Wood was hired by the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans in 1899, to try to improve the flood-prone city's drainage, Wood invented "flapgates" and other hydraulic devices, most notably his efficient low-maintenance, high-volume pumps including the Wood Screw Pump (1913) and the Wood Trash Pump (1915). He spearheaded swampland reclamation and development of much of the land now occupied by the city.
Wood was hired by the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans in 1899, to try to improve the flood-prone city's drainage, Wood invented "flapgates" and other hydraulic devices, most notably his efficient low-maintenance high-volume pumps in,cluding the Wood Screw Pump (1913) and the Wood Trash Pump (1915). He spearheaded swampland reclamation and development of much of the land now occupied by the city.