New Orleans' water system overhaul gets first test in state legislature today

A major effort to overhaul the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board gets its first test in the state capitol.

The New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board is a state-created entity, which means if changes need to be made, it can only happen when the legislature is in session.

Becky Mowbray, president and CEO of the Bureau of Governmental Research, says Rep. Stephanie Hilferty's bill would authorize more local control.

"It puts the city council in a much more powerful role than it's been in the past," Mowbray said. "It increases the independence of the Sewerage and Water Board, but it also greatly increases the power of the city council to provide oversight of our water, sewerage, and drainage system.

Mowbray says that would make the city's water and drainage system more accountable to its residents, removing a layer of government between the Sewerage and Water Board and the people of New Orleans.