Hurricane Katrina Survivor: Headworks® MS Series Bar Screen, New Orleans, LA

In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina penetrated through the Southeast region of the United States causing unimaginable destruction in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. One of the most devastated of these areas was the City of New Orleans which is still recovering today from the Hurricane’s aftermath. The flooding that resulted from Hurricane Katrina left many sections of the city under water, in addition to causing substantial structural devastation such as broken bridges; buckled roadways; damaged homes, buildings and power lines. Consequently, one year later, the City of New Orleans is still living in a total reconstructive nightmare!

Problems with unclean wastewater and other sanitation issues have been an ongoing setback within New Orleans. Needless to say, it is critical that a city’s wastewater treatment plants are up and running because they impact the health and livelihood of surrounding residents. Wastewater plants are the first lines of defense in protecting public from diseases caused by bacteria, pollution, toxins, etc. in untreated wastewater.

The East Bank Sewage Treatment Plant, also known as the Main Wastewater Treatment Plant, for the City of New Orleans was affected by Hurricane Katrina. It was located in an area hardest hit by the hurricane, at one point lying underneath 20 feet of water. Even today, one year later, the plant still has operational challenges. All communications are by satellite telephone.

The Headworks® MS Series Bar screens have been the vanguard of the plant during this crisis. Six Headworks MS Series Bar Screens began operation at East Bank WWTP in 2001. Remarkably, the Headworks MS Series Bar Screens sustained no damage from the hurricane other than a few motors which submerged and had to be replaced. The endurance of the Headworks MS Series Bar Screens in the New Orleans East Bank Plant is a true testament of the strength and durability of the Headworks brand. Before using the Headworks MS Series Bar Screen, the City of New Orleans protected their wastewater treatment plant with “climber” type screens. The climber screens required excessive maintenance and had a history of equipment failure causing channel flooding. When the East Bank Plant was in need of replacements, an alternative screening method was sought to avoid these problems. The Headworks MS Series Bar Screen was presented. The City was particularly intrigued by the lower bearings which improved engagement of the rake bars and enhanced the effective cleaning of the screenfield.