HURRICANE UNIFIED COMMAND
Lafourche Parish

August 2006
Completion Report
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
ATAGUNCE
3
Drinking Water Plant
Assessments
99
Wastewater Facility
Assessments
32
Industiy Damage
Assessments
34.496
Hazardous Materials
Containers Collected
179
Electronic Items
Collected
4,041
White Goods Collected
603
# of Appliances from
which Freon was
Extracted
160.665
Pounds of Cumulative
Waste Disposed
34
School Lab
Assessments
LaFourche Parish were addressed
established that employees could
ing in accordance with federal and
Since September 2005, the
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and the Louisi-
ana Department of Environ-
mental Quality (LDEQ) have
worked together to address
environmental hazards from
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to
help LaFourche Parish recover.
One of EPA and LDEQ's first
priorities was to ensure
residents returning to all the
cities affected by the hurri-
canes had safe drinking water.
Throughout Lafourche Parish
3 assessments were con-
ducted at drinking water
Facilities. Similarly, 99
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 facilities
through March 2006. During
this time 32 facilities in
. The site visits and interviews
return to work at facilities operat-
state regulations.
St. Tammany Parish
St. Bernard
Plaquemines
going to Louisiana's municipal landfills, EPA and LDEQ collected
38,716 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 LaFourche
Parish, EPA and LDEQ have disposed of 160,665 pounds of waste.
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 coordi-
nation with the Louisiana State Police and local fire departments,
removed dangerous chemicals from schools in southern Louisiana.
Thirty-four schools in LaFourche Parish were assessed; chemicals
were removed from six 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
Above; EPA prepares a collection site for further packing of
hazardous materials for disposal.

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