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 St. Bernard 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, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard 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 23 facilities in St. Bernard 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. Twenty schools in St. Bernard Parish were assessed; chemicals were removed from one 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 have collected 2,065,945 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 St. Bernard Parish, EPA and LDEQ have disposed of 3,518,954 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 96,999 pounds of ammunition, explosives, fireworks and other similar items have been collected.

*Reflects more than St. Bernard Parish activities.