said in a statement that the proposed ordinance “could help when it comes to addressing aging infrastructure and secure sustainable funding.”

Moreno said she is considering new candidates to serve on the agency’s 11-member board.

“Pretty much clearing the whole board,” Moreno said.

The restructured board also could begin meeting in City Council chambers rather than the current Sewerage and Water Board meeting room, where space is limited for members of the public and news media.

Council members said they plan to proceed carefully. The Bureau of Governmental Research warned that broad changes without a detailed strategy could create more problems.

“If the existing system is just interrupted in a piecemeal way without a clear plan, it could end up getting really messy,” Mowbray said.

Moreno said the long-term goal is to give the City Council direct control over the Sewerage and Water Board.

The council’s Thursday meeting will focus on the proposed ordinance and how the agency will be governed under the new state law.

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