05/04/2026
NAS JRB New Orleans Pool Update:
In the Fall of 2023, drought conditions led to a historic saltwater intrusion event affecting Southern Louisiana. A lack of sufficient freshwater flow in the Mississippi River led to saltwater passing from the Gulf and coming dangerously close to compromising the municipal water systems in North Plaquemines Parish, Jefferson Parish, and Orleans Parish. The saltwater intrusion event was significant enough to lead to a Federal Disaster Declaration, mobilization of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ water barges and construction of a sill along the river bottom, and Parish construction tying in the potable water distribution systems of Plaquemines, Jefferson, and Orleans.
This historical drought event also led to significant subsidence of the soil, as groundwater and moisture in the soil left – causing significant shifting below. That soil subsidence resulted in structural cracking in the walls and bottom of the NAS JRB New Orleans’ pool, shifting the pool out-of-level, along with cracking in the water supply and return piping.
Specialty contractors were brought in for an assessment of the pool’s state to help the installation make an informed safety decision. Due to structural damage and damage to the systems that provide recirculation and chlorination of the pool, the pool was closed for safety reasons. Cost estimates to repair the pool were prohibitive in the fiscal environment at that time, and are still so.
As a path forward, a Military Construction (MILCON) project was developed to construct a new pool. This proposed project went on to compete with other projects across the Navy, including aircraft hangars and ship repair facilities, and was ultimately not selected for funding.
As an alternative strategy, the project’s scope and cost was reduced, as has been entered into the Unspecified Military Construction (UMC) program, where we believe it has a better chance of competing with other Navy priorities. We are still awaiting results of the current UMC selection cycle, and if not selected, we will continue to submit the project for future cycles.
As a stopgap measure, we have allocated a portion of our base’s very limited local Facility Sustainment budget towards a Splash Pad. That Splash Pad is currently in the beginning phases of construction near the Sports Complex parking lot. We are pressing to expedite construction, and are optimistic to open the Splash Pad to the public in late-Summer of 2026.
Despite the challenges that we have encountered with bringing a new pool online, we continue to work steadfastly to bring NAS JRB New Orleans a solution. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
