S&WB really needs to take that backward pumping option off of the machine.
A crucial oversight by Sewerage & Water Board workers at a Gentilly pump station worsened nearby street flooding on Friday, when intense rains pounded New Orleans at rates far beyond what the drainage system can quickly handle.
As operators attempted to fire up the five pumps at Drainage Pump Station No. 4 along the London Avenue Canal, they neglected to open a sluice gate that ensures water flows in the right direction, according to an S&WB after-action report. Failure to open the gate forced three of the pumps to trip offline, and they remained out of service for more than two hours.
Looks like they are trying to do that, anyway.
S&WB Executive Director Ghassan Korban said he did not know how the gate was overlooked, but added that “there was no questionable behavior” on the part of employees.
“They were running like crazy trying to do so much stuff at the same time,” Korban said in an interview Wednesday morning after an S&WB meeting. “There are checklists, there are procedures, and something was overlooked. Obviously the checklists are designed to prevent that from happening. Nonetheless, it did happen.”
But it's hard to stick to the procedures and checklists and stuff when things are "running like crazy." For example, what if it is raining? Anyway, they gotta put some tape over the reverse button or something. It's not like this is the first time this has happened.
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