HURRICANE UNIFIED COMMAND
St. Bernard Parish


PRO"**
111..
DEQ
LOUISIANA^
Progress Report
St. Tammany Parish
St. James
St. Charles
Lafourche
St. Bernard Parish
Terrebonne
Since September 2005, the
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and the Louisiana
Department of Environmental
Quality (LDEQ) have worked
together to address environ
mental hazards from Hurri-
canes Katrina and Rita to help
St. Bernard Parish recover.
One of EPA and LDEQ's first
priorities was to ensure resi-
dents returning to all the cities
affected by the hurricanes had
safe drinking water. Through-
out Louisiana, 190 assess-
ments were conducted at
drinking water facilities, of
which 7 were in Orleans,
Jefferson, Plaquemines, and St.
Bernard Parishes. Similarly,
316 wastewater treatment
plants were assessed for
damage.
Next, EPA and LDEQ turned to
federally-permitted facilities. The
agencies conducted interviews
and site visits at hazardous waste
storage, transfer or disposal facili-
ties from February 20th to March 6th. During this time, 562 facilities
in southern Louisiana were addressed, including 23 facilities in St.
Bernard Parish. The site visits and interviews established that em-
ployees could return to work at facilities operating in accordance
with federal and state regulations.
Because of concerns that damaged chemicals in school biology and
chemistry laboratories could cause a health hazard, EPA and LDEQ
conducted assessments at 362 schools in southern Louisiana.
Some chemical containers were found to be damaged by the hurri-
canes, by flood waters and/or from heat exposure. EPA and LDEQ,
in coordination with the Louisiana State Police and local fire depart-
ments, removed dangerous chemicals from 116 schools in southern
Louisiana. Twenty schools in St. Bernard Parish were assessed;
chemicals were removed from one of them.
Paint, computers, washing machines, and refrigerators in homes
under normal circumstances are not usually considered hazardous.
However, when hundreds of thousands of these items become waste
products at the same time, the hazardous components in them
could create problems. To help remove these materials from the
waste going to Louisiana's municipal landfills, EPA and LDEQ col-
lected 2,056,219 units consisting of appliances, hazardous waste
containers, and home electronics. The hazardous materials were
recycled or disposed in landfills designed to handle them safely. In
St. Bernard Parish, EPA and LDEQ have disposed of 3,518,954
pounds of waste as of August 31, 2007.
In response to community concerns about potential harm from fire-
arms, ammunition and explosives, EPA began collecting these mate-
rials for appropriate disposal in January 2006. In southeastern Lou
isiana parishes, 2,094 firearms and 83,144 pounds of ammunition,
explosives, fireworks and other similar items were collected. As of
August 31, 2007, across southern Louisiana, a total of 2,318 fire-
arms and 96,632 pounds of ammunition, explosives, fireworks and
other similar items have been collected.
Above: EPA collecting a hazardous waste container damaged from
the hurricanes.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
ATAGUNCE
7
Drinking Water Plant
Assessments*
316
Wastewater Facility
Assessments*
23
Industry Damage
Assessments
1,659,663
Hazardous Waste
Containers Collected
385,574
Electronic Items
Collected
10,982
White Goods Collected
83,144
Pounds of Ammuni-
tion/Explosives Col-
lected*
3,518,954
Pounds of Cumulative
Waste Disposed
20
School Lab
Assessments
^Reflects more than St. Bernard Parish activities

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