A boil water advisory was issued for the entire east bank of New Orleans and Algiers Point after a floating metallic balloon caused a power outage.

On Tuesday, August 6, around 7 p.m., a sudden drop in water pressure was reported across several parts of the city, prompting the New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board (S&WB) to issue the advisory at 8:17 p.m.

The water pressure fell below the necessary 20 pounds per square inch due to a power failure at the Carrollton Water Treatment plant, briefly affecting the Algiers Water Treatment plant as well.

Entergy New Orleans confirmed that a Mylar balloon contacting a power line near the Carrollton plant caused a brief power fluctuation, tripping the pumps offline, Fox 8 Live has reported.

The S&WB switched to backup power and additional pumps, but not before the water pressure dropped, necessitating the precautionary boil water advisory.

Written by B.C. Begley