Neighbors of S&WB power plant give superintendent an earful over noise problem
A resident who lives nearby said she was awakened as the machines powered on at 3:45 a.m. and were still running strong hours later. Author: By David Hammer / Eyewitness Investigator Published: 10:53 PM CST March 11, 2021 Updated: 10:53 PM CST March 11, 2021
NEW ORLEANS The Sewerage & Water Board’s new general superintendent wound up his first full week on the job by acknowledging his agency could have done a better job of informing neighbors about the need to run ear-splitting power equipment in the middle of the night.
“I do understand the inconvenience that the community is going through right now,” Ron Spooner said, addressing a virtual meeting of the Carrollton-Riverbend Neighborhood Association.
The five EMDs produce a combined 12.5 megawatts of 25-cycle power, an old-fashioned low frequency electricity that’s rarely used anywhere in the country, but is needed in New Orleans to power about half of the city’s drainage pumps and parts of the drinking water and sewer systems, too.
The EMDs were purchased in 2017 after a massive failure of the utility’s turbines led to several citywide floods. They were supposed to be backup power to run during big storms in case the main power turbines failed.
But now, those same loud units are the drainage system s primary power source whenever it rains.
The Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans announced a major change in its leadership Wednesday, and there s controversy surrounding the new appointment.Ron Spooner was named interim general superintendent, which is the second-highest-ranking position in the utility. Spooner is the long-time chief engineer for the utility, and like other Sewerage & Water Board employees, he s supposed to take part in annual ethics training.WDSU Investigates reviewed state ethics administration records and found that Spooner did not complete the training for seven years since 2010. Records do show he earned a certificate for 2021 earlier this month before his promotion, but there were no findings for 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2019 and 2020.A Sewerage & Water Board spokesperson said Spooner was on military duty from July 2014 to May 2015 and honorably served our nation in an active combat zone. Spooner was a reservist in the U.S. Navy for 22 years, according to an S&WB news release. There was
S&WB director says power generation remains âfragileâ, but claims progress
S&WB director says power generation remains âfragileâ, but claims progress By Rob Masson | February 24, 2021 at 3:30 PM CST - Updated February 24 at 4:42 PM
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The next three months will be difficult ones for the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board as it struggles to replace three turbines needed to power drainage pumps.
The board says itâs making progress.
For the past several years, the cityâs drainage system has been plagued by broken turbines needed to run pumps, and three are still down.
âObviously we are in a fragile bleak state,â said S&WB director Ghassan Korban.