New Orleans seeks help from residents to clear catch basins

Last week, the City of New Orleans released a new website to help residents monitor catch basins in their neighborhoods. Maintained by New Orleans’s information Technology and Innovation Department, the website lists over 65,000 catch basins residents can adopt.

After the August 5 storm, which caused flooding in several New Orleans neighborhoods, Mayor Mitch Landrieu and the Department of Public Works have urged residents to clear catch basins from superficial debris, such as leaves and trash.

While initially overwhelming, users can click on any catch basin to begin the adoption process after signing up for an account. Once clicked, a catch basin can be named. After it’s adopted, a resident can clear the catch basin of any debris and report it as cleaned on the same website. The provided information will then be sent to the City of New Orleans for further analysis. Residents can also report if catch basins are not properly draining after being cleared.

According to the Department of Public works, 85 percent off catch basins are clogged with superficial debris that can be safely removed by residents.

Since last August, The Department of Public Works has budgeted $22 million to clear 15,000 drains in 120 days.

Recently, The City of New Orleans parted ways with a contractor that failed to meet the recent quota, later demonstrating it did not have the proper equipment to complete the task.

To further promote catch basin cleanups, the Mayor’s Neighborhood Engagement Office is holding neighborhood cleanups throughout this October.

The Adopt-A-Catchbasin website is the second web-based application to be released by the City after the August 5 flood.

• Adopt-A-Catchbasin [City of New Orleans]
• Updates on New Orleans August Rainfall: Floods, drainage, impact, and pump capacity [Curbed NOLA]
• Catch basin cleaner loses New Orleans job over dumping 'cans, bottles, Mardi Gras beads' [Nola.com]
• New Orleans has a new traffic and flood tracker app [Curbed NOLA]