NEW ORLEANS, LA - On Wednesday, July 22, 2026, the Council held a Joint Utility, Cable, Telecommunications, and Technology and Public Works, Sanitation, and Environment Committee. During the meeting, the committees received presentations from the Lincoln Beach Restoration project, Entergy New Orleans (ENO), and the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO). The committees also discussed and voted on two resolutions.

Update on Lincoln Beach Restoration Project

Chief Sustainability Officer Meagan Williams provided an update on the Lincoln Beach Restoration project. Williams provided a presentation detailing progress on Phase One of the restoration project as of June 2026, with the focus of Phase One being access and parking improvements, bridge and utility improvements, restroom restoration, beach and shoreline restoration, waterfront repairs, and overall historic Lincoln Beach restoration.

As of June 2026, the project has already hit major milestones for Phase One. These include receiving Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) packages One and Two relating to the parking lot design and the bridge, utilities, and tunnel designs, respectively. The project also completed technical reviews from the City.

Williams stated that Phase One is still on track for completion in fall or winter of 2027, barring any delays from extreme weather.

To view the full presentation, click here.

Hurricane Preparedness from ENO and SWBNO

Both ENO and SWBNO gave presentations on hurricane preparedness as the City moves further into the 2026 hurricane season.

ENO outlined its year-round hurricane preparedness efforts, emphasizing continuous weather monitoring, proactive grid inspections and maintenance, continuous employee training, and mutual assistance agreements to strengthen storm response. ENO also provided estimated outage timelines, which vary based on storm intensity.

The utility company also explained its electrical restoration process, beginning with power plants, substations, and transmission lines before moving to distribution lines, essential community facilities such as hospitals and water treatment plants, neighborhoods, and finally individual homes and businesses with localized damage.

The presentation also highlighted Entergy's customer communication strategy, starting before hurricane season with outreach and continuing through landfall, storm aftermath, and restoration. Customers get updates on damage, restoration times, outages, and support, while Entergy works with emergency centers and various communities throughout the City.

To view ENO’s full presentation, click here.

The SWBNO outlined its hurricane preparedness efforts, including upgrades to power reliability, enhanced storm staffing, ongoing pump repairs, and targeted catch basin cleaning.

The agency reported that several drainage pumps remain under repair, with temporary pumping capacity in place where needed. SWBNO also emphasized that the City's drainage system is designed to manage one inch of rainfall in the first hour and one-half inch per hour thereafter, meaning heavier rainfall can take several hours to drain even when catch basins are clear, as water must move through the entire drainage network before being pumped into Lake Pontchartrain.

Additionally, SWBNO provided updates on the July 11, 2026 flooding event, the Morrison Road water main repair, and the Florida Avenue bridge.

SWBNO reported that the July 11 flooding was caused by intense rainfall and localized pump station issues. Parts of Carrollton, Hollygrove, and Uptown received more than 3.5 inches of rain in one hour, with peak rainfall rates reaching 6.5–7.5 inches per hour. Flooding in Hollygrove, Mid-City, and portions of Lakeview and City Park was worsened by operational issues at the Pritchard and DPS 7 pump stations, while flooding in Uptown and Carrollton was primarily due to the volume of rainfall.

In response, the agency has simplified pump operating procedures, retrained staff, increased on-site monitoring during rain events, and is implementing automatic pump trip notifications to improve response times.

The water main repair at 12500 Morrison Road has been completed as of July 18, with repaving completion still pending. Additionally, the Florida Avenue Bridge officially reopened on July 11. Additional work on the bridge will be done later this year.

To view SWBNO’s full presentation, click here.

ENO-related Resolutions

The joint committees favorably recommended an amended resolution relating to Docket No. UD-17-04. The resolution sets a procedural schedule to revisit and revise the standards set in UD-17-04. Additionally, it provides a scope and timeline for revisiting the 2018 Quanta Report. The amendment requires ENO to report feeder-level performance using IEEE Standards, as well as requiring the company to report performance, including during major weather event days.

The committee also favorably recommended a resolution relating to Docket No. UD-18-07 considering ENO’s request to extend its Electric Formula Rate Plan (FRP) through 2030, allowing annual evaluation filings from 2027 through 2030 instead of requiring a new base rate case.

ENO also provided a brief presentation regarding the July 4th French Quarter event and the recent outages in the North Kenilworth area.

To view the full presentation, click here.

To view the meeting agenda, click here.

To view the full meeting, click here.