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Can You Drink Tap Water in New Orleans?
Yes, New Orleans's tap water is generally considered safe to drink as New Orleans has no active health based violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) that we are aware of. Other factors such as lead piping in a home, or low levels of pollutants on immunocompromised individuals, should also be considered, however. To find more recent info we might have, you can check out our boil water notice page or the city's water provider website.
According the EPA’s ECHO database, from April 30, 2019 to June 30, 2022, New Orleans's water utility, New Orleans Algiers Water Works, had 3 health-based violations and 1 non-health-based violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act. For more details on the violations, please see our violation history section below. The last violation for New Orleans was resolved on Sept. 30, 2021. This assessment is based on the New Orleans Algiers Water Works water system, other water systems in the city may have different results.
While tap water that meets the EPA health guidelines generally won’t make you sick to your stomach, it can still contain regulated and unregulated contaminants present in trace amounts that could potentially cause health issues over the long-run. These trace contaminants may also impact immunocompromised and vulnerable individuals.
The EPA is reviewing if it’s current regulations around pollutant levels in tap water are strict enough, and the health dangers posed by unregulated pollutants, like PFAS.
New Orleans Tap Water Safe Drinking Water Act Violation History - Prior 10 Years
Below is a ten year history of violations for the water system named New Orleans Algiers Water Works for New Orleans in Louisiana. For more details please see the "What do these Violations Mean?" section below.
From Jan. 1, 2022 to March 31, 2022, New Orleans had 1 non-health based Safe Drinking Water Act violation with the violation category being Monitoring and Reporting, more specifically, the violation code was Monitoring and Reporting (DBP) which falls into the Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule rule code group, and the Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule rule code family for the following contaminant code: CARBON, TOTAL.
From Jan. 1, 2022 to March 31, 2022, New Orleans had 1 health-based Safe Drinking Water Act violation with the violation category being Treatment Technique Violation, more specifically, the violation code was Treatment Technique Precursor Removal which falls into the Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule rule code group, and the Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule rule code family for the following contaminant code: CARBON, TOTAL.
From Oct. 1, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2021, New Orleans had 1 health-based Safe Drinking Water Act violation with the violation category being Treatment Technique Violation, more specifically, the violation code was Treatment Technique Precursor Removal which falls into the Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule rule code group, and the Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule rule code family for the following contaminant code: CARBON, TOTAL.
From July 1, 2021 to Sept. 30, 2021, New Orleans had 1 health-based Safe Drinking Water Act violation with the violation category being Treatment Technique Violation, more specifically, the violation code was Treatment Technique Precursor Removal which falls into the Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule rule code group, and the Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule rule code family for the following contaminant code: CARBON, TOTAL.
From Oct. 1, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2018, New Orleans had 1 health-based Safe Drinking Water Act violation with the violation category being Treatment Technique Violation, more specifically, the violation code was Treatment Technique Precursor Removal which falls into the Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule rule code group, and the Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule rule code family for the following contaminant code: CARBON, TOTAL.
Is there Lead in New Orleans Water?
Based on the EPA’s ECHO Database, 90% of the samples taken from the New Orleans water system, New Orleans Algiers Water Works, between sample start date and sample end date, were at or below, 0.002 mg/L of lead in New Orleans water. This is 13.3% of the 0.015 mg/L action level. This means 10% of the samples taken from New Orleans contained more lead.
While New Orleans water testing may have found 0.002 mg/L of lead in its water, that does not mean your water source has the same amount. The amount of lead in water in a city can vary greatly from neighborhood to neighborhood, or even building to building. Many buildings, particularly older ones, have lead pipes or service lines which can be a source of contamination. To find out if your home has lead, we recommend getting you water tested.
No amount of lead in water is healthy, only less dangerous. As lead accumulates in our bodies over time, even exposure to relatively small amounts can have negative health effects. For more information, please check out our Lead FAQ page.
Are there PFAS in New Orleans Tap Water?
Currently, testing tap water for PFAS isn’t mandated on a national level. We do have a list of military bases where there have been suspected or confirmed leaks. There appears to be at least one military base - NEW ORLEANS LA NAS JRB - near New Orleans with suspected leaks.
With many potential sources of PFAS in tap water across the US, the best information we currently have about which cities have PFAS in their water is this ewg map, which you can check to see if New Orleans has been evaluated for yet.
Our stance is better safe than sorry, and that it makes sense to try to purify the tap water just in case.
New Orleans SDWA Violation History Table - Prior 10 Years
| Compliance Period | Status | Health-Based? | Category Code | Code | Rule Code | Contaminant Code | Rule Group Code | Rule Family Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/01/2022 - 03/31/2022 | Archived | No | Monitoring and Reporting (MR) | Monitoring and Reporting (DBP) (27) | Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (210) | CARBON, TOTAL (2920) | Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (200) | Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (210) |
| 01/01/2022 - 03/31/2022 | Archived | Yes | Treatment Technique Violation (TT) | Treatment Technique Precursor Removal (46) | Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (210) | CARBON, TOTAL (2920) | Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (200) | Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (210) |
| 10/01/2021 - 12/31/2021 | Archived | Yes | Treatment Technique Violation (TT) | Treatment Technique Precursor Removal (46) | Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (210) | CARBON, TOTAL (2920) | Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (200) | Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (210) |
| 07/01/2021 - 09/30/2021 | Resolved | Yes | Treatment Technique Violation (TT) | Treatment Technique Precursor Removal (46) | Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (210) | CARBON, TOTAL (2920) | Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (200) | Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (210) |
| 10/01/2018 - 12/31/2018 | Archived | Yes | Treatment Technique Violation (TT) | Treatment Technique Precursor Removal (46) | Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (210) | CARBON, TOTAL (2920) | Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (200) | Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (210) |
What do these Violations Mean?
Safe Drinking Water Act Violations categories split into two groups, health based, and non-health based. Generally, health based violations are more serious, though non-health based violations can also be cause for concern.
Health Based Violations
- Maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) - maximum allowed contaminant level was exceeded.
- Maximum residual disinfectant levels (MRDLs) - maximum allowed disinfectant level was exceeded.
- Other violations (Other) - the exact required process to reduce the amounts of contaminants in drinking water was not followed.
Non-Health Based Violations
- Monitoring and reporting violations (MR, MON) - failure to conduct the required regular monitoring of drinking water quality, and/or to submit monitoring results on time.
- Public notice violations (Other) - failure to immediately alert consumers if there is a serious problem with their drinking water that may pose a risk to public health.
- Other violations (Other) - miscellaneous violations, such as failure to issue annual consumer confidence reports or maintain required records.
SDWA Table Key
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Compliance Period | Dates of the compliance period. |
| Status |
Current status of the violation.
|
| Health-Based? | Whether the violation is health based. |
| Category Code |
The category of violation that is reported.
|
| Code | A full description of violation codes can be accessed in the SDWA_REF_CODE_VALUES (CSV) table. |
| Contaminant Code | A code value that represents a contaminant for which a public water system has incurred a violation of a primary drinking water regulation. |
| Rule Code |
Code for a National Drinking Water rule.
|
| Rule Group Code |
Code that uniquely identifies a rule group.
|
| Rule Family Code |
Code for rule family.
|
For more clarification please visit the EPA's data dictionary.
New Orleans Water - Frequently Asked Questions
| By Mail: | SWBNO ATTN: Water Purification Dept. 8800 S. Claiborne Ave, Room 100 NEW ORLEANS, LA, 70118 |
Existing customers can login to their New Orleans Algiers Water Works account to pay their New Orleans water bill by clicking here.
If you want to pay your New Orleans Algiers Water Works bill online and haven't made an account yet, you can create an account online. Please click here to create your account to pay your New Orleans water bill.
If you don't want to make an account, or can't remember your account, you can make a one-time payment towards your New Orleans water bill without creating an account using a one time payment portal with your account number and credit or debit card. Click here to make a one time payment.
Moving to a new house or apartment in New Orleans means you will often need to put the water in your name with New Orleans Algiers Water Works. In order to put the water in your name, please click the link to the start service form below. Start service requests for water bills typically take two business days.
Leaving your house or apartment in New Orleans means you will likely need to take your name off of the water bill with New Orleans Algiers Water Works. In order to take your name off the water bill, please click the link to the stop service form below. Stop service for water bills requests typically take two business days.
The estimated price of bottled water
$1.75 in USD (1.5-liter)
USER SUBMITTED RATINGS
- Drinking Water Pollution and Inaccessibility
- Water Pollution
- Drinking Water Quality and Accessibility
- Water Quality
The above data is comprised of subjective, user submitted opinions about the water quality and pollution in New Orleans, measured on a scale from 0% (lowest) to 100% (highest).
Related FAQS
Contaminants
New Orleans Carrollton Waterworks
EWG's drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by the water utility and provided to the Environmental Working Group by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, as well as information from the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History database (ECHO). For the latest quarter assessed by the U.S. EPA (January 2019 - March 2019), tap water provided by this water utility was in compliance with federal health-based drinking water standards.
Utility details
- Serves: 291044
- Data available: 2012-2017
- Data Source: Surface water
- Total: 28
Contaminants That Exceed Guidelines
- Bromodichloromethane
- Chloroform
- Dibromochloromethane
- Dichloroacetic acid
- Nitrate and nitrite
- Radium%2C combined (-226 & -228)
- Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)
- Trichloroacetic acid
Other Detected Contaminants
- 1%2C4-Dioxane
- Aluminum
- Atrazine
- Barium
- Bromoform
- Chlorate
- Chromium (hexavalent)
- Chromium (total)
- Cyanide
- Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate
- Dibromoacetic acid
- Fluoride
- Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
- Molybdenum
- Monobromoacetic acid
- Monochloroacetic acid
- Selenium
- Strontium
- Uranium
- Vanadium
Reminder
Always take extra precautions, the water may be safe to drink when it leaves the sewage treatment plant but it may pick up pollutants during its way to your tap. We advise that you ask locals or hotel staff about the water quality. Also, note that different cities have different water mineral contents.
Sources and Resources
Sources Cited
Additional Resources
New Orleans Tap Water
New Orleans tap water is a major concern for many people living in the devastated area. A lot of people have been complaining about strange tasting and smelling substances coming from their tap water, especially since Hurricane Katrina. It turns out that what most people are seeing on their TVs and on the store shelves are not at all what they are told are the real things. So how can you be sure that the water that comes into your home or that your children drink is really safe?
You can’t be sure until you test it yourself. But if you’re like me and you use water filters at home, you’ll definitely want to make sure that you’re getting the real stuff. I know I would never buy tap water from anyone else again if I thought that what I was drinking was potentially dangerous to my health. There are so many different types of impurities that can be present in your tap water that it’s scary to think about what could happen if you let just a couple of elements slip past. I’m going to share with you some tips that will hopefully help you make the right decision about New Orleans water and how it should be treated.
We’re not going to get into a tremendous amount of scientific jargon here, but what you need to know is that there are various impurities that can be present in any water source, and none are particularly good for your body. Some people have said that drinking the water that came from Hurricane Katrina was worse than simply staying indoors due to the fact that it was full of bacteria and other nasty elements that caused sickness. If you don’t feel confident enough to get a water analysis, you can always ask someone who works in the health department to test it for you before you consume any water from your tap, which is something that you should definitely do if you’re not going to be consuming it for a while.
New Orleans Drinking Water
New Orleans is a place I have very fond memories of, as it was my home for five years. It has the most beautiful architecture around and the best food in the world. There are also some great historical sites and museums in New Orleans, a real cultural treasure. Unfortunately, this beautiful place is now suffering from a major clean-up effort that is taking place. For the most part, the quality of the water supply is still good, although many homes are being asked to use bottled water. This has left many people with a hard decision to make.
When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, the city was turned upside down, literally, and millions of homes were damaged. The government ordered a clean-up and restoration effort, and they have been working hard ever since. Unfortunately, in their efforts to clean the water and restore the quality of the water, they have made a lot of mistakes, such as removing the fluoride in the water and the chemical Chlorine from the tap. These chemicals are not only bad for the environment but can also be very harmful to human health, and should not be taken lightly. As scientists and researchers point out, these chemicals also greatly increase cancer risk.
New Orleans drinking water cannot be blamed entirely on the city’s actions, the levee failed and the river overflowed. Most scientists agree that the root cause of all this is the lack of flood prevention, which is common sense, but it still doesn’t excuse the city’s missteps in restoring their drinking water, so it will be best to wait until the cleanup is done. But you can always trust that your tap water is safe, it’s provided by the state. If anything, it’s just better to be safe than sorry.
New Orleans Water Supply
Is the New Orleans water system a threat to you, your family, and the city’s water supply? With Superstorm Katrina claims an enormous amount of homes and businesses and is causing the levee system to break, the level of floodwater in the city is a growing concern. The National Weather Service has warned that the city’s water supply will be strained by up to six feet of water during the upcoming Hurricane Season. New Orleans is expecting up to two feet of water to surge through its drainage system.
If you live in an area of New Orleans that could be affected by flooding, then you need to take immediate action to prepare yourself and your family for possible flooding. This might mean getting rid of some items that might not have been damaged as much as they initially appeared, such as wooden flooring, hanging clothes, and other items that could not withstand the weight of water. If you have any belongings that can be saved, there is no reason not to hang on to them and to attempt to dry out your home before the waters recede.
In addition to this, it is important that you learn about the best flood recovery preparation you can do for your home. New Orleans has experienced a historic hurricane in history, and the city’s infrastructure, including its drainage system, was built to handle a much higher than normal water load. However, as a result of the excess water, parts of the city are flooding now, which means that you need to be prepared for more than just water damage. It is also important to have emergency exit signs in place and clear communication with local emergency officials in case you need assistance.
New Orleans Water
If you have experienced some New Orleans water damage in your home then you will know how expensive the damage can be and how short of time it may take to repair your damaged property. There are many local New Orleans water damage restoration companies that deal with flood damage, hurricanes, and every other kind of water damage you may experience in your area. They have the experience and expertise to restore your property to its original look in no time at all. When you call one of these companies, you are usually given an appointment and you are in and out in no time.
New Orleans is a very important city and has a long history as being a port. Because of this, it is prone to natural disasters like hurricanes and flooding. The water that was brought into New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina was quite high and it was a slow and gradual release. This meant that when the water started to recede, it took a while for the water to wash away everything that had been damaged by the flooding. It took a long time for the waters to be completely cleaned up and this is why local New Orleans water damage restoration companies were so important.
You can find a New Orleans water damage restoration company in almost any area of the city. The hardest part is probably finding the right company because there are so many to choose from. The best way to find the best New Orleans water damage restoration company that you can be to ask for recommendations from friends, family members, neighbors, and coworkers. You will also want to check with the Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed against any of the New Orleans water restoration companies.
New Orleans Water Quality
New Orleans is the third-largest city in Louisiana. It is also one of the most impoverished and least healthy cities in the United States. The state government’s Office of Water Quality and Protection is responsible for ensuring that all of the city’s water is of acceptable quality. Because of the importance of New Orleans’ water, every effort is made to keep the water clean and pure for all residents. Owing to the fact that a great deal of money is involved, every step is taken to ensure that all residents get what they pay for when it comes to the quality of their water.
If you are interested in learning more about New Orleans’ water, then you should go online and do some research. There are many sites that will tell you all the ins and outs of the city and the problems it has to face with regards to its water. These sites can also help you learn which plants are used to purify the water in New Orleans. You may be surprised to learn that a large amount of the water in New Orleans is contaminated. A careful look at the city’s water report, however, should reveal that much of the water is clean enough for you to use right now.
The city’s main water source is the Mississippi River. From here, it goes through a series of filtration plants and even into the underground wells where it is processed before being deemed fit for human consumption. By taking every precaution possible to ensure the health and safety of the people of New Orleans, they have a responsibility to the world at large to keep their water clean and free from contaminants.
Louisiana Department of Health
The Louisiana Department of Health is an agency of the state government of Louisiana, also located in Baton Rouge. It’s been around since the mid-1800s and serves many parts of the state as its main administrative and financial unit. It’s also served other governmental and non-governmental organizations in the state. Its purpose is to serve the public welfare by providing services that promote health and prevent illness. This is done through a wide variety of programs.
The Louisiana Department of Health serves all or part of the state: Its premier agency is the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. The Louisiana Department of Health, previously known as the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals was created to be the central coordinating agency for all matters relating to the health and welfare of the state’s residents, including health insurance and medical coverage, immunizations, public health, nutrition, and tobacco products regulation and control. The office and its various departments and bureaus are administered by the Secretary of State. The office has its funding provided from the state general revenue fund.
The department provides various programs to help the needy. Among its activities are the following: Assisting the homeless, providing medical care to the indigent, preventing diseases and preventing pregnancy, implementing programs concerning family planning and birth control, and coordinating statewide preventative care programs. In addition to its health programs, the department provides social services, such as alcohol and drug abuse prevention, intervention services, domestic violence information and referral services, and educational programs for teens and children. The department also develops and implements rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of its grants, contracts, and licensing programs. The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals maintains statistics on the health of all persons in the state and performs statistical analysis for the purposes of management and policymaking purposes.