PROGRESS REPORT

Since September 2005, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) have worked together to address environmental hazards from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to help Orleans Parish recover.

One of EPA's and LDEQ's first priorities was to ensure residents returning to all the cities affected by the hurricanes had safe drinking water. Throughout Louisiana, 190 assessments were conducted at drinking water facilities, of which 7 were in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines 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 facilities from February 20th to March 6th. During this time, 562 facilities in southern Louisiana were addressed, including 57 facilities in Orleans Parish. The site visits and interviews established that employees 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 hurricanes, by flood waters and/or from heat exposure. EPA and LDEQ, in coordination with the Louisiana State Police and local fire departments, removed dangerous chemicals from 116 schools in southern Louisiana. Seventy-five schools in Orleans Parish were assessed; chemicals were removed from 27 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 collected 3,990,670 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 Orleans Parish, EPA and LDEQ have disposed of 10,082,317 pounds of waste as of August 31, 2008.

In response to community concerns about potential harm from firearms, ammunition and explosives, EPA began collecting these materials for appropriate disposal in January 2006. In southeastern Louisiana parishes, 2,119 firearms and 83,511 pounds of ammunition, explosives, fireworks and other similar items were collected. As of August 31, 2008, across southern Louisiana, a total of 2,343 firearms and 96.946 pounds of ammunition, explosives, fireworks and other similar items have been collected.

*Reflects more than Orleans Parish activities.