HURRICANE UNIFIED COMMAND Iberia Parish fry ¦h. PRO"** LOUISIANA October 2006 Completion Report ACCOMPLISHMENTS ATAGUNCE 8 Drinking Water Plant Assessments 21 Wastewater Facility Assessments 25 Industry Damage Assessments* 56,224 Hazardous Materials Containers Collected* 1,180 Electronic Items Collected* 13,488 Pounds of Ammunition/Explosives Collected* 376,728 Pounds of Cumulative Waste Disposed 36 School Lab Assessments Since September 2005, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Louisiana Depart- ment of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) have worked together to address environmental hazards from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to help Iberia 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, assessments were conducted at drinking water facilities, of which 8 were in Iberia Parish. Similarly, 21 wastewater treatment plants were assessed for damage. Next, EPA and LDEQ turned to federally-permitted facilities. The agencies conducted inter- views and site visits at hazard- ous waste storage, transfer or disposal facilities , During this time, facilities in southern Louisiana were addressed, including 25 Iberia Parish facilities in Iberia Parish. The site visits and interviews established that employees could return to work at facilities operating in accor- dance 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 schools in southern Louisiana. Some chemical containers were found to be damaged by the hurricanes, by fiood waters and/or from heat exposure. EPA and LDEQ, in coordina- tion with the Louisiana State Police and local fire departments, re- moved dangerous chemicals from schools in southern Louisiana. Thirty-six schools in Iberia Parish were assessed: chemicals were removed from eight of them. Paint and computers in homes under normal circumstances are not usually considered hazardous. However, when hundreds of thou- sands of these items become waste products at the same time, the hazardous components in them could create problems. To help re- move these materials from the waste going to Louisiana's municipal landfills, EPA and LDEQ collected 58,404 units consisting of appli- ances, hazardous waste containers, and home electronics. The haz- ardous materials were recycled or disposed in landfills designed to handle them safely. In Iberia Parish, EPA and LDEQ disposed of 376,728 pounds of waste as of September 30, 2006. 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. As of September 30, 2006, in southwest and south-central Louisiana, 224 firearms and 13,488 pounds of ammunition, explosives, fireworks and other simi- lar items were collected. Left: EPA assessing a wastewater facility for damage. * Reflects more than Iberia Parish Activities. ------- |