Water woes linger in New Orleans after wayward balloon causes power glitch, pressure drop

Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Much of New Orleans was under a boil water advisory two days after a Mylar balloon struck power lines near the water plant, leading to a drop in water pressure. Utility companies nationwide have been warning for years about the hazards of Mylar balloons. The metallic, film-coated balloons have been blamed for a growing number of outages over the years. They are also considered a litter problem and a threat to wildlife when they eventually come down. A small section of New Orleans got the all-clear to use tap water again without boiling it Thursday. Then the boil water advisory was fully lifted citywide later Thursday after officials said no contaminants were found in tests of the water.