Initial Fears of a Toxic Soup
August 29, 2006 marks the one-year anniversary of when Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana. Following Hurricane Katrina, and then after the compounding effect of Hurricane Rita, it was widely reported and feared that the Louisiana Gulf Coast in general and New Orleans in particular, were being subjected to a “toxic soup” of deadly contaminants that would result in widespread illness and even death. However, based on the laboratory results of thousands of water and sediment samples obtained by Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), the early fears subsided as they as it became evident that widespread contamination had not occurred.

Herein is a brief survey of the environmental conditions in New Orleans, based on the most recent available information. We will survey the various media and contaminant concerns and end with a thought for the future of the area.

Water Quality
Immediately after the storms (meaning both Katrina and Rita), scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Louisiana DEQ started to look for fish kills in the lake and bayous caused by dissolved carbon dioxide, they tracked volatile organic compounds in the canals, and tested for many other parameters. Sampling was conducted regularly and tens of thousands of analyses were made in the following weeks.

The first impressions were grim: “The city of New Orleans acted as one giant settling pond for a few days there,” said Jane Moore, EPA’s officer of environmental information, who coordinated Hurricane recovery efforts. After the Army Corps of Engineers started to pump water back into Lake Pontchartrain, “everyone was pleasantly surprised” to find that the impact on the lake was “not as negative as we thought it would have been,” Moore said.

The surprising positive outcome is likely attributable to the large volume of water, which probably diluted any toxic material hotspots, says Chris Piehler, a DEQ environmental scientist. “Between 4 and 10 percent of Lake Pontchartrain was in the flooded New Orleans area.”

The most recently reported water quality data indicate that oxygen levels are ‘low but recovering’ in the most affected north shore of Lake Ponchartrain and that the bacteria count is only ‘slightly elevated’. Water quality of the coastal marshes south and east of New Orleans is ‘generally unimpacted’. Organic compounds and metals in tested surface waters are mostly not detected. Only two of 40,420 tests exceeded a non-drinking water health standard and only seven of about 2,900 tests contained elevated metals concentrations. Lake Ponchartrain waters remain normal and largely unaffected by water pumped from New Orleans following the storms. This, according to the LDEQ.

Soil
On August 17, 2006, the EPA released the final summary report of sediment sampling conducted in response to the storms. EPA and the LDEQ have collected approximately 1,800 sediment and sediment/soil samples since the flooding of New Orleans and the surrounding parishes. Most of the samples were tested for over 200 metals and organic chemicals. The results were compared to conservative health-based screening levels for residential exposure developed by EPA and LDEQ and indicate that, in general, the sediments left behind by the flooding are not expected to cause adverse health impacts to individuals returning to New Orleans.

A few localized areas were re-assessed due to elevated levels of arsenic, lead, benzo(a)pyrene, and diesel and oil range petroleum. The results of these re-assessments indicated that: 1) the highest concentrations of arsenic were likely associated with herbicides used at or near golf courses; 2) benzo(a)pyrene was found in a small section of the Agriculture Street Landfill Superfund site and will be addressed as the Housing Authority of New Orleans finalizes its plans for badly damaged townhomes in the area; 3) the concentrations of diesel and oil range hydrocarbons are diminishing and will be monitored over time to ensure that these concentrations continue to decrease; and, 4) the elevated levels of lead detected in samples collected by EPA predate the Hurricanes. The lead results from the EPA samples are comparable to the historical concentrations of lead in soil in New Orleans found in studies conducted by local university researchers before the Hurricanes.

The New Orleans Health Department and the State of Louisiana have provided general guidance and precautions for returning residents regarding the diesel and oil range organic chemicals detected. These include:

•	Till sediment into existing soil
•	Re-establish and maintain grass and flower beds
•	Remove sediment from driveways and walkways to help minimize wind-blown dust; and/or
•	Minimize dirt and dust inside homes.

EPA believes the best course of action for diesel and oil range organics is to allow the recommendations from the Health Department and the State of Louisiana to work. EPA will resample 10% of the areas where diesel and/or oil range organics concentrations exceeded the Louisiana guidance levels in six months to confirm that the concentrations continue to decrease as expected. The EPA sediment sampling report can be found here:
Summary Results of Sediment Sampling Conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency in Response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

Trash & Debris
Unlike neighboring Mississippi, in which the debris removal process is about 97% complete, piles of debris are still everywhere to be seen in New Orleans. FEMA has reportedly removed about 42 million cubic yards of debris from Louisiana. However, it is reported that over 17 million cubic yards of debris remain in New Orleans area parishes. Local political squabbles about where to deposit the trash have slowed the process.

Although New Orleans city officials recently announced plans to demolish some of the unsalvageable homes, few have yet to be removed. Locals are worried that after their homes are demolished, they will not be allowed to re-build. Meanwhile the houses are uninhabitable and little progress is being made. The gutting of individual homes still proceeds as home owners raise the money to hire contractors. Many wait months in line for contractor services due to their backlog of work. Volunteer organizations are also still helping people with the arduous house cleaning task. This process is a long way from being complete and as this continues, more debris is generated.

Dust
New Orleans has a very long industrial history which resulted in the presence of elevated concentrations of lead in surficial soils in the city. Vegetation in much of the area submerged under flood waters was killed. The exposed surficial soil in the barren, un-vegetated areas were then susceptible to being blown by the wind. In the weeks after the storms, scientists found evidence of re-deposited soils containing elevated lead concentrations. As discussed above under “Soil”, some guidelines have been issued to help minimize airborne dust and the associated health concerns. It is expected that the volume of windblown dust will diminish as properties are cleaned and the area is re-vegetated and re-developed.

Mold
Mold allergies and other respiratory problems affecting people returning to their homes and workers gutting damaged properties may be the most serious potential health effect in the area. Some homes gutted recently were just opened for the first time since the storms hit and were basically saturated with mold. Even people not necessarily sensitive to mold may be negatively affected due to the high concentrations of mold spores, mildew, and dust in the air inside the structures being repaired. Workers need training to alert them to the potential health hazards associated with working inside moldy homes and structures.

Murphy Oil Company Refinery
In Meraux, Louisiana, just east of New Orleans, Katrina floodwaters moved a partly filled crude oil storage tank off its foundations by a few meters and more than 25,110 barrels (1.05 million gallons) of oil were released, affecting about 1,800 homes in St. Bernard Parish. This was the fourth largest spill to affect the region. Tests of the floodwaters at some affected sites revealed concentrations of petroleum solvents and other petrochemicals. On January 3, 2006, a federal judge certified a class-action lawsuit against Murphy Oil regarding the spill. The decision merely established limitations regarding contact between Murphy and individual homeowners who have not yet settled with the oil company. EPA and LDEQ are overseeing Murphy Oil’s ongoing sampling and cleanup activities at residences and public properties that were affected. Download the Murphy Oil EPA Fact Sheet in PDF:
http://epa.gov/region6/katrina/pdfs/murphy_oil_fctsht_2_2006.pdf

The Human Toll
Although the environmental effects of the storms have turned out to not be as bad as feared, the real tragedy is the human factor. Many people are still displaced and may never return. Large areas of New Orleans still look as they did shortly after the storms, devastated, but without the standing water. The hardest hit areas (the Ninth Ward in New Orleans and nearby St. Bernard Parish, including communities such as Chalmette) remain largely untouched.

The effect on lives, property, businesses, and the local economy have been devastating. Parts of the area remain without utilities. The National Guard still patrols. Although some people are returning in St. Bernard Parish with FEMA trailers in driveways and front yards, block after block remains abandoned. But despite the hardships, the work continues. Although hundreds of homes lie rotting, homeowners are still gutting their homes. The re-building and re-claiming of former homes is proceeding very slowly and in a patch-work fashion and although the stress the people are under is not easy to bear, they soldier on.

Hope for the Future
We all want New Orleans to succeed, but the people there still need help. After being there on relief trips three times, I am optimistic because of the fortitude of the local people and because of the broad outpouring of assistance from volunteers from across the nation. According to reports, volunteers have played a major role in assisting residents in making progress and in gaining hope. Volunteers, many associated with churches from practically every state in the country, have traveled to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast and continue to help families and individuals clean up and rebuild. These outsiders, unpaid and traveling long distances, have gone only to help. As one couple who lost their home commented about the volunteers who helped them rebuild their home “Nobody did nothing for us until these people came”.

There are plans being laid and implemented by several volunteer groups to provide long term assistance. One such group plans to build 1,000 homes over the next two years, despite obstacles caused by local governmental red tape. Money from the federal government is starting to flow into the area which should provide a needed economic boost.

Summary
Progress is being made, and as we all go about our business wherever we are, the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast keep re-building. Many ask ‘why would they even want to?’ As one Ninth Ward resident put it, “The community is filled with multi-generational, unbreakable ties. Despite the hardships, it’s simply home”.

References/Sources
EPA RegionVI
GeoTimes, February 2006, Naomi Lubick, After Katrina: Tracking Air and Water Quality.
Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
World Magazine, August 26, 2006, Dark to Daylight.