A water leak that has run for about a year near Alcée Fortier Boulevard and Dwyer Road in New Orleans East has residents demanding answers, even as the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans now says repairs should be finished within two weeks. The leak is located in a wooded, overgrown patch along the corridor.
Sage Pellet, who has been in contact with the Sewerage and Water Board throughout the ordeal, put it bluntly in comments reported by WDSU: “The leak is obvious, SWB have come out, the thing is to prioritize, and if we can't prioritize, we're just talking.” Pellet has called for urgent action on the leak, according to the same report. SWBNO has said the location sits in a wooded and overgrown area, and the utility has conducted leak detection work at the intersection, per that reporting. The agency says it will assign the leak to the appropriate team and expects repairs to be completed within two weeks. WDSU's report, updated Sunday, also notes that SWBNO discussed the water leak during a joint governmental meeting this month.
A Corridor That Can't Afford More Delay
Alcée Fortier Boulevard is a targeted commercial corridor, according to a 2017 page from the Tulane University Small Center for Collaborative Design. The Façade RENEW project specifically targeted commercial property improvements along that stretch.
This is not the first time this exact intersection has made headlines for water trouble. In November 2025, a water main break in New Orleans East caused distribution pressure to drop below 20 psi, forcing the utility to issue a precautionary boil water advisory for residents along Dwyer Boulevard and Alcée Fortier Boulevard, according to a Sewerage & Water Board press release. The release says SWBNO issued the advisory in consultation with the Louisiana Department of Health and out of caution after pressure fell below 20 psi.
A System Losing Three-Quarters of Its Water
The yearlong delay puts the focus on the utility's broader water-loss problem. By its own Q3 2024 operational update, the utility reported that non-revenue water — treated water lost to leaks, pipe breaks, unbilled usage, or metering errors — accounted for 75.1% of everything it produced.
This article also considers the utility's reporting practices. The city's aging pipes add to the challenges facing the system.
A Citywide Backlog Behind the Single Fix
A work-order dashboard tracks open water service work orders citywide.
SWBNO's own June 2026 Water Distribution System Immediate Action Report offers some structural explanation for the pace of repairs. The Joint Infrastructure Recovery Roads program, a post-Katrina initiative funded through federal disaster recovery grants, has replaced or scheduled 115 miles of water mains — just 7% of the city's entire distribution network. The report also addresses the scope of the city's water-main replacement work.
The frustration in New Orleans East remains the focus here. For now, residents near Alcée Fortier and Dwyer are waiting to see whether the utility's two-week timeline holds.
