While the 2022 annual report from the New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board shows a lot of success, there are still challenges facing the city when it comes to getting water to residents.
Sewerage & Water Board Director Ghassan Korban joined WWL’s Newell Normand this week to discuss those challenges and how they might be addressed in the future.
“Obviously, the biggest challenge continues to be our billing,” said Korban. “We’ve always admitted that, acknowledged that, and we are not going to relent until that is all fixed… we have an interim solution that is in the works and we think it will provide us a temporary relief, so to speak, before the smart meter is fully implemented.”
In the past, WWL has reported on the board overbilling 60% of customers. However, there are also issues related to delinquency and lost revenues.
“As I talk to my counterparts in other cities and other utilities – I can tell you that delinquency is a real thing across the nation,” Korban explained.
In an effort to solve these billing issues, new “smart” water meters are expected to be deployed. These are expected to provide more timely, accurate water usage readings. Korban said the smart meter program will also include a customer portal that should help customers better understand their consumption and manage their use.
“We have made significant progress in terms of kicking off the smart meter program because we know that is the only solution for our continued challenges with billing,” he said.
What other changes are in store for Sewerage and Water? Find out by listening to the full conversation here.
Related
