More on the Sewerage & Water Board System

The New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board uses a peculiar system made up of equipment and technology cobbled together over more than a century. Here's more on the system (in sharable Tweet-form):

S&WB 25-cycle power system established in 1903.

— Jason Saul (@jasonmsaul) March 3, 2013

S&WB will be building water towers to even out fluctuations in system. Currently two towers: Lower Coast Algiers and Venetian Isles.

— Jason Saul (@jasonmsaul) March 3, 2013

S&WB power plant came online in 1903.

— Jason Saul (@jasonmsaul) March 3, 2013

The Sewerage and Water Board drainage system relies on Woods screw pumps, the original pumps used to drain the Gentilly, etc. swamps.

— Jason Saul (@jasonmsaul) March 3, 2013

The flooded Woods pumps were rewound after Katrina (wrapped with new copper wire) and put back into service.

— Jason Saul (@jasonmsaul) March 3, 2013

S&WB has it's own power grid. Can't convert pumps, though there are power converters from Entergy lines.

— Jason Saul (@jasonmsaul) March 3, 2013

The separate power grid operates as a redundancy, because, well, Entergy.

— Jason Saul (@jasonmsaul) March 3, 2013

Nobody produces anything like Woods pumps any longer. In terms of capacity and fiscal reasonability, we're stuck w/what we've got.

— Jason Saul (@jasonmsaul) March 3, 2013

The water system also operates on 25-cycle power, but makes its own power. It needs to keep pumping to keep producing electricity.

— Jason Saul (@jasonmsaul) March 3, 2013

If any part of the self-generation process goes out: poof. Amoebas.

— Jason Saul (@jasonmsaul) March 3, 2013

A drop in water pressure means water leaks back into system from end users, and through cracks in the pipes. Sewerage system is separate.

— Jason Saul (@jasonmsaul) March 3, 2013