The New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board is struggling to meet its catch basin cleaning goal. According to one city council member, the job won't be completed any time soon if work continues at its current pace.
"It would take us 30 years to clean all of the catch basins, and that's just not going to cut it," councilman Joe Giarusso told WWL's Tommy Tucker. "Catch basins and linear lines are a feature of public safety, and we can't be drowning in the middle of hurricane season because we didn't spend money cleaning them properly."
Giarusso says it's time for the city council to step up and find the funding the S&W Board needs to get the catch basin cleaning project done.
"The idea is you obviously need to have enough money to do it," Giarusso said. "We just need to go back to the budget in the middle of the year, which is right about now, and say: this is how much money they have. Where is the money they're owed? Do we allocate more money--which I would advocate 'yes,' if available."
However, Giarusso added that the S&W Board needs to show its work.
"Sewerage and Water Board needs to tell the public what they've done with the money so far," Giarusso said. "I know they've been doing work, but I haven't seen it quantified."