HURRICANE UNIFIED COMMAND
Plaquemines Parish

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LOUISIANA
i October 2006
Completion Report
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
AT A GLANCE
4
Drinking Water Plant
Assessments
84
Wastewater Facility
Assessments
26
industry Damage
Assessments
210,328
Hazardous Material
Containers Collected
11,584
Electronic Items
Collected
5,545
White Goods Collected
1,556
Pounds of Freon
Extracted
61,808
Pounds of
Ammunition/Explosives
Collected*
4,639,178
Pounds of Cumulative
Waste Disposed
10
School Lab
Assessments
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
Plaquemines 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. Throughout
Louisiana, assessments were
conducted at drinking water
facilities, of which four were in
Plaquemines Parish. Similarly,
84 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. Facilities in
southern Louisiana were ad-
dressed, including26 facilities in
Plaquemines Parish. The site
visits and interviews established
that employees could return to
work at facilities operating in accordance with federal and state regu-
lations.
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
flood 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.
Ten schools in Plaquemines Parish were assessed; chemicals were
removed from four 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
Jl
me
waste going to Louisiana's municipal landfills, EPA and LDEQ col-
lected 227,457 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
Plaquemines Parish, EPA and LDEQ have disposed of 4,639,478
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. In southeastern Lou-
isiana parishes, 61,808 pounds of ammunition, explosives, fireworks
and other similar items were collected. As of September 30, 2006, a
total of lOlfirearms were collected in Plaquemines Parish.
Left:
Damaged and
scattered
hazardous waste
containers were
retrieved
throughout
Plaquemines
Parish.

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