Down the Drain is a WWL-TV investigative project that explores what went wrong and where the blame lies for New Orleans' drainage crisis. Down the Drain was reported and produced by WWL-TV's investigative team: Katie Moore, David Hammer, Mike Perlstein, TJ Pipitone and Danny Monteverde with online content by Sam Winstrom and Kevin Dupuy.

The Investigation Continues

The flash of lightning and the rumble of thunder was enough to take notice, but not to cause concern.

At least when it began.

Read the latest coverage

Timeline of Events

Timeline of Events

Heavy rains filled parts of New Orleans on August 5. Mistakes were made that day but problems had existed for a long time.

Read story
Caught in the Storm

Caught in the Storm

For the second time in two weeks, parts of the city flooded. This time, residents had enough.

Read story
The Untapped Cash

The Untapped Cash

As the drainage system sat in disrepair, tens of millions in federal funds were unused in city accounts.

Read story
Listen to the 911 Calls

Listen to the 911 Calls

Frantic calls from across the city flood the 911 center as water continued to rise.

Read story
Videos From the Flood

Videos From the Flood

WWL-TV crews and Eyewitness News viewers captured scenes of flooded streets and homes.

Read story
From Ideal to Inept in 100 years

From Ideal to Inept in 100 years

Once state-of-the art, New Orleans’ aging drainage system is now crumbling with very few upgrades in decades.

Read story
Repaired doesn’t mean fixed

Repaired doesn’t mean fixed

Even when the pumps work properly, the water still has to get there. Often, that is a problem.

Read story
The Power Problem

The Power Problem

"You have the oldest power generation plant in America ... There is no one that's older. It's tired, it's old."

Read story
An Inch the First Hour?

An Inch the First Hour?

It has become an old adage, ‘The pumps can handle an inch of rain the first hour, half an inch every hour after that.

Read story
Cedric Grant: Divided Focus

Cedric Grant: Divided Focus

A deep dive into Cedric Grant's calendar reveals a man torn between two jobs.

Read story
Workforce Poorly Equipped

Workforce Poorly Equipped

"This system has been in perpetual emergency for quite some time now. It operates on an emergency basis almost daily,"

Read story
Millions more than 'reasonable'

Millions more than 'reasonable'

Records show $20 million in fees are going to an out-of-state consultant to manage a power plant construction project that's been -- by most regards -- a failure.

Read story
Cleaning the Mess

Cleaning the Mess

At the time of the August 5 flood, just two of the city’s vacuum trucks were operational.

Read story
What’s Next?

What’s Next?

What can New Orleans do to fix these problems for a better drainage and pumping system.

Read story

Join the ‘Down the Drain’ Facebook Group

Problems with flooding? An unusually high water bill? The official "Down the Drain" Facebook group is the place to go.

Join Group

Share Your Story

Complete this form to contact the WWL-TV Investigative team.

Submit Tip