HURRICANE UNIFIED COMMAND Plaquemines Parish fry ¦h. PRO"** 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. ------- |