Link to site: Great uncertainties remain about the health risks from contamination left by Hurricane Katrina

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- Exposure to contaminated sediments and widespread mold in water-logged homes as well as people breathing unhealthy air that includes fine, contaminated dust.
- Samples of floodwater and sediment in New Orleans have shown high levels of bacteria, fecal contamination as well as arsenic and lead
- "The EPA ... will not lift the evacuation order and tell people it's safe to go back,"
- growing concern about contaminated dust getting into the air from dried sediment, or mold-contaminated structures
H. JOSEF HEBERT, The Associated Press, September 29, 2005
WASHINGTON -- Federal officials acknowledged great uncertainties remain about the health risks from contamination left by Hurricane Katrina but said Thursday the decision on whether people should return to New Orleans is a local one.

As water is drained from the city, among the new worries cited at a congressional hearing are exposure to contaminated sediments and widespread mold in water-logged homes as well as people breathing unhealthy air that includes fine, contaminated dust.

Ed Mendel, of Palm Beach, Fla., surveys a wrecked neighborhood in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans Thursday, Sept. 29, 2005. Mendel, a volunteer firefighter, brought his homemade deep water rescue vehicle to the city Wednesday after helping with rescue operations in Cameron, La., in the wake of Hurricane Rita. One month after Hurricane Katrina hit, the Ninth Ward remains partially flooded after a levy broke following both Katrina and Rita. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) (Charlie Riedel - AP)

"This a very complex environmental situation -- sediment, mold, debris removal," Dr. Henry Falk, director for environmental health and injury prevention at the Centers for Disease Control, told a House hearing on Katrina's environmental impacts.

While 80 percent of the drinking water systems in the region affected by Katrina were again operating, water systems that once served 2.3 million people, many in New Orleans, remain shut down, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Samples of floodwater and sediment in New Orleans have shown high levels of bacteria, fecal contamination as well as arsenic and lead and the EPA acknowledges those samples are "snapshots" that do not give a total picture and may miss contamination hotspots.

Falk and Deputy EPA Administrator Marcus Peacock told the House hearing that environmental conditions vary in different parts of the city and decisions to allow people back should be made on a neighborhood basis.

Rep. Lois Capps, D-Calif., wondered why the EPA should not make the decision on whether it's safe for people to return to New Orleans.

"The EPA ... will not lift the evacuation order and tell people it's safe to go back," replied Peacock, adding that is the responsibility of local officials.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is pushing aggressively to reopen the city and have people return.

Visiting the stricken Gulf region on Thursday, EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson declined to take a position on Nagin's approach, but noted the city's bacteria-laden floodwaters, lack of drinking water and sewage system as areas of continued concern.

Falk, testifying before the House Energy and Commerce environment subcommittee, said there could be long-term chronic health problems for some people as a result of returning to New Orleans.

"The potential for any long lasting effects depends on the degree of exposure. ... How long people are exposed" to contaminated sediments, bacteria-laden floodwater or other health hazards, said Falk.

As floodwater recede, there is growing concern about contaminated dust getting into the air from dried sediment, or mold-contaminated structures, environmentalists said.

Peacock said that EPA's ground-based air monitoring is only beginning, although an extensive sampling program is planned "to assess potential inhalation risks from particulates."

Environmentalists and citizen advocates said the EPA is understating the health risks in New Orleans and that federal and local officials are not providing people with information they need to decide whether to return.

Erik Olson, an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group, said the EPA monitors showed unhealthy levels of benzene and other toxic chemicals in the air in some areas of the city.

"Returning citizens and many responders do not understand the risks," Olson told the subcommittee.

"If you read the (EPA) web site (showing sampling results) you practically have to have a degree in chemistry to understand it," he said, adding that most people seeking to return to New Orleans don't have computers to even get that information.

Peacock said the EPA and Coast Guard responded to more than 400 reported oil or chemical spills, including five major spills in the New Orleans area, releasing more than 8 million gallons. Environmentalists contend those numbers understate the situation and do not include oil that has leaked from some 350,000 motor vehicles and toxic chemicals from industrial sources.

In a bit of good news, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported Thursday that tests on fish caught in the Gulf of Mexico two weeks after Hurricane Katrina showed no increases in contamination by oil.

Additional tests for exposure to bacteria, pesticides and other toxic chemicals have not been completed. Testing of shrimp samples from Mississippi Sound also are still underway.

Link to site: Scientists and research centers from across the country came together to generate information on the contaminated floodwaters and offer it to hazardous materials experts and public health officials.

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- developing forecasts that will predict the circulation of those foul waters
- three-dimensional computer program that can be used to model water levels and flow.


CHAPEL HILL -- In the immediate wake of Hurricane Katrina, scientists and research centers from across the country came together to generate information on the contaminated floodwaters and offer it to hazardous materials experts and public health officials.

In a matter of hours, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Marine Sciences Program and Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI), together with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), played a key role in that effort by providing rapid-response computing and modeling capability.

Floodwaters containing organic and chemical pollutants such as sewage and oil still cover swaths of Mississippi and Louisiana. To aid cleanup, researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Coast Survey Development Laboratory (CSDL), along with UNC faculty, have been developing forecasts that will predict the circulation of those foul waters.

A group of researchers, including Drs. Richard Luettich and Brian Blanton, marine scientists in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences, has developed a three-dimensional computer program that can be used to model water levels and flow. This program, "ADCIRC," is what experts call a hydrodynamic code. Previously, the code was used largely for after-the-fact analyses of coastal circulation, but researchers now believe it can help produce answers during a crisis.

Blanton and Luettich, assistant research professor and professor of marine sciences, respectively, knew that to simulate the required 60 days of water velocity and water surface elevation they would need more computational power then they had at the university. They asked UNC’s Dr. Daniel A. Reed for help -- based on their NOAA--funded collaboration with RENCI -- to establish a computational system with Web access for rapid-response forecasting to severe weather.

Reed is Chancellor’s Eminent professor and vice chancellor for information technology at UNC. North Carolina’s 2005-06 budget includes $5.9 million in new funding for RENCI, a collaboration of UNC, Duke and NC State that is based on the Chapel Hill campus and run by Reed. RENCI is slated to receive $11.8 million in recurring funding thereafter.

"If we had a month to do these runs, we could do them on our desktop computers or on a small cluster, but to do it literally overnight requires some horsepower," Blanton said.

Reed, former director of NCSA, connected Blanton and Leuttich with NCSA, the National Science Foundation-supported supercomputing center located at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Using NCSA’s Xeon system, a state-of-the-art parallel computer called Tungsten, the researchers were able to complete the required computational runs in about 15 hours, from midnight on Sept. 11 to mid-afternoon on Sept. 12.

"This is a prelude to the capabilities RENCI and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will provide to North Carolina, as we deploy our own large-scale computing infrastructure and continue to build disaster-response collaborations with North Carolina experts," Reed said. "With state support, we are now building world-class capability for interdisciplinary research, technology transfer, economic development and engagement across North Carolina."

Researchers at CSDL, with assistance from Luettich and Blanton, are working to integrate information provided by the computational calculations with NOAA’s North American Mesoscale Model, the primary weather forecasting model used by the National Weather Service, to simulate wind speed, direction and other weather factors. Their goal is to provide daily forecasts of coastal circulation and pollutant concentrations in the Katrina-affected region, information that will be vital as cleanup efforts and recovery continue.

The two also have extended their work with RENCI, Reed and colleagues to analyze various aspects of last weekend’s Hurricane Rita and its effects in Texas and Louisiana.

"We are trying to be prepared and generate reliable information that the hazardous materials experts will need to have," said CSDL scientist Jesse Feynen. "We're doing that, and we're doing it quickly."

Link to site: The bill that would allow laws such as the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, hazardous-waste laws and others to he to be "waived or downplayed,"

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- Vitter-Inhofe proposed bill "would add to the public health and environmental risks facing our communities
- The groups called the proposal "unwarranted and dangerous."
- Includes threats from contaminated drinking water supplies, polluted flood waters, broken sewage treatment systems, oil and chemical exposures, toxic sediments and sludge, and the safety of recovery personnel as well as returning residents and business owners.

MIKE DUNNE, Advocate staff writer
Several Gulf Coast environmental groups and a union are asking Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana to withdraw proposed legislation that would allow the suspension and waiving of environmental laws in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Vitter and Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., are sponsoring the bill that would allow laws such as the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, hazardous-waste laws and others to he to be "waived or downplayed," the groups said in a letter to Vitter and other members of the U.S. Senate.

A request for comment from Vitter through his press office in Washington didn't result in a response. In the letter to Vitter and others, the groups said: "Indeed, in the wake of the hurricane, we believe these laws are most desperately needed to protect communities from these unprecedented hazards," the groups said in the letter.

The groups said the Vitter-Inhofe proposed bill "would add to the public health and environmental risks facing our communities by giving the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency the authority to waive or change any law under the EPA's jurisdiction or that applies to any project or activity carried out by the agency for up to 18 months."

The groups called the proposal "unwarranted and dangerous." Monitoring data and the initial assessments prepared by the EPA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention portray "a complex array of environmental health" problems in New Orleans.

"This array includes threats from contaminated drinking water supplies, polluted flood waters, broken sewage treatment systems, oil and chemical exposures, toxic sediments and sludge, and the safety of recovery personnel as well as returning residents and business owners. People from other Gulf Coast communities are also facing some or all of these hazards."

They point out that the EPA admits the extent of the public health and environmental risks is not well known, especially in the storm-damaged areas of New Orleans.

Groups signing the letter were:

Alabama Environmental Council, Alabama Rivers Alliance, Alabama Watch, Alliance for Affordable Energy, Tulane Law School Environmental Law Clinic, Friends of Moss Rock Preserve, Gulf Restoration Network, Louisiana ACORN, Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Louisiana Environmental Action Network, Mobile Baywatch/Mobile Baykeeper, Service Employees International Union Local 100, Sierra Club-Alabama Chapter, Sierra Club-Delta Chapter, Sierra Club-Mississippi Chapter, The Urban Conservancy, and WildLaw.

Link to site: Revealed that, while the pant site was inundated with water and railcars pushed off the tracks and on their sides by Hurricane Katrina, no hazardous material releases or leaks were observed

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) inspections at the DuPont Delisle no hazardous material releases or leaks were observed.
- MDEQ has also confirmed that all chlorine railcars have been accounted for and placed upright.

September 28, 2005
HARRISON COUNTY — Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) inspections at the DuPont Delisle plant in Harrison County have revealed that, while the plant site was inundated with water and railcars pushed off the tracks and on their sides by Hurricane Katrina, no hazardous material releases or leaks were observed. The onsite landfill for waste disposal remained intact and was not overcome by the storm surge, the MDEQ said.

"We were pleased to learn the DuPont's landfill, which is a series of impoundment constructed with levees and berms, worked as it was designed and did prevent the inflow of water," said Phil Bass, director of MDEQ's Office Pollution Control.

The MDEQ has also confirmed that all chlorine railcars have been accounted for and placed upright. Before these railcars leave the site, each will be inspected for damage and repaired as needed.

Recovery efforts are underway at DuPont Delisle. Company officials said they expect to resume operations in November

Link to site: EPA is carrying out extensive sampling of standing flood waters in the City of New Orleans.

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- Flood water test results
- Preliminary test results advisory
- Drinking water and food
- For water and wastewater facilities


EPA is carrying out extensive sampling of standing flood waters in the City of New Orleans. The Agency follows a quality assurance process that ensures that the data is thoroughly reviewed and validated. This process is being used for all data received as part of the emergency response. EPA is ensuring coordination of data between federal, state, and local agencies and will routinely release data as soon as it is available.
Flood water test results
Preliminary test results advisory

Drinking water and food
Boil water - To kill major water-borne diseases, bring water to a rolling boil for 1 minute. Boil 3 minutes at elevations above 5280 ft (1 mile or 1.6 km).
What to do about water from household wells after a flood . Do not turn on the pump - danger of electric shock. Do not drink or wash with water from the flooded well. More info. General info about household wells.
Dehydration (extreme thirst) can be life-threatening in older adults. Make sure older adults have enough good drinking water and are drinking it. Older adults risk dehydration because they may feel thirsty less, because of medications, or due to physical conditions that make it difficult to drink. More information about dehydration risks in older adults.
EPA and HHS Urge Caution in Areas Exposed to Contaminated Flood Water - guidelines for those in contact with flood water. Flood water test results...

For water and wastewater facilities
Suggested post-hurricane activities - to help facilities recover from severe weather conditions.
National Emergency Resource Registry (https://www.swern.gov/) - Register if you have resources to help water utilities recover from Katrina.

Link to site: Optimistic that New Orleans has avoided its two biggest environmental threats

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- brackish lake along the city's northern edge - and flood sediment in the city contain dangerous levels of bacteria
- water and sludge contained toxic chemicals, they weren't at levels that would make people sick with short exposure
- Oil products are the most prevalent contaminant in the water and sludge
- Sampling now is shifting to assessing the long-term health threats in the city
- Untreated floodwater is pumped into Lake Pontchartrain, the lake has taken on a distinct septic smell

DAVID SNEED, Knight Ridder Newspapers

BATON ROUGE, La. — State environmental health officials are cautiously optimistic that New Orleans has avoided its two biggest environmental threats: sludge that's so contaminated the city is uninhabitable, and Lake Pontchartrain turned into a toxic soup.

But as the first steps of repopulating the city resumed Monday, tests showing whether there could be long-term health risks haven't been completed yet.

Preliminary testing shows that Pontchartrain - the huge brackish lake along the city's northern edge - and flood sediment in the city contain dangerous levels of bacteria. But these should diminish quickly as the city dries out and pumping into the lake stops.

Officials stress, however, that the testing so far has concentrated on dangers that would make people sick immediately. They haven't done the testing that would show the health risks of long-term exposure.

"The numbers don't show any smoking guns, but I am concerned about people setting up shop in there before that question is answered," said John Pardue, the director of the Louisiana Water Resources Research Institute, an independent public safety group.

Pardue said that although the water and sludge contained toxic chemicals, they weren't at levels that would make people sick with short exposure.

However, Hurricane Rita reflooded areas of the city and added a new layer of sludge, said Ivor van Heerden, the director of the Center for the Study of Public Health Impacts of Hurricanes at Louisiana State University.

The most immediate threat is bacteria. E. coli and other harmful bacteria exceed health standards by a factor of 10.

Katrina flooded 25 major and 32 minor sewage-treatment facilities, releasing hundreds of millions of gallons of sewage into the city. Decaying animal and human remains also are contributing bacteria.

As a result, health and rescue workers being sent into the city must be vaccinated for tetanus and other serious infectious diseases, said Darin Mann, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Quality. They wear rubber gloves and boots that have puncture-proof soles to prevent nails and other objects from penetrating.

Health officials recommend that everyone in the city wear a respirator mask. As the city dries out, dust will be a problem. Breathing dust under any circumstances is unhealthy, but the dust in New Orleans may contain contaminants, they said.

Oil products are the most prevalent contaminant in the water and sludge, coming from refineries along with submerged cars and gas stations.

Testing also has found slightly elevated levels of lead, arsenic and other metals, as well as pesticides and herbicides. These come from flood runoff as well as household and industrial sources.

Sampling now is shifting to assessing the long-term health threats in the city - problems that may arise as a result of repeated exposure to low levels of contaminants, said Dana Shepherd, the Katrina data-assessment team leader with the state Department of Environmental Health.

Cleanup efforts will have to reach the lowest layers of sediment and debris before long-term health threats can be determined, a process that will take weeks.

As untreated floodwater is pumped into Lake Pontchartrain, the lake has taken on a distinct septic smell, Mann said. Like the floodwater and sludge in New Orleans, the lake has lots of bacteria but doesn't have high levels of toxic chemicals.

"It's a bacterial, or septic, soup, but it's not a toxic soup," Mann said.

At 630 square miles, Pontchartrain is the nation's second-largest saltwater lake, behind the Great Salt Lake. Experts estimate that floodwater from New Orleans will displace no more than 10 percent of the lake's volume, meaning pollution from pumping will be limited.

Most of the damage to the lake was caused by natural sources. Katrina washed tons of leaves, branches and other natural debris into the lake and the streams that feed it. This debris is rotting, sucking oxygen out of the water and killing fish.

"I expect a total fish kill in streams up to 15 miles above the lake due to low dissolved oxygen," said Mark Lawson, inland fisheries biologist for 13 parishes in eastern Louisiana. Limited fish kills in the lake also have been reported.

Link to site: Free bacteriological testing (for total coliforms and E. coli) for citizens who have private drinking water wells and systems.

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- temporarily expanding its testing to include homeowners with a private well system to ensure they have access to safe drinking water.
- The water should not be used for drinking, bathing or other purposes until sample results are shown to be negative for potentially harmful bacteria.

BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Louisiana Rural Water Association, is offering free bacteriological testing (for total coliforms and E. coli) for citizens who have private drinking water wells and systems.
DHH is responsible for regularly testing public drinking water systems; however, following Hurricane Katrina, the department is temporarily expanding its testing to include homeowners with a private well system to ensure they have access to safe drinking water.
If a homeowner's water well was flooded during Hurricane Katrina, the well must first be disinfected with a chlorine bleach solution then thoroughly flushed. Directions for disinfecting wells may be obtained at the drop-off points listed below. Then, the homeowner may collect a sample of water for analysis by a laboratory. Unless the well water is boiled or

Chemically disinfected as needed, the water should not be used for drinking, bathing or other purposes until sample results are shown to be negative for potentially harmful bacteria.

To have their well systems tested, homeowners can pick up sampling supplies and receive instructions on disinfecting the water, flushing the well system and collecting the test sample, from a sanitarian at the parish health unit. Once the sample has been collected, it must be kept refrigerated or on ice and delivered to the parish health unit within 20 hours of collection.

The Health Unit will accept samples between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on designated collection days. Contact your local Parish Health Unit to learn the designated collection days for your Parish. Well water testing began Monday. Drop off points are: St. Tammany Parish Health Unit, 21454 Koop Dr., Suite 2-C, Mandeville, 985-893-6296 and the Washington Parish Health Unit, 1104 Bene St., Franklinton, 985-839-5646.

Link to site: Overall Hurricane Response

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- Sediment Sampling
- Debris Assessment and Collection
- Superfund Sites
- Drinking Water Assessment
- Wastewater

Sediment Sampling - On 9/22, EPA posted analytical results of sediment sampling from New Orleans. On 9/16 based on the initial results of this data, EPA recommended avoiding all contact with the sediment, where possible, due to the presence of E. coli and fuel oils. In the event contact occurs, EPA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strongly advise the use of soap and water, if available, to clean the exposed areas, and removal of contaminated clothing.

EPA-CDC Report - EPA and CDC formed a joint task force to advise local and state officials of the potential health and environmental risks associated with returning to the City of New Orleans. The initial Environmental Health Needs & Habitability Assessment issued 9/17 identifies a number of barriers to be overcome and critical decisions to be made prior to re-inhabiting New Orleans. Available at: http://www.epa.gov/katrina/reports/envneeds_hab_assessment.html

Debris Assessment and Collection - All field activities have been on stand down due to Hurricane Rita. Activity will resume in the Tammany Parish. EPA is conducting air monitoring at debris burn sites in Louisiana. EPA teams continue collection of household hazardous wastes (HHW) and orphan containers in the hurricane affected area. In addition, EPA personnel continue to offer technical assistance in the disposal of hazardous waste and other debris left behind by the storm. As of 9/22, EPA has collected over 37,550 HHW/orphan containers throughout the affected region. Four collection sites have been put into place for collection of these wastes in MS and AL and one collection site has been located in St. Tammany Parish, LA. The draft Debris Removal Plan is in final review. The plan will enable Federal agencies and the State of Louisiana to comprehensively manage funding for large scale and complex debris.

Superfund Sites - There are 16 NPL sites in the hurricane Katrinea affected area of LA, 6 in AL and 3 in MS. 16 of the sites in LA have had initial assessments. Initial Rapid Assessments have been made on the 9 sites in AL and MS. EPA is still in the assessment phase, and will continue to monitor all the impacted NPL sites. Teams are ready to go to sample all affected NPL sites (both Katrina and Rita). EPA plans to sample the Agriculture Street Landfilll site on Sunday, weather conditions permitting.

Rapid Needs Assessment-Katrina - EPA and LDEQ are coordinating to develop schedules on how to look at NPL sites, including the Malone Services and Jasper Creosote sites. The schedule is to be completed by end of day Sunday, 9/25.

Drinking Water Assessment - In the LA affected area, there are a total of 683 drinking water facilities that served approximately 2.8 million people. As of 9/22, EPA has determined that 534 of these facilities are operational, 19 are operating on a boil water notice and 130 are either inoperable or their status is unknown. In the MS affected area, there are a total of 1,368 drinking water facilities that served approximately 3.2 million people. EPA has determined that 1,228 of these facilities are operational, 100 are operating on a boil water notice and 40 are either inoperable or their status is unknown. In the AL affected area, there are a total of 72 drinking water facilities that served approximately 960,682 people. EPA has determined that all 72 of these facilities are operational. It should be noted that operational facilities may still be in need of repair or reconstruction. EPA’s Water program is preparing to assess all drinking water plants after Hurricane Rita passes through.

Wastewater - In the LA affected area, there are a total of 122 Public Owned Treatment Works (POTW). As of 9/22, EPA has determined that 87 of these facilities are operational and 35 facilities are either not operating or their status is unknown. In the MS affected area, there are a total of 118 POTW. EPA has determined that 114 of these facilities are operational and 4 facilities are either not operating or their status is unknown. In the AL affected area, only 1 facility is not operating with 7 others having operational difficulties. It should be noted that operational facilities may still be in need of repair or reconstruction. EPA issued an emergency Administrative Order to the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans to temporarily allow discharges from the East Bank Wastewater Treatment Plant to the Mississippi as a result of Katrina. This effort was coordinated with LDEQ. EPA has developed a set of questions and answers that will assist in responding to inquiries. Discussions among agencies represented at the Joint Field Office are ongoing to determine when to stop pumping water out of New Orleans into Lake Pontchatrain. EPA personnel are reviewing historic water quality and current conditions obtained from environmental sampling. EPA’s Water program is preparing to assess all wastewater treatment plans.

Link to site: it would appear that government agencies are now taking seriously the threats posed by environmental hazards left in Hurricane Katrina’s wake

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- from the dated and incomplete data available, it would appear that there is no Gulf Coast “environmental disaster” at all.
- Risks to human health posed by hazardous chemicals likely to be present in flood-ravaged areas are also conspicuously excluded from publicly available information.
- right thing for our agencies to do now is to level with the American people
- by focusing on damage control and silencing legitimate concerns, agencies only endanger American lives and further tarnish their own credibility.
From their recent statements, it would appear that government agencies are now taking seriously the threats posed by environmental hazards left in Hurricane Katrina’s wake.  The tone of official statements has changed markedly in the past week. From the head of FEMA’s relief effort to EPA and OSHA officials, the new order of the day is caution and concern. But in light of the glaring absence of both timely and accurate information about risks and a coherent plan to address hazards from these agencies, it seems their statements reflect the need for damage control and responsibility dodging. It is troubling that, in the midst of one of the worst environmental disasters in our nation’s history, such considerations would take precedent over public health and safety on the agendas of the very agencies charged with protecting American workers and families.

Indeed, from the dated and incomplete data available, it would appear that there is no Gulf Coast “environmental disaster” at all. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released test results for toxic chemicals in flood water for less than 30 sites, all in downtown New Orleans, far from “hot spots” in outlying areas.  Even these limited results were weeks old, despite ever-increasing numbers of clean-up crews and residents pouring into the surrounding region.  EPA’s “Response to Katrina” webpage indicates only a few hazardous chemicals having been found in qualities over their acceptable limit, none of which present a substantial risk to the public. 

Risks to human health posed by hazardous chemicals likely to be present in flood-ravaged areas are also conspicuously excluded from publicly available information.  EPA’s website provides no information that would help someone identify symptoms of potentially life-threatening or debilitating exposures to hazardous chemicals, as they do for bacterial contaminant exposure.  And recent EPA press release acknowledged the presence of 'fuel oils' in soil deposits left behind by flood waters, but the agency has still not released detailed data about the chemicals found. Many 'fuel oils' and other petroleum byproducts are known carcinogens—some can even breach protective gear—yet the release fails to warn of these potential cancer risks.

In the stew of contradictory and confusing information floating around about post-Katrina toxic hazards, legitimate concerns that acknowledge the magnitude of potential problems are going unnoted and unaddressed.  But these concerns should be taken seriously.  Massive amounts of toxic chemicals were present in the area before the storm.  Thousands of sites in the storm’s path used or stored hazardous chemicals, from the local dry cleaner and auto repair shop all the way to Superfund sites and oil refineries in Chalmette and Meraux, La., with huge stores of ultra-hazardous hydrofluoric acid.

And some of those sites were damaged and leaked.  From the day Katrina passed over the Gulf Coast, reports from residents and media in the area told of oil spills, obvious leaks from plants, storage tankers turned on end, and massive fires.  National organizations and folks on the ground, picking up the slack left by government agency reporting, have helped shed light on the “toxic gumbo” left in the Katrina aftermath and the inadequacy of relying on industry to take care of that mess.

What’s going on with leaks, spills and releases should be everyone’s concern.  No one knows the cumulative effects of and health risks presented by the mixing of chemicals that the EPA, state and local agencies, and environmental and community groups need to work together to protect residents and clean-up crews.  Yet the EPA appears to be following the same dysfunctional pattern it did after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when the agency—caving to White House pressure—withheld warnings about the health risks of asbestos and other airborne chemicals at Ground Zero.

What you don’t know can hurt you.  We saw this with rescue workers at Ground Zero, many of whom continue to experience health consequences from their unwitting exposure.  And we’re seeing it again now with Katrina rescue workers, like Steve Dombrowski, who showed up last week to a clinic in Mississippi with chemical burns on his legs from wading in flood water, according to The New York Times.  

The right thing for our agencies to do now is to level with the American people, so that, before returning to their homes or sending their children back to school, area residents will have the information they need to make the best possible choices.  By expanding chemical testing, being more timely and forthcoming with test results, and engaging stakeholders, the EPA and other government agencies might actually carry out their charge of protecting the public.  But, by focusing on damage control and silencing legitimate concerns, agencies only endanger American lives and further tarnish their own credibility.  In recent weeks, we’ve seen how essential access to information is to our ability to deal with crisis; this is a lesson our agencies should take to heart. 

Link to site: The costs to repair and replace public drinking water infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Katrina will surpass $2.25 billion

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- estimates costs to repair or replace assets such as treatment plants, storage pumping, and related control facilities impacted by storm surge, flooding and other factors
- does not include the costs of critical recovery activities such as pipe flushing and disinfection, interim operating needs such as power generation, and cleaning up contaminated source waters.
- $1.6 billion will be required for 47 water systems serving more than 10,000 persons, with an additional $650 million required in 885 smaller, primarily groundwater systems

Kylah Hedding of the American Water Works Association, 303-347-6140 or 303-956-8030 (cell) or khedding@awwa.org 9/22/2005

DENVER, Sept. 22 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The costs to repair and replace public drinking water infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Katrina will surpass $2.25 billion, according to a preliminary assessment from the American Water Works Association (AWWA) released today.

AWWA is providing the report to members of Congress and the White House to help decision-makers plan for the costs of getting water systems damaged by Katrina back into operation as soon as possible.

The AWWA report estimates costs to repair or replace assets such as treatment plants, storage pumping, and related control facilities impacted by storm surge, flooding and other factors. It also analyzes the impact of revenue shortfalls due to the inability to service debt, particularly in communities where customers have relocated and the system is inoperable.

However, it does not include the costs of critical recovery activities such as pipe flushing and disinfection, interim operating needs such as power generation, and cleaning up contaminated source waters.

“While the preliminary cost estimate for replacing and repairing water infrastructure is significant, we expect the full cost of restoring water systems to pre-Hurricane Katrina status could be much higher,” said Jack Hoffbuhr, AWWA executive director. “Nevertheless, this estimate will help Congress begin to gauge the long-term costs of restoring safe drinking water service, which is critical for any community.”

The report estimates that $1.6 billion will be required for 47 water systems serving more than 10,000 persons, with an additional $650 million required in 885 smaller, primarily groundwater systems. The systems are all in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

A copy of the report can be found on AWWA’s Web site, http://www.awwa.org.

Link to site: EPA Biological and Chemicl testing

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- Biological testing: total coliforms and E. coli
- Chemical testing
- Additional information

Biological testing: total coliforms and E. coli
EPA, in coordination with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, is collecting and analyzing biological pathogen data. Flood water sampling data for biological pathogens from Sept. 3 on are being posted as they become available. To date, E. coli levels remain greatly elevated and are much higher than EPA’s recommended levels for contact. Based on sampling results, emergency responders and the public should avoid direct contact with standing water when possible. In the event contact occurs, EPA and CDC strongly advise the use of soap and water to clean exposed areas if available. Flood water should not be swallowed and all mouth contact should be minimized and avoided where possible. People should immediately report any symptoms to health professionals. The most likely symptoms of ingestion of flood water contaminated with bacteria are stomach-ache, fever, vomiting and diarrhea. Also, people can become ill if they have an open cut, wound, or abrasion that comes into contact with water contaminated with certain organisms. One may experience fever, redness, and swelling at the site of an open wound, and should see a doctor right away if possible.
More information about fecal coliform and E. coli
Test results
Biological testing Sep. 3-10, 2005

Chemical testing
EPA in coordination with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality performed chemical sampling of New Orleans flood waters for over one hundred priority pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs), total metals, pesticides, herbicides, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Flood water sampling data for chemicals are being posted from September 3, 2005 on as they become available. The data has been reviewed and validated through a quality assurance process to ensure scientific accuracy.

Test results
Flood water results for September 14, 2005 indicate that hexavalent chromium was found in twelve samples and that arsenic was found in one sample slightly above the drinking water action level. However ATSDR/CDC conclude that exposures at these levels during response activities are not expected to cause adverse health effects. Phenol and cresols were also detected. EPA and CDC do not feel that there is ingestion exposure to flood water, as long as there is no inadvertent ingestion (e.g.,from splashing).

Flood water results for September 13, 2005 indicate that hexavalent chromium was found in twelve samples and one sample contained cadium and lead at levels above the drinking water action levels, however ATSDR/CDC conclude that exposures at these levels during response activities are not expected to cause adverse health effects. Arsenic was found in four samples at levels that slightly exceeded the drinking water action level. Trace levels of organic acids, phenol, cresols, and metals associated with salt water were also detected. EPA and CDC do not feel there is ingestion exposure to flood water, as long as there is no inadvertent ingestion (e.g., from splashing).

Floodwater results for September 12, 2005 indicate that hexavalent chromium is present, however according to ATSDR/CDC's calculations the exposures at these levels in flood waters during response activities would not be expected to cause adverse health effects. Selenium and lead were detected at levels greater than the drinking water MCLs. EPA and CDC do not feel that there is ingestion exposure to flood water, as long as there is no inadvertent ingestion (e.g., from splashing).

Floodwater results for September 11, 2005 indicate that hexavalent chromium is present but not at levels that would pose a risk to human pose a public health concern. Total chromium was also detected but at levels below the drinking water MCL. EPA and CDC do not feel that there is ingestion exposure to flood water and therefore do not believe there is a public health concern associated with these chemicals.

Floodwater results for September 10, 2005 indicate that one sample contained lead at a concentration above the drinking water action level. EPA and CDC do not feel that there is ingestion exposure to flood water and therefore do not believe there is a public health concern associated with lead. Hexavalent chromium was detected in five samples, but not at levels that would pose a risk to human health as flood water is not being ingested as drinking water. Trace levels of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyaceticacid (an herbicide) were detected in some samples but are not of public health concern.

Floodwater results for September 9, 2005 indicate that one sample contained lead at a concentration above the drinking water action level. EPA and CDC do not feel that there is ingestion exposure to flood water and therefore do not believe there is a public health concern associated with lead. Hexavalent chromium was detected in nine samples but not at levels that would pose a public health concern as flood water is not being ingested as drinking water.

Floodwater results for September 8, 2005 indicate that fourteen samples contained lead above the drinking water action level. Hexavalent chromium and total chromium were detected in most of the samples. One sample contained benzidine. EPA and CDC do not feel that there is ingestion exposure to flood water and therefore do not believe there is a public health concern associated with these chemicals in the flood water.

Floodwater results for September 7, 2005 indicate that three samples contained lead above the drinking water action level, twelve samples contained arsenic at levels above the drinking water MCL, and one sample contained benzene, likely associated with petroleum products, above the drinking water MCL. EPA and CDC do not feel that there is ingestion exposure to flood water and therefore do not believe there is a public health concern associated with these chemicals. Hexavalent chromium and total chromium were detected in most of the samples but not at levels that would pose a public health concern as flood water is not being ingested as drinking water. Trace amounts of cresols were also detected, but not at unsafe levels.

Floodwater results for September 6, 2005: Arsenic and lead were detected at levels which exceed EPA drinking water standards. These compounds would pose a risk to children only if a child were to drink a liter of flood water a day. Long-term exposure (a year or longer) to arsenic would be required before health effects would be a concern. Hexavalent chromium was detected, but not at levels exceeding EPA drinking water standards. Thallium was detected at one sampling location and while levels are slightly elevated, they are 10 times lower than levels at which there would be a health effect.

Floodwater results for September 5, 2005: Results from the chemical analyses of the data collected did not reveal any contaminants that exceeded EPA drinking water standards. Minerals commonly found in sea water along with trace levels of organic acids, phenols, and sulfur chemicals were detected.

Floodwater results for September 4, 2005: Lead was detected at levels which exceed EPA drinking water standards. Lead would pose a risk to children only if a child were to drink a liter of flood water a day.

Floodwater results for September 3, 2005: Lead was detected at levels which exceed EPA drinking water standards. Lead would pose a risk to children only if a child were to drink a liter of flood water a day.

Additional information

Additional information regarding health and safety issues for both the public and emergency responders can be found on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Web site and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Web site.

 

Link to site: Geography of southeastern Louisiana is unlike any place else on Earth

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- solid ground on a map is actually marshland, floating like a pancake on a plateful of syrup.
- Levees built to protect the city may have actually focused that storm surge
- "You can rebuild Louisiana's marshes over the next 50 years -- it's just a matter of making the decision and doing it.

Morning Edition, September 23, 2005 · The geography of southeastern Louisiana is unlike any place else on Earth. Much of what looks like solid ground on a map is actually marshland, floating like a pancake on a plateful of syrup.
Scientists are now piecing together how Hurricane Katrina affected those marshes, which form a buffer against storms and flooding. What they find will help determine how the region is rebuilt. For the latest NPR/National Geographic Radio Expedition report, Christopher Joyce journeys to "liquid Louisiana" to survey the damage.
Scientists believe Hurricane Katrina created a giant storm surge that gathered in the Gulf of Mexico and barreled westward up the wide swampy delta on its way to New Orleans. It may have reached 20 feet high by the time it hit the city's eastern suburbs.
Levees built to protect the city may have actually focused that storm surge: Instead of spreading a sheet of water out across the delta, the levees created a channel for the surge. Also, the natural marsh buffer zones that soften the blow of a storm surge have been largely replaced or hemmed in by ship channels and development. All those channels and levees cut off river sediment that enable the marsh to take root and thrive.
What happened to the city is now well known. But damage to the marsh is harder to evaluate. From the air, there's obvious evidence of Katrina's wrath. Wind and waves have cut channels through once-uniform mats of grasses.
At the Chandeleur Islands, a crescent of land about 60 miles east of New Orleans, the full force of Katrina is more evident. Nothing's left but patches of marshland, or "island marshes." It will take years for the islands to recover -- but what did survive is held together by island marshes, a "green glue" that will anchor new growth.
In the marshes to the south of the city, the marshes have held up well. The storm wasn't a fatal blow, but scientists say that unless erosion is held in check, the marshes will continue to recede and leave New Orleans even more exposed to the elements.
But can the city remain a vital shipping destination, with all the deep-water channels required, and still divert enough Mississippi River sediment to the marsh to keep it alive?
"It's just a question of engineering and money," says the U.S. Park Service's David Muth, whose own home was flooded by five feet of water when the city's levees gave way. "The cheap way is the way we're doing it now -- so ask yourself the question, was that the smartest thing we could have done?
"You can rebuild Louisiana's marshes over the next 50 years -- it's just a matter of making the decision and doing it. And if this doesn't spur us to do it, we'll never do it."

Link to site: where should the toxic mess be deposited?

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- wrong choices now could spark environmental problems for decades to come.
- Scientists from LSU have already begun field trips to New Orleans to collect samples for monitoring the level of toxins in the water.
- That represents about 2% of the volume of the lake.

Patrick Jackson, BBC News, The filthy floodwaters that have engulfed much of New Orleans are posing a fresh challenge for the city - where should the toxic mess be deposited?

Fears are growing that the wrong choices now could spark environmental problems for decades to come. Engineers need to pump out the water which swept in when Hurricane Katrina's storm surges from the lake brought down sections of its floodwalls on 29 August. But the last thing the lake and the delicate wetlands of Louisiana and Mississippi need is a tide of urban filth.

The areas have already suffered decades of seeping pollution and erosion. The Mississippi River might seem a more obvious channel than the lake for the mess, carrying it out to sea. Yet the lake is the city's traditional drain, and it is impractical to try to pump all the water out to the south. Sewage and unknown amounts of industrial chemicals float in the stagnant water - along with the unrecovered bodies of the victims. Oil, diesel and petrol from vehicles are adding to the mix.

And the facilities to treat the contamination before pumping the water away are just not there in a city without power. Scientists cannot yet say for sure how poisonous the water actually is, and city officials have described reports of a "toxic soup" as exaggerated.

On the Mississippi coast, the water went in and went out - in New Orleans, it went in and sat there
Professor John Day, Louisiana State University. New Orleans has no large industrial base, says John Day, a professor at Louisiana State University's (LUS'S) Department of Oceanology and Coastal Studies - but for now scientists "just don't know" what a full analysis of the waters will show.

If no major new source of toxins emerges, the biggest areas of concern will organic waste and oil slicks. While they may have a short-term impact, these elements should largely break down in the lake water in a matter of months, says Professor Day.

Field trips
Scientists from LSU have already begun field trips to New Orleans to collect samples for monitoring the level of toxins in the water.

Aerial photographs are also helping them to establish the volume of floodwater. These images suggest the quantity of floodwater in downtown New Orleans on 2 September was 95 billion litres (21bn gallons, 25bn US gallons), Hassan Mashriqui of the LSU Hurricane Center told the BBC News website. That represents about 2% of the volume of the lake.
LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN
1,632 sq km (630 sq miles) - second-largest US saltwater lake
Home to 125 aquatic species including anchovies and sharks
Named in 1699 after a French minister
Covering 1,632 sq km (630 sq miles), Pontchartrain is home to more than 125 species of aquatic life, from anchovies to alligators. Wildlife in the wetlands of the lake's basin includes otters and wild boar, ducks and eagles.

The lake is no stranger to pollution from its big city neighbour, but it had actually been getting cleaner in recent years. Six decades of dredging its shell beds to make asphalt and cement came to an end in 1991.

Pontchartrain's ecosystem may have been hit directly by Katrina at the very beginning, when surges of seawater from the Gulf of Mexico arrived, dangerously increasing its salt content.

Certainly, the hurricane itself did serious ecological damage further north, along the Gulf Coast, where a storm wave with a peak of nine metres (30ft) was recorded. "On the Mississippi coast, the water went in and went out - in New Orleans, it went in and sat there," said Professor Day.

Warnings 'ignored'
The wetlands, which act as a natural brake on hurricane surges, have been reduced by about 25% over the last century by development.

As a rule of thumb, for every mile of wetlands that a storm surge passes, it reduces the flooding by a foot, the professor says. He argues that if the US federal authorities had heeded ecological warnings and spent $20-25bn on restoring wetlands in the Mississippi Delta, America would not now be facing a bill of $100bn.

Washington, Professor Day says, must finally take global climate change seriously as the rising sea level and more frequent hurricanes many associate with it impact directly on low-lying areas like New Orleans.

Link to site: New Orleans prepared a second time to reopen a neighborhood to residents.

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- Rita spared most of the city but left its mark on the lower 9th Ward

Laura Parker, USA TODAY
NEW ORLEANS — The sun came out Sunday, and convoys of utility trucks that had taken cover for Hurricane Rita reappeared. New Orleans prepared a second time to reopen a neighborhood to residents.
Rita spared most of the city but left its mark on the lower 9th Ward, the ruined neighborhood east of the French Quarter that once was home to the city's poorest residents. Water from Rita's torrential rains cascaded into the neighborhood again after breaches appeared in the levee along the Industrial Canal. The Army Corps of Engineers piled rocks and sandbags to close the breaches. Mitch Frazier, a corps spokesman, said the 9th Ward could be pumped dry again within a week.

Mayor Ray Nagin wants to return residents to Algiers, across the Mississippi River from the French Quarter downtown. Power, sewer and water service has been restored there for at least a week. And businesses had been reopening until the city was evacuated again late last week to wait out Rita.

The streets here were virtually deserted over the weekend as Rita's outer bands lashed the city. Soldiers patrolling neighborhoods took cover, and work crews disappeared. Two cruise ships housing 6,000 city employees sought refuge in the Gulf of Mexico, which forced Nagin to find temporary quarters for them.

Nagin said he hoped, if things go smoothly in Algiers, to press ahead and bring residents back into the Uptown neighborhood. That neighborhood includes the Garden District and Tulane University, west of the French Quarter. Finally, he would open the French Quarter. But unlike his first attempt to repopulate the city, he did not announce a timetable and said he would wait to see how things go.

"We're talking about people who are mobile. We're not asking people to come back who have a lot of kids, a lot of senior citizens," he said. "That's going to be the reality of New Orleans moving forward."

Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad Allen, who is in charge of the federal disaster effort in the city, agreed that the city can resume its efforts to bring business owners and residents back to the least-damaged neighborhoods. But he urged a cautionary approach.

"The mayor needs (to take) some thoughtful approach to ... the areas that have been reflooded and the areas that may remain uninhabitable for safety, health and other reasons," the admiral said Sunday on ABC's This Week. "And I think a timetable associated with that still needs to be worked out."

The city is filled with tree branches and other debris. Power lines still dangle. Only a few traffic lights are operating, and no stores or gas stations have reopened.

Northwest of the French Quarter in the Mid City neighborhood, water had risen above porches. On Sunday, Scott Casey, 39, came back to pick up a few things from his house. He was shocked by what he saw. He empathized with the mayor's effort to repopulate the city, but he said there's no need for anyone to rush home until there's something to come home to. "They're going to have to bring them back to the neighborhoods a block at a time," Casey said. "When you come here, you realize it's like a desert. There's nothing. It's too soon."

Link to site: statistical glance at the Katrina environmental cleanup

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- 140,000 square miles of waterways and coastal zones, including 6,400 miles of shoreline.
- 1,369 drums, 679 tanks, 979 cylinders, 17 fuel cells, 5,735 other containers, 718,216 gallons of fuel removed, and 49,000 gallons of oil/water recovered.
- Cases of hazardous materials and oil pollution - 575.


The Associated Press, September 24. 2005
A statistical glance at the Katrina environmental cleanup:
Area covered - 140,000 square miles of waterways and coastal zones, including 6,400 miles of shoreline.
Debris collected in Alabama and Mississippi - 1,369 drums, 679 tanks, 979 cylinders, 17 fuel cells, 5,735 other containers, 718,216 gallons of fuel removed, and 49,000 gallons of oil/water recovered.
Sunken or damaged vessels assessed in the two states - 400.
Cases of hazardous materials and oil pollution - 575.
Environmental threat in Louisiana - 7.4 million gallons of oil discharged from tank storage plants - most of it recovered - with 11 major or medium spills.

Source: Coast Guard's Gulf Strike Team, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and state environmental agencies.

Link to site: Ocean Circulation Group

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- Katrina Current Tracking Tool
- Daily Wind Field


Ocean Circulation Group Check out these graphic models.
Loop Current trajectories: 14 September Movie
*** Revised version of 14 September movie (20 September 2005) ***
*** Revised version of 14 September movie (23 September 2005) ***

Loop Current trajectories: 7 September Movie
*** Revised version of 7 September movie (20 September 2005) ***
*** Revised version of 7 September movie (23 September 2005) ***

Wind Field Movie

Link to site: Cleanup faced a storm of new obstacles with the arrival of Hurricane Rita, which spread more debris as it churned in from the Gulf of Mexico.

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- At this point, we're not sure what's out there,"
- The testing will continue quarterly for the next year, he said.
- The cleanup covers 140,000 square miles of waterways and coastal zones, including nearly 6,400 miles of zigzagging shoreline.

GARRY MITCHELL, Associated Press Writer, September 23. 2005
Hurricane Katrina's deadly debris-scattering slam into the Gulf Coast left messy fuel spills, leaky sunken vessels and toxic chemical threats across a broad, battered shoreline.

The multi-agency task force attempting to carry out the cleanup faced a storm of new obstacles with the arrival of Hurricane Rita, which spread more debris as it churned in from the Gulf of Mexico.

But even before Rita, scientists said they have never encountered such a catastrophe as Katrina. "At this point, we're not sure what's out there," said marine scientist Russell Callender, director of NOAA's Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment program.

Next week, he said, NOAA and its federal partners will begin sampling and analyzing waters and sediments from Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Borgne, the Mississippi Sound and the outfalls of the Mississippi Delta, looking for signs of contamination.The testing will continue quarterly for the next year, he said.

"We really don't have a good picture at this point in terms of how big the problem might be," Callender said.

Sheer numbers tell part of the story: The cleanup covers 140,000 square miles of waterways and coastal zones, including nearly 6,400 miles of zigzagging shoreline. But David Dorian, an Atlanta-based environmental engineer at EPA, says the most dangerous elements are not necessarily the big ones, such as submerged, leaking vessels.

One particular hazard: chlorine cylinders found in the debris dislodged from water treatment plants. "Chlorine is quite deadly," he said. Some cylinders had washed up in residential areas, posing a threat to returning residents and contractors arriving to help in the recovery.

As storm debris piles grow, inspectors will mark the ones with hazardous materials, Dorian said, so they can be separated out before collection. Lt. Cmdr. Jim Elliot of the Coast Guard's Gulf Strike Team said at least 400 sunken or damaged vessels in Alabama and Mississippi have been assessed and photographed in the wake of Katrina. The Mobile-based team is trying to track down their owners, and a similar effort based in Baton Rouge is underway for Louisiana waters. Most of the vessels targeted for removal have been in hard-hit Mississippi - at Pass Christian, the Industrial Canal of Biloxi and the Pascagoula River area.

In Alabama, Elliot said 72 fishing vessels in Bayou La Batre were damaged or submerged by Katrina. Ten of those vessels in the fishing village were being pulled out of the water because of fuel leaks. Elliot said federal officials try to find the owners before taking charge of a vessel in distress.

"If it's a hazard to human health or the environment, we will take care of the situation, pump out the oil and take off the hazardous material," he said. If it's cost-effective for the government, the vessel also could be removed from the water, taking care to protect the environment.

If there's a vessel stranded in a wetland, for example, before they dredge out a channel to get the boat out, all options must be weighed. There are some environmental permit issues involved in salvaging a vessel.

"That's why we're contacting owners to see what their intentions are," Elliot said.

The Gulf Strike Team, organized more than 30 years ago, has handled at least 575 cases of hazardous materials and oil pollution in Alabama and Mississippi caused by Katrina.

Alabama Department of Environmental Management officials on the team said they closely monitored 73 public water systems - all disrupted to some extent by Katrina. As of Sept. 13, all of those systems were operating again.

In Louisiana, environmental threats have included 7.4 million gallons of oil discharged from tank storage plants. Coast Guard officials said 7.1 million gallons of it had been recovered - either contained or naturally dispersed. Nearly 800 contractors responded to the 11 major and medium spills in Louisiana.

The number of sunken vessels in Louisiana waters was not immediately available.

Besides the Coast Guard, the cleanup team includes the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as state environmental agencies.

Commercial and private contractors also have been hired for the cleanup, with the biggest challenges in Mississippi - a large above-ground fuel tank that contained 1.7 million gallons of gasoline, a pool chemical manufacturer and hospitals' biological wastes.

In Alabama, Elliot said, Katrina-damaged fishing vessels caused the most problems.

The Katrina cleanup comes on the heels of another. Elliot recalled that it took about eight months to clean up after Hurricane Ivan struck last September.

Link to site: Now the trail's entrance sign warns: "Do Not Enter, Toxic,"

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- "This is what I would call catastrophic damage to our national wildlife refuges."
- coastal Louisiana alone produces 30 percent of the nation's domestic seafood
- The storm hurt 25 national wildlife refuges that will cost at least $93 million to repair, according to preliminary estimates, a figure equal to a quarter of the entire federal budget for the refuges. Sixteen are temporarily closed.

JULIET EILPERIN, The Washington Post
Until a couple of weeks ago, Mississippi's Clower-Thornton Nature Trail lured avid birders as well as small children, who wandered in fascination underneath its broad canopy of oak and dogwood trees. Now the trail's entrance sign warns: "Do Not Enter, Toxic," and the surrounding habitat is dying.
"Every tree is brown, every leaf is blown off," said Donna Yowell, executive director of the Mississippi Urban Forest Council, after touring the area. Hurricane Katrina, Yowell added, "has turned it into a toxic waste site overnight."
The scene of devastation in Gulfport, Miss., is just one of the ecological disasters to emerge as scientists, activists and state and federal officials have begun documenting how the hurricane damaged one of the nation's largest networks of estuaries, wetlands and cypress swamps -- a varied and watery ecosystem that sustains a wealth of birds, fish and vegetation. From polluted fisheries to battered forests, the Gulf Coast's habitat has suffered losses that will take years to restore, they say.
"It's as much a disaster for the places set aside to conserve wildlife as for the cities and the people who have been impacted," said Evan Hirsche, president of the National Wildlife Refuge Association. "This is what I would call catastrophic damage to our national wildlife refuges." There are 25 in the affected area.
In the aftermath of Katrina's unprecedented devastation, industrial toxins are seeping into coastal waters. Already-eroded barrier islands have washed away.
Federal authorities have devoted much of their attention so far to the contaminated water in New Orleans, where floodwaters are said to be laced with industrial toxins and untreated sewage. The city's flooded area includes 121 known contaminated sites and more than 1,000 that are possibly contaminated, according to Environmental Data Resources Inc., a firm based in Milford, Conn., that compiles environmental information on private and public property.
The polluted water is being pumped out into neighboring Lake Pontchartrain and the Gulf of Mexico, and is likely to affect areas far beyond the city's confines. Federal scientists are already investigating whether the contaminants have damaged valuable fisheries in the gulf, and some scientists and local activists are worried that Lake Pontchartrain is being sacrificed.
On Tuesday, environmental activists released satellite images showing large oil slicks a few miles offshore, in the Gulf of Mexico, some stemming from known oil platform locations and stretching as far as 40 miles. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Stephen Johnson said the agency has documented five oil spills in the New Orleans area.
Last week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) dispatched a research vessel, the Nancy Foster, to the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to collect and test fish and shrimp, as well as water and sediment samples. The agency has also hired a commercial shrimp boat to take samples in the Mississippi Sound.
NOAA Fisheries Director Bill Hogarth said the agency will release its results in about a week, adding it would take "a minimum of two years" to restore the oyster industry.
"Obviously, we have to start paying attention to the potential of an environmental disaster," said Steve Murawski, NOAA Fisheries' chief science adviser. "This is a major fishing area."
The Gulf of Mexico ranks second only to Alaska among America's largest fisheries; coastal Louisiana alone produces 30 percent of the nation's domestic seafood. The Congressional Research Service estimated the hurricane may cost Louisiana's shrimpers $540 million in sales over the next year.
Experts suspect the hurricane has swamped everything from oyster beds to the sea grass that provides a critical nursery for fish, and the flush of nutrients from sewage-laden water into the gulf could spark massive algae blooms deadly to marine organisms.
"What we're looking at here is too much of a good thing," said Hans Paerl, professor of marine and environmental sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, citing the nutrient influx. "And what is the impact of those pollutants that are coming in, I don't think we know very well at all."
Congress plans to examine the question soon: Rep. Paul Gillmor, R-Ohio, who chairs the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on environment and hazardous materials, will start hearings at the EPA's "earliest convenience," said his spokesman Brad Mascho.
Scientists and local advocates are particularly concerned about Lake Pontchartrain, which had begun to recover from decades of pollution. Rep. Bobby Jindal, R-La., whose district encompasses the lake's north shore, said residents are worried the contaminants from New Orleans floodwaters will undo the progress made over the past decade.
In addition to unleashing toxic and human refuse, the hurricane destroyed habitat critical to area wildlife. The storm hurt 25 national wildlife refuges that will cost at least $93 million to repair, according to preliminary estimates, a figure equal to a quarter of the entire federal budget for the refuges. Sixteen are temporarily closed.
In Mississippi's Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge, the hurricane felled pine trees crucial to the survival of the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker; Breton Island, a sanctuary for nesting and wintering seabirds and shorebirds, has largely washed away.
"It's going to damage things," said Cathy Shropshire, executive director of the Mississippi Wildlife Federation.
Steve Cochran, a Louisiana native who now works as a senior staffer at the advocacy group Environmental Defense Fund, said the hurricane dealt the final blow to flora and fauna that have declined for decades because of habitat loss.
"All of those things, entirely unique to that part of the world, have been disappearing since about, say, 1927, and now they've disappeared altogether," Cochran said, recalling swamp lilies he used to find right outside New Orleans. "Too few people have experienced them, and now, no one else will."

Link to site: Coastal managers are concerned that the runoff from Hurricane Katrina New Orleans' Katrina runoff may float by on way to Atlantic

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- couldreach Florida shores or affect its coastal environment.
- concern about Tropical Storm Rita hooking a right after it passes the Keys
- NOAA and the Environmental Protection Agency say they are coordinating a sampling effort with boats
CATHY ZOLLO, A massive plume of toxic water washed from New Orleans into the Gulf of Mexico is sliding south on its way to becoming a Florida problem.

Coastal managers are concerned that the runoff from Hurricane Katrina -- rich in chemicals, pesticides, petroleum products, pathogens and a host of unknowns -- couldreach Florida shores or affect its coastal environment.

There's also some concern about Tropical Storm Rita hooking a right after it passes the Keys, which could have dire consequences for the Gulf Coast.

"If this other hurricane tracks up into that same area, ... it could provide the mechanism to push the water right into" the Florida coast, said Peter Ortner, director of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory in Miami. "That's what we're watching like hawks."

A preliminary research cruise took samples last week along the northern Gulf Coast from Pensacola to the Mississippi Sound. And officials with the NOAA and the Environmental Protection Agency say they are coordinating a sampling effort with boats from both agencies that will take in northern Gulf Coast areas and open water.

Results from initial testing won't be back for about three weeks, Ortner said.

The noxious brew spewing from a flooded New Orleans is taking two paths to the state, oceanographers say.

One is heading east out of Lake Pontchartrain toward the Panhandle along the shore. Another that could threaten the Dry Tortugas and the Keys reef track got caught in the northern tip of the loop current that flows up between Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula into the Gulf.

The current looks like a bent bobby pin, jutting north, then looping back south along the Florida coast roughly 150 to 300 miles offshore. It then moves past the Keys into the Atlantic.

"I'm more concerned for the Keys than I am for Sarasota," said Robert Weisberg, professor of physical oceanography at the University of South Florida's College of Marine Science. "Anything that may get into that strong permanent loop current flow will go to the vicinity of the Florida Keys, the vicinity of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach and then off to North Carolina."

Coastal managers in the Keys already know that the water picked up by the current could become trapped in an eddy adjacent to the Dry Tortugas Ecological Reserve. It has happened with Mississippi River water in the past, though nothing as as toxic as what's headed south now.

The reserve "is an area that has remained relatively pristine because it's isolated from major population areas," said Cheva Heck, spokeswoman for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. "We're concerned about the water coming down from the Mississippi area, and we are watching it."

Weisberg, who is part of the Southeast Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System, or SEACOOS, began modeling what the water might do almost immediately after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.

Using virtual drifters, Weisberg's modeling takes some of the water south to the Keys and out along the the Keys reef track, then up along the state's east coast. Some, possibly the most potent since it comes out of Lake Pontchartrain, heads east toward the Florida Panhandle.

Some observers say the federal government waited too long to begin monitoring the plume.

"There always should have been a plan for this," said Mitchell Roffer, a biological oceanographer from Miami. "Everyone should have been ready to do these kinds of things. ... It wasn't until the public started to complain that the agencies responded."

EPA officials say they're doing the best they can with a volume of pollution unlike anything seen before, and they vow to stay on top of it.

"We're taking it seriously," said EPA spokeswoman Laura Niles. "It's an unprecedented event. It's hard to compare it to anything else."

Link to site: Toxins common in most urban environments that made their way en masse into the water

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- the stagnant waters are contaminated because they’ve soaked up “legacy” pollutants
- water in contact with the urban environment, all the potential contaminants that stayed around in that environment are now back in the water
- runoff from an elevated section of Interstate 10 in Baton Rouge contained some contaminants at levels “greater than those found in untreated municipal wastewater from the same service area,
- If you pick up this potentially toxic material before it gets into the hydrological cycle, it is far more economical than if you try to take it out of the water after the fact

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Broken sewers, flooded industrial plants and dead bodies are all likely to blame for poisoning the waters being drained from New Orleans. But the water – and the muck it is leaving behind — also owes its contamination to a source as mundane as it is unexpected: Toxins common in most urban environments that made their way en masse into the water as it stagnated atop the city.

So says a University of Florida professor who has spent years studying the harmful contaminants that turn up in urban runoff, or rainwater that washes across streets and other hard surfaces in cities. Environmental engineering professor John Sansalone’s perspective is especially relevant because it is based on field research in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, where he was a professor at Louisiana State University before taking a job at UF this summer.

“What we see in New Orleans is that when you put a lot of water in contact with the urban environment, all the potential contaminants that stayed around in that environment are now back in the water – definitely, to our horror,” Sansalone said.

Federal and Louisiana officials continue to sound alarms about the contaminated waters and scum left behind by the retreating flood. Early September test results released late last week showed high levels of bacteria, lead and harmful levels of chemicals including arsenic, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

While the sources of these and other contaminants remain under investigation, public scrutiny has focused on broken sewer pipes and other major failures in the city’s infrastructure attributed to Hurricane Katrina. Though these are certainly real problems, it’s also highly likely that the stagnant waters are contaminated because they’ve soaked up “legacy” pollutants that accumulated during normal conditions on the city’s streets, sidewalks, roofs and other impermeable surfaces, Sansalone said.

These pollutants, which normally appear in urban runoff, are more toxic than commonly understood, he said. In a study published last month in Water Environment Research, Sansalone and three co-authors report that runoff from an elevated section of Interstate 10 in Baton Rouge contained some contaminants at levels “greater than those found in untreated municipal wastewater from the same service area,” according to the study.

The findings were based on periodic analysis of runoff that drains off Interstate 10 into Baton Rouge’s City Park Lake just below the highway. Based on data first gathered in 1999, they revealed high levels of particulates, or microscopic- to millimeter-sized particles of material, as well as high chemical oxygen demand, an indicator of the presence of organic chemicals in oil, gas, grease, cigarette filters and other pollution.

Other research on urban runoff, meanwhile, has detected high levels of toxic metals and nutrients including phosphorus thought to leach from building materials, Sansalone said.

Organic chemicals are particularly dangerous to fish and other aquatic life because they reduce the levels of oxygen in the water, impinging on its ability to support life. Particulates cloud water, reducing sunlight penetration and plant growth. Once they cross a certain threshold, organic chemicals and metals also can be harmful to people.

New Orleans officials remain extremely concerned about bacterial contamination in the flood waters. Typically the result of contamination from untreated sewage, bacteria also can come from urban runoff, Sansalone said. Although it was not measured as part of his published study, other studies have found that such runoff contains heightened levels of bacteria stemming from bird and animal droppings, among other sources.

Sansalone said based on his studies of urban runoff alone, it’s critical that environmental officials scour the city of flood residue. “How we clean up this residual matter – which will not be easy – will be a chronic issue to the health of the city,” he said.

He said the contamination in New Orleans also highlights the need for other cities nationwide to do more to remove the toxins in urban runoff before, rather than after, it gets washed into waterways. There are several good strategies, he said. Increasingly affordable “permeable pavements” allow runoff to be stored, evaporate or percolate through pavement and into the ground, where soil and microorganisms can help filter the contaminants. Planting vegetation and especially trees also creates aesthetically pleasing buffer zones, providing storm water flooding control and other benefits. Finally, cities can use high-tech street sweeping equipment that is very effective at capturing pavement contaminants.

“If you pick up this potentially toxic material before it gets into the hydrological cycle, it is far more economical than if you try to take it out of the water after the fact,” he said.

Link to site: Free testing of those wells to determine if they have dangerous levels of bacteria

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- drinking water well systems may have been contaminated by Hurricane Katrina and the storm's floodwaters
- offering the free testing.
- homeowner must disinfect the well with a chlorine bleach solution, flush it, collect water samples and drop them off for the lab analysis.

The Associated Press, BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) 9/19/2005 — Residents whose private drinking water well systems may have been contaminated by Hurricane Katrina and the storm's floodwaters can get free testing of those wells to determine if they have dangerous levels of bacteria.

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Louisiana Rural Water Association are offering the free testing.

If a water well was flooded, the homeowner must disinfect the well with a chlorine bleach solution, flush it, collect water samples and drop them off for the lab analysis.

The sampling supplies and instructions on how to properly disinfect the well can be picked up at parish health units. For further details, call the health units:

_St. Tammany Parish Health Unit at 985-893-6296.

_Livingston Parish Health Unit at 225-686-7017.

_Washington Parish Health Unit at 985-839-5646.

_Tangipahoa Parish Health Unit at 985-543-4175.

Link to site: Pollution flushed into the Gulf of Mexico by Hurricane Katrina is not likely to reach Galveston County beaches

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- I don’t believe there will be an impact on Texas’ coastline
- Any pollutants will be rapidly diluted with seawater
- most of the microbes could not survive the time spent in the saltier offshore waters

Kelly Hawes, The Daily News, September 19, 2005
Experts say pollution flushed into the Gulf of Mexico by Hurricane Katrina is not likely to reach Galveston County beaches.

“I don’t believe there will be an impact on Texas’ coastline,” said Norman Guinasso, director of the geochemical environmental research group at Texas A&M University at Galveston. “The water will flush slowly into the Mississippi Bight, and the water there will mix gradually out into the Gulf of Mexico.” The threat will dissipate quickly, he said.

“Any pollutants will be rapidly diluted with seawater,” he said, “and the currents sending water in Texas’ direction are presently weak ones.”

Guinasso offered the assessment in an advisory issued by the university’s Sea Grant program.

In that same advisory, John Schwartz, a professor of marine biology at the university’s Galveston campus, said swimmers had no reason to worry.

“While it is doubtful that the contaminated waters from New Orleans will reach Texas, it is even less likely that many potentially harmful microbes would be left in the waters,” he said. “First, the microbial numbers would be greatly diluted before they reached Texas, and second, most of the microbes could not survive the time spent in the saltier offshore waters.”

If any did survive, Schwartz said, the biggest threat would be from bacteria found in human waste. For the most part, the bacteria cause diarrhea, fever and vomiting.

“They are normally self-limiting and nonfatal,” he said.

Those with weakened immune systems are most at risk. But to come down with anything serious, he said, they’d have to drink the contaminated water or have it touch an open wound.

The scourge of cholera is also unlikely, he said.

“Cholera would be present only if the fecal material from a previously infected person ended up in the waters,” Schwartz said.

Sammy Ray, also a professor of marine biology at the Galveston campus, said the only seafood affected by contamination would be oysters from mid-Louisiana to Mobile Bay. And there aren’t likely any oysters there to harvest.

“There probably won’t be any oysters from this region for the next 18 to 24 months,” he said.

For now, he said, the oysters finding their way to market will come from mid-Louisiana westward to Texas.

“Consumers should be confident about the safety of the product,” Ray said.

David Bazan, a member of the coastal studies team at the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife, agreed.

“Scientists are monitoring the situation,” he said, “and if there is an indication that humans could be affected by contaminants from Hurricane Katrina floodwaters, we will do our best to make sure the public is informed.”

Link to site: All the system's equipment is damaged.

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- help this storm-ravaged Gulf Coast town restore its water and sewage treatment plants
- The flood damaged crucial pumps in both the water and sewage treatment plants
- water is flowing in some sections of Waveland, but it has to be boiled before drinking
- Lines carrying drinking water will have to be repaired and the system sanitized.

LEON ALLIGOOD, Staff Writer,
WAVELAND, Miss. — Wes Frye shrugged his shoulders and sighed. The special projects manager for Nashville's Metro Water Services has done a lot of both shrugging and sighing since he and 29 other Nashvillians arrived here late Wednesday night to help this storm-ravaged Gulf Coast town restore its water and sewage treatment plants.

You just don't know where to begin. Just about all the system's equipment is damaged. We'll just do the best we can do. That's all we can do,'' he said.

If ever there was a "special project," the Hancock County, Miss., Water and Sewer Department certainly is one. "We're all messed up," confirmed Ray Bingham, a two-year employee of the local department.

"If we had to get this back up ourselves, it probably wouldn't get done for a long, long time. Even with help, it's still probably going to be a long, long time,'' he said.

A storm surge of at least 28 feet of seawater pushed ashore with terrific force, washing away hundreds of homes and businesses in Waveland, Bay St. Louis and other Hancock County towns. The flood damaged crucial pumps in both the water and sewage treatment plants.

Three weeks later, the water is flowing in some sections of Waveland, but it has to be boiled before drinking. Most of the district's 22 sewage-pumping stations are not working because of a lack of electrical power or because they're clogged by debris.

In addition, there are bound to be broken pipes, Frye said. Lines carrying drinking water will have to be repaired and the system sanitized. Fractured sewer lines will have to be located and replaced. The lack of running water and working sewers raises fears of disease spreading.

"The problem is, they have no idea what's broke and what isn't," Frye said.

Eighteen of the 30 Nashvillians deployed to Mississippi for two weeks are members of Tennessee Task Force II, an Urban Search and Rescue unit based in Nashville. The deployment to help out with Katrina-related damage marks the first time the unit has been sent out of state.

Besides water department employees, the deployed team includes representatives from Metro's Public Works and General Services departments and the Metro Office of Emergency Management. Providing security for the team are four deputies from the Davidson County sheriff's department.

The men's headquarters are at Stennis International Airport, about six miles north of Waveland, where hundreds of relief workers, from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the National Guard, are stationed.

The Nashville group's orders from the Federal Emergency Management Agency were to come as a self-contained unit, with tents, cots to sleep on, generators to power lights, computers and other equipment, a fuel truck and a water truck.

"We're the only outside agency giving help to this water department, as far as we can tell,'' said Scott Harris of the Metro Office of Emergency Management.

"And from what we see, they need as much help as they can get."

Yesterday, water department employees crisscrossed Waveland, going from one sewage pumping station to another. Foul-smelling sewage water had backed up when the system lost power in the storm, and before the units could be worked on, the water had to go.

Using what amounted to a giant vacuum cleaner, the crews cleaned out a half-dozen pumping stations and then emptied the black water into a containment pond on the edge of town.

Another group replaced a heavy-duty water pump at a well that is one source of the district's water supply.

The days ahead will present more of the same kinds of problems.

The men from Tennessee had seen the destruction of Katrina on television, but as they drove up and down the roads leading to the Waveland beach they were astounded by its extent.

"It's just beyond comprehension,'' said Les Buckner, an equipment operator. "You have to see this in person to actually understand the enormity of it all. It makes you feel grateful for what you have in the way of comforts at home. People are camping out in their yards, and that's all they've got."

Frye said the city's system would not be up and running normally for maybe six months, or longer.

"The hardest thing is that at many of the homes, there's nobody living there, and the folks who did live there may not be coming back. The water and sewer department here doesn't have near the customers they used to,'' Frye said, again with a sigh.

"It's the worst thing I've ever seen, but we'll do what we can."

Link to site: low levels of harmful bacteria in the waters around Harrison and Jackson counties.

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- six Coast locations last week show surprisingly low levels of harmful bacteria in the waters
- did not test for industrial chemical contaminants
- not show the effects on water quality from the millions of cubic yards of debris that washed into Mississippi Sound and surrounding waters when Katrina's storm surge receded.
- limits for a single measurement of enterococci are 104 bacterial colonies for every 100 milliliters of water.

MIKE KELLER, Sun Herald, Sep 18, 2005
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI - Water samples taken by the Sun Herald at six Coast locations last week show surprisingly low levels of harmful bacteria in the waters around Harrison and Jackson counties.

"I would have expected these numbers to be much higher under the circumstances," said Henry Folmar, lab director for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality's Office of Pollution Control. "I'm really pleasantly surprised."

The samples were taken to show a snapshot of the health of coastal waters after Hurricane Katrina struck last month. The results cannot be viewed as a comprehensive picture of storm-related environmental problems.

In addition, the analysis only tested for possible sewage in the water; it did not test for industrial chemical contaminants.

It also would not show the effects on water quality from the millions of cubic yards of debris that washed into Mississippi Sound and surrounding waters when Katrina's storm surge receded.

The samples were analyzed by Envirochem of Mobile, Ala., an analytical laboratory certified by the states of Alabama and Mississippi to conduct such analyses. The lab looked for colonies of enterococci bacteria, a pathogenic bacteria that indicates sewage pollution in fresh and salt water.

Mississippi's Department of Environmental Quality normally monitors beaches and waterways for enterococci bacteria, though those efforts have not resumed since the storm. Folmar said DEQ and the U.S. Geological Survey will begin water testing later this week when a USGS mobile lab arrives in the area.

Government limits for a single measurement of enterococci are 104 bacterial colonies for every 100 milliliters of water. When that threshold is exceeded, the government shuts down beaches, because human contact with the water could cause serious illness.

The six samples were taken from both inland and coastal surface waters. The sites were selected to get an indication of any potential dangers to residents. From west to east, samples were taken from: Saint Louis Bay, at the northern tip of Pass Christian; inside Gulfport harbor, just south of the Copa Casino; Biloxi beach, at U.S. 90 and DeBuys Road; Biloxi Bay, north of Bayview Avenue and the state office building; the Escatawpa River in Jackson County, under Highway 63; and the west bank of Bayou Casotte, north of Halter Marine and across from Mississippi Phosphates.

Each site had its own peculiar rancid smell. One place smelled like sewage, while another smelled like chemicals and still another smelled like a combination of the two.

The two samples taken in Saint Louis Bay and Biloxi beach yielded results of 136 and 400 colonies respectively.

The beach sample was almost four times greater than DEQ's limit and the Saint Louis Bay number would have caused authorities to shut down the beach and issue warnings to avoid contact with the water.

In Gulfport harbor 60 colonies showed up and in the Back Bay there were 46 colonies. There were 40 colonies in Jackson County's Escatawpa River sample; Bayou Casotte yielded only six colonies. Both Jackson County sites were located in sparsely populated industrial areas, possibly accounting for the low results.

According to Folmar, the amount of harmful bacteria found on any one day can be very different from those found on another. Southern Mississippi has been fortunate with weeks of full sun after Katrina, which served to evaporate standing water from the land. The next time the area gets a heavy rain, much of the organic matter that dried up will wash into surrounding waterways.

Though some bacteria levels measured in the water samples were high, they were nowhere close to what they could be, Folmar said.

Recent EPA water tests in New Orleans showed in some samples over 13,000 colonies of coliform bacteria, another indicator of sewage in the water.

"We've got water-quality problems here on the Coast, but I don't believe it's anywhere near the magnitude they're seeing in New Orleans," Folmar said.

Link to site: Oceanographers call it the Loop Current

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- nothing along the northern Gulf Coast will ever be the same
- water that overwhelmed the levees in New Orleans is contaminated with sewage, lead and to a lesser degree pesticides, tests show
- Winds play a role, too, especially along the coast
- We have many questions

Lenore Greenstein, Eric Staats (Contact), Sunday, Sep 18, 2005
The Gulf of Mexico’s deep currents follow a path that wiggles and jiggles every year as it loops through waters hundreds of miles offshore.Oceanographers call it the Loop Current, and its gyrations are getting more attention this year, for the same reason nothing along the northern Gulf Coast will ever be the same: Hurricane Katrina.
Katrina left behind an environmental catastrophe that scientists and fishermen worry could ride Gulf currents across important fishing grounds off Tampa Bay and into sensitive ecosystems in the Dry Tortugas and Florida Keys.
The water that overwhelmed the levees in New Orleans is contaminated with sewage, lead and to a lesser degree pesticides, tests show. Crews are draining the city by pumping the water into Lake Pontchartrain, which is connected to coastal waters of the Gulf.
From space, satellites show water working its way south from coastal Louisiana and Mississippi, but nobody yet knows what’s in the water, whether it’s polluted or how it might affect the Gulf.
“We don’t know a lot about this,” University of South Florida oceanographer Frank Muller-Karger said. “We have no experience with an event as major as Katrina.”
Riding the Loop
The Loop Current moves northward into the Gulf between Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula, loops clockwise in the eastern Gulf and heads south, around the Keys and the tip of Florida and then north into the Atlantic Ocean.Its path varies, as does the distance it pushes north into the Gulf.

On Sept. 7, about a week after Katrina’s disastrous landfall, scientists noticed the Loop Current had moved far enough north to get a hold on waters from coastal Louisiana.
At Roffer’s Ocean Fishing Forecasting Service in Miami, consultant Mitch Roffer is tracking the current using data from two satellites that measure water temperature and ocean color.
Currents move across the Gulf like highs and lows on a TV weather map, except much more slowly, he said. Sometimes, like water moving down a rocky stream, the current spins off eddies, or gyres, he said. Different currents have different temperatures and color, ranging from green to blue.
If part of the Loop Current breaks off, it could have the effect of cutting off the current’s connection with waters along the northern Gulf coast, University of South Florida oceanographer Bob Weisberg said.
A gyre seems to be keeping the Loop Current from reaching even farther north toward the northern Gulf coast, monitors say.
For now, the water from coastal Louisiana is moving south along the eastern edge of the Loop Current and isn’t expected to make a move to Southwest Florida across the shallower waters of the continental shelf.
Along the way, as the water makes its twists and turns with the currents, any contaminants increasingly will be diluted as they mix with the Gulf.
Using computer models, Weisberg estimates that the water could arrive at the Florida Keys by Sept. 20.
The Loop Current isn’t the only force of nature controlling the movement of waters in the Gulf. Winds play a role, too, especially along the coast, Weisberg said.
The winds haven’t been favorable to push water from the Katrina strike zone onto Florida shores, but that could change in coming weeks, he said.
“We just don’t know,” he said.
That’s what worries fishermen.
‘Fishery failure’
“They’re scared to death,” said Bob Jones, executive director of the Southeastern Fisheries Association, a commercial fishing trade group.
Katrina triggered a declaration by U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez of a “fishery failure” in the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf fishing industry is valued at almost $700 million per year.
The declaration clears the way for federal relief funds to restore the fisheries and help fishing communities recover.
The northern Gulf coast is home to 15 fishing ports and 177 seafood processors, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The storm damaged fishing boats and leveled ports, closed seafood processors and clogged waterways with debris. That could turn out to be just the start, Jones said.
Louisiana environmental officials have reported a 99 percent loss of oyster beds that supply the nation with 40 percent of its oysters.
Murky water from coastal Louisiana already is over grouper fishing grounds off Tampa Bay, said commercial fishermen Bob Spaeth, of Madeira Beach.
It could mean less sunlight reaching the bottom, making it more difficult to sustain marine life that supports the Gulf food chain, he said.
“We’re concerned, obviously, and I think we need to get on top of it,” Spaeth said.
At the Dry Tortugas, a cluster of islands west of Key West, dark water will harm already stressed coral reefs by robbing them of life-sustaining light, said Brian Keller, science coordinator at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, which takes in the Tortugas.
On the other hand, a little shading could help stressed coral by blocking harmful ultraviolet radiation, he said.
If the murkiness is caused by sediments in the water, they could settle onto the coral, requiring the reefs to use more precious energy to clean themselves, he said.
Scientists and fishermen worry about what else might be in the water that only monitoring will be able to find — and whether enough monitoring is being done.
On the trail
A NOAA research ship left Pensacola this past Monday to sample water, sediments and test fish and shrimp along the northern Gulf coast for chemicals and microorganisms that could cause disease.
Part of its mission will be to establish a baseline from which to compare future results, biologists said.
NOAA also chartered a shrimp boat from Bon Secour, Ala., to sample water, sediments and fish and shrimp in Mississippi Sound.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday that it would dispatch its ocean research vessel Sept. 26 on a three-week survey of Mississippi Sound and into the plume of water from coastal Louisiana.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sent a ship along a 30-mile path heading southwest from Panama City to see whether water from coastal Louisiana and Mississippi is moving east along the coast.
Water and sediment samples will be tested for pesticides, metals, industrial chemicals and nutrients that could fuel algae blooms, said Gil McRae, director of the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, the Conservation Commission’s research arm in St. Petersburg.
McRae said the biggest risk from Katrina is the potential for an overall increase in pollution in the Gulf that could make its way into the food chain and manifest itself years from now.
“It’s an open question how long the impacts of this catastrophe will be seen,” McRae said last week.
Bad water
Details are emerging slowly about what is in the water that has swirled through the streets of New Orleans.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson acknowledged the enormity of the contamination problem last week during a press conference in Washington, D.C.
“We have many questions,” he said. “We have many concerns.”
Total coliform and e. coli bacteria, both indicators of human or animal waste, have been found at levels as much as 25 times above the allowed level for contact, according to the EPA.
EPA water samples also show lead, arsenic and a chemical used to make plastics at levels that exceed drinking water standards. In one case, lead was found at levels 56 times the drinking water limit.
Tests also have found mercury, copper, cadmium and various pesticides at lower levels that scientists say still can pose long-term hazards.
The EPA hasn’t released water sampling results since Sept. 10 for bacteria and since Sept. 6 for chemicals.
New Orleans is home to five Superfund cleanup sites, one of them a landfill that still was underwater last week, raising concerns about contaminants leaching from its soils.
Outside of New Orleans, the U.S. Coast Guard has reported five major and four moderate oil spills totaling more than 7 million gallons — about 63 percent of the amount of crude oil the Exxon Valdez spilled into Prince William Sound, Alaska, in 1989.
The EPA reported retrieving more than 20,000 “orphan containers,” including household cleaners, medical waste containers and at least one partially filled drum of acid.
Soils in New Orleans are so laden with petroleum products that laboratories have reported difficulty testing them for anything else, Johnson said last week.
The Coast Guard hasn’t received reports of oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico, but boats have reported an oily sheen in some areas, a spokeswoman said.
Roffer, tracking the Loop Current on computers in Miami, said reports coming from the northern Gulf make him wonder about what might be heading south from the devastated coast.
“It just reiterates to me, to a lot of people, that there are potentially some bad things entering the ecosystem,” Roffer said.

Link to site: Environmentalists say they are concerned

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- Early environmental tests after Hurricane Katrina have given authorities little cause for alarm,
- Federal and state officials say two weeks of sampling floodwaters has not raised any alarm bells
- Heavy concentrations of petroleum products in the muck have complicated the process of sample testing,
- wear rubber gloves and boots and leave children behind to protect them from the residual sludge
Frank McGurty

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (Reuters) - Early environmental tests after Hurricane Katrina have given authorities little cause for alarm, but some environmentalists say they are concerned that severe pollution may still be a threat.

The Gulf Coast hurricane slammed into one of the most industrialized areas of the United States, home of more than 400 refineries, chemical plants and other facilities that produce, use or store hazardous material, according to Greenpeace, the environmental advocacy group.

The storm caused at least five major oil spills along the Mississippi River south of New Orleans, according the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

It swept through 31 Superfund sites -- heavily polluted areas awaiting federal cleanup -- including five in New Orleans. As of Wednesday, the EPA had still been unable to visit all of them and one, in Crescent City, was still under water.

The floodwaters that covered 80 percent of New Orleans, including many of the poorest neighborhoods, may leave contamination from bacteria and pollutants as they withdraw and residents return, some environmentalists fear.

"My fear is that the people who suffered the most when Hurricane Katrina struck will be the people who become most exposed to toxins," said Eric Olson, a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Federal and state officials say two weeks of sampling floodwaters has not raised any alarm bells, even though it is swimming with e. coli bacteria that may indicate the presence of other bacteria that could be harmful.

The water contains heavy metals such as lead and arsenic, and oil products such as diesel, but not huge amounts, and the evidence shows that people would have to eat the residue or drink the water to be poisoned.

"We are looking for this long-term risk and it doesn't seem to be there," said Dr. Tom Clark, an infectious disease specialist with the Centers for Disease Control in New Orleans.

Heavy concentrations of petroleum products in the muck have complicated the process of sample testing, EPA says.

Evacuated residents of St. Bernard Parish, where nearly 20,000 barrels of crude oil spilled out of a damaged tank, were told that when they returned, they would have to wear rubber gloves and boots and leave children behind to protect them from the residual sludge.

But officials say it is too soon to give a definitive evaluation of damage and even more difficult to say how long it will take to fix any problems.

"Until we have a better handle on what's the magnitude of the problem -- whether it's sediment, whether it's water, whether it's debris issues or whether it's air issues -- it really is impossible to speculate on what it's going to take and what time it's going to take," said EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson.

Questions remain in part because it took nearly a week after the storm struck on August 29 for assessments to begin. Before that, EPA officials on the scene were too busy with rescue operations. In addition, the heavy concentration of petroleum products in the muck has complicated the process of sample testing, EPA says.

The EPA and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality have flown 15 missions with aircraft equipped to collect environmental screening data. So far, nothing of acute concern has been found.

Link to site: not became a hazardous waste site coated in a toxic stew

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- New Orleans has not became a hazardous waste site coated in a toxic stew as originally feared
- So far there are no big issues long-term
- Water is clearly contaminated with raw sewage because many sewage pumping stations are not working.
- a few heavy metals in the water but not dangerous levels, the EPA said.
- three samples had slightly elevated arsenic and lead levels.

Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent Fri Sep 16, 2005

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - New Orleans has not became a hazardous waste site coated in a toxic stew as originally feared, although many flooded areas are coated with a smelly sludge, experts said on Friday. They said that while the water in New Orleans was far from pristine, they had not found much evidence of the widespread contamination that had been feared.

"So far there are no big issues long-term," said Jerry Fenner, a public health analyst with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The water is clearly contaminated with raw sewage because many sewage pumping stations are not working. But if people do not drink or soak in the water, there are few concerns, the Environmental Protection Agency said.

There are high levels of E. coli bacteria, which suggest there potentially could be other diarrhea-causing microbes, but there have been no serious outbreaks of disease, the CDC says.

Some areas of Jefferson Parish, which partly surrounds New Orleans, have clean, contaminant-free drinking water. In the areas that are not yet clean, residents who return are being cautioned not to drink the water although they may use it to flush toilets.

There are also a few heavy metals in the water but not dangerous levels, the EPA said.

"The levels of metals detected were below levels that would be expected to produce adverse health effects. Overall, three samples had slightly elevated arsenic and lead levels. The level of lead detected is typical of that found in urban areas," the EPA said in a statement on Monday.

There had been fears that other chemicals such as oil, dry-cleaning fluids and solvents such as benzene would be spread widely but the EPA said testing so far had not indicated this had actually happened.

"Volatile organic compounds were detected at very low levels," the EPA said. Prolonged contact with such compounds can cause a rash but once they dry they are unlikely to pose a health risk, the experts said. "People feared there would be toxic pits," Fenner said in an interview. "The data we have seen so far doesn't support it." Fenner said oil spills were being contained well. "We went out there and they are doing an amazing job cleaning it up," he said.

The U.S. Coast Guard said the oil spilled in six major Louisiana incidents after Hurricane Katrina had been contained and almost none of it flowed directly into the Mississippi River. A total of 160,000 barrels of oil leaked from tanks and pipelines at the six principal sites damaged by the August 29 hurricane, including Murphy Oil Corp.'s refinery in Mereux, just east of New Orleans. Of that, teams have recovered some 50,000 barrels, each of which equals 42 gallons.

"Much of the oil has already dispersed naturally or has evaporated, said Capt. Frank Paskewich, federal on-scene coordinator for the Coast Guard.

Link to site: Environmental expert warns residents about the hazards of returning

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- Contaminated floodwaters and air pollution have devastated the Gulf Coast ecosystem.
- they’ll breathe bacteria, viruses and volatizing toxic chemicals.
- lot of political spin but no valid environmental assessment
- But the work to protect the public health and the environment—not just that the people who [survived] and the heroes—that was just as much a disaster as it was after 9-11.


An environmental expert warns residents about the hazards of returning to New Orleans—now home to a dangerous brew of toxic chemicals and bacteria.

Bao Ong, Newsweek, Updated: 7:05 p.m. ET Sept. 16, 2005

Sept. 16, 2005 - Contaminated floodwaters and air pollution have devastated the Gulf Coast ecosystem. As Hurricane Katrina victims try to rebuild their lives after one of the worst natural disasters in American history, the environmental impact remains a looming threat.

It’s still unclear how long it will take for the environment to recover, as officials weigh the possible risks to returning residents. Hugh Kaufman, a senior policy analyst for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response with 35 years of experience at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, addressed his concerns with NEWSWEEK’s Bao Ong. Excerpts:
Online Newshour
Hugh Kaufman
NEWSWEEK: What do you think about the mayor of New Orleans saying he’ll reopen the city in the coming days?
Hugh Kaufman: The mayor said New Orleans will “breathe again.” Yeah, they’ll breathe bacteria, viruses and volatizing toxic chemicals. There is no environmental assessment. I mean, you can’t even make a determination of the risk factor. But more important, we don’t know what to tell the public in terms of what their risk is when they come back. The public thinks it’s safe. It’s one of the more reckless and irresponsible government decisions made in the last decade. Second only to [former EPA chief] Christie Todd Whitman after [the] World Trade towers came down [saying], “We’ve tested the air and it’s safe. So ya’ll come back.” And now [some] of the people that came back are sick as dogs.

What do you think the government is basing its decisions on?
There is no environmental characterization that has been accomplished. There’s been a lot of political spin but no valid environmental assessment to determine the amount of hazardous material, bacteria and viruses that are in the air, in the muck and in the dust that the people would be exposed to 24/7 when they go back.

So have you been down there?
No. I’ve done thousands of cases like this. They’re all the same. The only difference between this and other cases is the size of it.

How does the environmental damage of Katrina compare to other hurricanes?
The hurricane did allow for the breakage of the sewer systems which put into the environment everything that was in the sewer, which was human waste and industrial waste. It also caused breakage of containers that store hazardous materials. It’s [a] toxic gumbo.

What are the possible long-term effects on the environment?
Oh, boy. First of all, you’re going to wipe out shellfishing, shrimp fishing and parts of the water down there because of the discharge into Lake Pontchartrain, the Mississippi [River] and moving down to the gulf. You’re going to have a tremendous amount of toxic waste that has to be cleaned up and disposed of. You’re going to have air pollution that will make some people sick initially and increase the risk of cancer 10, 20, 30 years down the line in the areas that have been contaminated with the oil and chemical waste. It’s uncountable, the amount of environmental and public-health problems that most folks down there are going to see for years to come. If Love Canal is a fly, then this is an elephant—in terms of environment and public-health effects.

Can you talk more specifically about these toxins and they risks they pose?
You’ve got oil and petroleum products, which have toxic constituents that have been documented to cause cancer. You have other chemicals coming from landfills and Superfund sites that haven’t been documented. You’ve documented chromium, arsenic and lead, which with some of the other toxic chemicals can cause birth defects, spontaneous abortions, illness—short term and long term—and asthma. Until a thorough assessment is completed of the three pathways—air, direct contact and ingestion of hazardous materials—until that assessment has been done, nobody can quantify how many more cancers, how many more deaths will occur down the line as a result of precipitous interaction with these hazardous and toxic materials that are ever present in that region of the country.
Story continues below ↓
advertisement

What kind of assessment and how long will it take?
There are some areas that you can do some quick assessments where there has not been major water damage and [which] have not been impacted by waterborne waste and toxic material, like the French Quarter. You could make decisions in a couple of weeks. I’m not against allowing the public back. They just need to be given the information on what type of risks they’re taking [for] when they go back. Right now there’s a lot of spin that’s coming out of politicians that things are safe. That’s irresponsible and reckless public policy because of the pollution in that area.

What kind of timeline would you give a resident in a flooded area for coming back?
It depends where they are. Areas that have been submerged and exposed to high volumes of toxic materials, it would be years before they could go back. Other areas with much less contamination, it would be months where they could go back safely. My view is as long as you characterize the area so they know what they’re being exposed to, I have no problem with them going back at any time. It’s their choice. As long as they’re told what risks they’re taking and are told what protective measures they should take. They have to be told environmental facts and the truth.

Have you heard from flood victims?
I’m getting some e-mails from folks who have been evacuated wanting to talk about the assessment, and I try to answer them and give them information. But I think most of the people down there are getting their information from the news media, and of course you’re getting conflicting information because everybody is spinning. You’ve got government agencies speaking from both sides of their mouth. You’ve got trouble.

What kind of rebuilding programs will these Gulf Coast cities need to recover?
They’ll need tens of billions of dollars of federal money to clean up and rebuild and to take care of the folks who have been harmed by this. It’ll be like the Marshall Plan was in Berlin. Or like we said we were going to do for Iraq.

You dealt with the environmental impact in New York after 9/11. How does Hurricane Katrina compare?
It’s very different. You’ve got a very large number of people spread out over a broad area who can’t get out. In 9/11, people could get out and they did. But [the government is] making the same mistakes as they did after 9/11. There’s no difference. You’ve got the rescue work being done by the military, by the Coast Guard and local heroes. That’s been very good, [as expected]. But the work to protect the public health and the environment—not just that the people who [survived] and the heroes—that was just as much a disaster as it was after 9/11.

Link to site: No one knows how to deal with the untold tons of lethal goop -- or who will pay

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- A toxic brew of oil, chemicals, bacteria, debris, and garbage must be cleared and the ground scrubbed before the city can be rebuilt.
- There is no silver bullet
- assessments are expected to take months
- lake may be so starved of oxygen that the natural cycle will be inhibited.

As rescue workers continue the grim search for bodies in New Orleans, environmental engineers are struggling with what will probably become the biggest challenge of Katrina -- the mess. A toxic brew of oil, chemicals, bacteria, debris, and garbage must be cleared and the ground scrubbed before the city can be rebuilt. Unfortunately, the experts have few new ideas about how to tackle a cleanup of this scale. "There is no silver bullet, and I would be highly suspicious of anyone who says there is," says Calvin H. Ward, an environmental engineering professor at Rice University.

Federal and state scientists have started surveying the many cleanup issues. Those assessments are expected to take months, but the Environmental Protection Agency has already found that the floodwater pumped back into Lake Pontchartrain has extremely high levels of lead and sewage-related bacteria. The Coast Guard has reported at least five major oil leaks from damaged tanks and refineries, including 819,000 gallons spilled south of New Orleans. Then there's the 95-acre Superfund site near downtown New Orleans, a toxic former dump. Four years ago, it was covered with two feet of topsoil and protective sheeting. Now it's underwater and could be leaching chemicals.

Any one of these situations might be manageable, but taken together, the task leaves experts questioning where the resources will come from. The cost could run to tens of billions of dollars, especially if oil and chemicals seep deep into the ground. "We have cleaned up lots of other catastrophes and, quite candidly, this outstretches all of them combined," says William J. Geary, executive vice-president of Clean Harbors Inc (CLHB )., a leader in environmental cleanup, with workers already in the city. "This is orders of magnitude bigger than what any cleanup company would be familiar with."

The most immediate concern for health officials is the high levels of bacteria and lead in the rancid water covering much of New Orleans. The EPA has warned the water is so contaminated that people should not let it touch their skin, and five Louisiana evacuees have died of a cholera-like illness. Yet that water, essentially raw sewage, is being pumped into Lake Pontchartrain.

There's no chance of treating the water as it goes into the lake, as nearly all the waste treatment plants in the region were damaged by the flood. Bacteria normally dies off from exposure to sun and seawater after a week or so, but the lake may be so starved of oxygen that the natural cycle will be inhibited. Ward says it would help if oxygen were pumped back into the lake -- "nature does work if you let it" -- but right now New Orleans' main priority is getting the water out of the city.

Oil and toxic chemical spills present a far more intractable problem. Contaminated topsoil can be scooped up by vacuum-like machines, but those devices can't get at muck that has seeped into houses, sewer lines, or groundwater. There are novel technologies that can be applied. Last year, for example, Solucorp Industries Ltd. in West Nyack, N.Y., introduced a chemical compound that prevents heavy metals such as mercury and lead from leaching into the soil and makes them safe for disposal. Solucorp President Noel E. Spindler says the technology has not been tried on any project as large as the Katrina disaster site, but it could be deployed in certain areas. Such reagents will likely not be useful, however, in locations where a complex chemical cocktail exists.

The biggest problem will be disposing of all the waste. "This is going to be an absolutely enormous volume, and I doubt that much of it will be able to be recycled," says Edward J. Bouwer, an environmental engineering professor at Johns Hopkins University. There is no landfill in the U.S. large enough to accommodate a trashed city, and scientists say there is a limit to how much other nations would be willing to take. "The logistics, the cost, the volume," laments Ward. "It's just a massive, massive problem."

Link to site: Scientists begin taking samples to study whether fishing grounds remain safe as a toxic brew flows farther.

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- From space, a plume of sediment from the Mississippi Delta into the Gulf of Mexico is always visible.
- Rich in dissolved nutrients and plant matter, the plume's browns and greens stand out
- What's in the leading edge of this water?

WILL VAN SANT, Times Staff Writer, September 15, 2005

From space, a plume of sediment from the Mississippi Delta into the Gulf of Mexico is always visible.

Rich in dissolved nutrients and plant matter, the plume's browns and greens stand out against the surrounding dark blue waters of the gulf. Since Hurricane Katrina struck, the plume has been fed by receding storm surge from devastated gulf states. From the air, it still looks the same. But some scientists and regulators worry that the plume is now carrying toxic substances harmful to marine life and people.

Hugh Kaufman, a senior policy analyst at the Environmental Protection Agency, said Katrina flooded dozens of Superfund and toxic waste sites. The water also washed over landfills, hazardous waste storage facilities and fuel depots, he said. All of that is now returning to the gulf. "It makes Love Canal look like a fly compared to the elephant of contamination that is now in that region," Kaufman said.

On Monday, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration sent a vessel into the plume. The 187-foot Nancy Foster , in addition to a crew of scientists, took along 20 body bags, just in case it comes across victims of Katrina.

Between now and Friday when the vessel returns to port in Pensacola, its crew will travel through the plume, taking bottom and water samples. Marine life will be caught and frozen for further examination of contamination.

Oceanographer Mitch Roffer, owner of a Miami firm that uses environmental data from satellites to locate catches for commercial fisherman and weekend anglers, thinks more than a single voyage will be needed to assess the plume's threat.

"What's in the leading edge of this water?" said Roffer. "Nobody knows. It's critical to get out there now and see."

Oceanographers say most of the toxic brew will cling to the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama coasts. The portion that finds its way out into the gulf will be greatly diluted if it ever reaches the Florida Peninsula and the state's fishing grounds, they say.

But those same scientists agree that certain chemicals likely to be found in the plume are poisonous even in low concentrations and could endanger Florida's exhausted marine ecosystem. They also acknowledge uncertainty about what a catastrophic storm like Katrina could introduce into the plume.

"We have no experience with these kinds of things," said Frank Muller-Karger, an oceanographer at the University of South Florida. "There are a lot of people that are concerned. We don't want any surprises."

A finger of the plume that extends south into the gulf is of particular concern. Both Muller-Karger and Roffer said the finger could be swept into a powerful current that loops through the gulf and heads toward the Florida Keys and vulnerable coral reefs.

Peter Ortner, chief scientist at the NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory in Miami, is overseeing the Nancy Foster 's trip into the plume.

In addition to the testing this week, Ortner said he hoped to soon place buoys along the plume's leading edge. The buoys will send out signals, allowing the movement of the water to be monitored closely.

Already, the Commerce Department has announced a "fishery failure" for the Gulf Coast from the Florida Keys to the Texas border, a declaration that frees up federal aid for the fishing industry. Ortner said part of the Nancy Foster 's work will be assessing whether any fishing grounds need to be declared off-limits.

"It is an open question at present whether there has been contamination of areas that must be closed," Ortner said.

A complete determination of the plume's possible impact will take months of study, said Ortner, and he has requested an additional vessel and other resources to complete an assessment.

Roffer, too, sees the need for extensive tracking and study of the plume. It's quite likely, he said, that what is now present is relatively clean compared to what the plume may carry in coming weeks.

"This is the initial wash," he said. "It should not be considered a one-time event."

Link to site: Urgent voyage tracking Hurricane Katrina's potential damage to the marine environment.

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- Scientists harvested fish off the Mississippi coast for testing Thursday
- determine the extent of any contamination from chemical spills, sewer overflows and other toxic mixtures in floodwaters that may have flushed back into the Gulf of Mexico
- Samples of sediments also are being tested.
- surveyed some near-shore waters in Katrina's path
- are checking rivers, inlets and bays for any possible contamination there.


GARRY MITCHELL, Associated Press
ABOARD THE NANCY FOSTER - Scientists harvested fish off the Mississippi coast for testing Thursday - the latest stop on an urgent voyage tracking Hurricane Katrina's potential damage to the marine environment.

Katrina's deadly storm surge hit the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, flooding New Orleans and wrecking the Mississippi coast while clipping southwest Alabama.

Scientists hope to determine the extent of any contamination from chemical spills, sewer overflows and other toxic mixtures in floodwaters that may have flushed back into the Gulf of Mexico.

Aboard the Nancy Foster, a research vessel operated by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, chief scientist Shailer Cummings of Miami said hundreds of fish samples have been collected from waters off Pensacola, Fla. to an area south of New Orleans, South Pass.

Cummings said the NOAA vessel began its work Monday off the Florida Panhandle. On Thursday the vessel was near Horn Island, dipping its net for fish samples, and planned to be back offshore Pensacola on Friday.

Some small boats and the shrimping vessel Patricia Jean helped collect the test fish. Nearby were four ships supporting the onshore hurricane relief effort, including a Canadian Navy destroyer.

Ten scientists aboard the NOAA vessel prepared fish samples for transfer to a lab in Seattle for analysis. On the ship, Tracy Collier of NOAA's Seattle lab said the Katrina situation is "so new, we don't know what we're looking for."

"We're taking samples back focusing on fish muscle tissue," Collier said. He said those tests should give some indication of what the fish were exposed to during the hurricane.

Samples of sediments also are being tested. The chief concerns, he said, are seafood safety and environmental contamination.

During this week's voyage, the crew didn't notice any rumored oil spills or fish kills. They spotted hurricane debris that included refrigerators, televisions and power poles, among other property ripped from land.

Dr. Steve Murawski, director of scientific programs and chief science adviser at NOAA, described the testing as "the first scientific effort post-hurricane to look in a very systematic way at what's going on in offshore waters." He said there have been many observations of live animals in the system. "That's a good thing," he said. His concern, however, is: "What is the fate of water coming offshore?" That water includes the New Orleans floodwaters being pumped out of the city.

While the scientists also surveyed some near-shore waters in Katrina's path, they did not survey off Louisiana's Grand Isle. But Murawski said a "sustained effort" is planned, working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Science Foundation. "We're trying to be very vigilant in getting our arms around this thing," he said.

Cummings said state and local agencies, meanwhile, are checking rivers, inlets and bays for any possible contamination there. Dr. Lewis Byrd, director of seafood quality assurance for the Alabama Department of Public Health, said all seafood processing plants were checked the week after the hurricane, along with the private wells that serve some of the plants.

"Those came back good, thank goodness," he said Thursday.

He said about 35 percent of Alabama's seafood processing plants will be repaired and ready to open "in the next few weeks." Others will be slightly behind that, and some suffered so much damage that they may never be rebuilt.

This week, workers are taking samples from the bay areas where shellfish grow. The test results won't be ready until Saturday or Sunday, but Byrd said there have been no obvious problems.

He said he had been worried that silt would cover the oysters and kill them, but workers have not found that.

"They are telling me the oysters are pretty," he said.

For now, Alabama's waters are closed to shellfish harvesting. Byrd said that if the tests come back good, he could open the waters. But the Conservation Department is also reviewing the area for damage, and it could keep some beds closed if they need more time to recover.

Link to site: Becoming the worst environmental calamity in U.S. history

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- oil spills rivaling the Exxon Valdez
- magnitude of the oil spills came into focus
- pump billions of gallons of polluted water into Lake Pontchartrain, a brackish body of water that had just begun recovering from ecological collapse.
Randy Lee Loftis, The Dallas Morning News
 
Hurricane Katrina rapidly is becoming the worst environmental calamity in U.S. history, with oil spills rivaling the Exxon Valdez, hundreds of toxic sites still uncontrolled, and waterborne poisons soaking 160,000 homes.

New Orleans' neighborhoods are awash with dangerous levels of bacteria and lead, and with lower but still potentially harmful amounts of mercury, pesticides and other chemicals. Much will wind up in the soil or in Lake Pontchartrain.

Across southern Louisiana, the Coast Guard reported seven major oil spills from refineries or tank farms that totaled 6.7 million gallons, or 61 percent as much as the 11 million gallons that leaked into Alaska's Prince William Sound from the Exxon Valdez in 1989.

The total does not count gasoline from gas stations and the more than 300,000 flooded cars, likely to add an additional 1 million to 2 million gallons. Nor does it count oil from hundreds of smaller or undiscovered spills.

More than three-quarters of the oil from the Katrina spills had not been recovered by yesterday, the Coast Guard said.

The magnitude of the oil spills came into focus with word that laboratories trying to test sediment from newly drained areas were having a problem: There was so much petroleum in the dirt that they couldn't test for anything else.

The Exxon Valdez became the benchmark for U.S. oil spills by leaking North Slope crude into Alaska's cold isolation. This time, the danger includes untreated sewage, cancer-causing compounds, nameless black gunk from rail yards, chemicals used to kill plants or insects, substances that are poisonous even in the tiniest amounts, and decomposing remains.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson acknowledged the scope of the problem during a news conference in Washington, D.C. He wouldn't speculate on when residents could return or on whether the EPA might sanction lesser cleanups in some residential areas.

"All of us ... want New Orleans to return to the thriving city that it was before Katrina," he said, but only if the job is "done right and (is) proactive of public health."

Besides the water, the city must deal with a mass of hazardous debris that Johnson described as "enormous." Thomas LaPoint, an aquatic biologist who heads the Institute for Applied Sciences at the University of North Texas, said history's infamous toxic sites might prove simple by comparison.

"This is pretty much unprecedented," LaPoint said. "At other toxic sites, such as Love Canal and Times Beach, there was a point source. Here, the potential for contamination is pretty widely spread throughout the area."

New Orleans' air, too, is a source of danger. An EPA plane detected a plume of chloroacetic acid, an industrial agent and defoliant that poses extreme toxic risks when inhaled. Ground crews found the source, an open, 55-gallon drum, Johnson said.

For now, the task is to pump billions of gallons of polluted water into Lake Pontchartrain, a brackish body of water that had just begun recovering from ecological collapse.

At the EPA's request, the Army Corps of Engineers put out floating barriers to try to stop some oil and gasoline before it enters the lake. But they won't stop the two most immediate threats in the water — bacteria and lead.

One site sampled Sept. 3, an Interstate 10 interchange north of the French Quarter, had lead 56 times higher than the amount that would be allowed in drinking water. Other samples taken days later across a much wider area also were high, but not near that mark.

Officials haven't pinpointed a source, but a likely suspect is the lead paint that for decades covered the city's huge stock of old houses. Tests also show that toxic substances will enter the food chain.

Those who have been working in the floodwater understand the danger all too well. One is J.T. Ewing, who for his living deals with some of the world's most toxic muck, the pungent and flammable stuff that leaks out of oil tankers in the Gulf of Mexico.

But it was in the neighborhoods of New Orleans, steering a rescue boat past the roofs of ruined homes, where he didn't want to touch the water.

"Normally, you get your boat stuck on top of a car, which does happen, or on top of a fence, you just put your foot down on it and push off," said Ewing, who works for the Texas General Land Office's oil-spill program. "This time, nobody wanted to put their foot in the water unless they were wearing rubber boots."

Link to site: Hazardous medical waste and industrial chemicals

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- Drums full of hazardous medical waste and industrial chemicals float
- Millions of gallons of oil have spilled from refinery storage tanks
- hazardous waste site — an old New Orleans landfill — is submerged

DINA CAPPIELLO, 2005 Houston Chronicle

Drums full of hazardous medical waste and industrial chemicals float in the tainted floodwaters. As the water recedes, it leaves behind a sludge so laden with petroleum that federal officials are having trouble analyzing it. Millions of gallons of oil have spilled from refinery storage tanks. And at least one hazardous waste site — an old New Orleans landfill — is submerged, increasing the risk that chemicals buried long ago could escape.

These are the early signs of the environmental destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina, a storm that struck one of the most industrial and polluted areas of the country when it made landfall on the Gulf Coast. Along the hurricane's path sat 31 hazardous-waste sites and 466 facilities handling large quantities of dangerous chemicals. What impact — if any — the storm had on these areas is still being analyzed by the hundreds of personnel deployed, including those aboard mobile laboratories and in air-pollution-scanning aircraft.

"This is the largest natural disaster that we believe the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and nation has faced," EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson said during a media briefing Wednesday.

"We are concerned about the water, we are concerned about the land, but we are also concerned about the air," he said.

"It is certainly a volume problem," he said referring to the debris, "but in other cases, it is a hazardous materials problem that needs to be dealt with."

Reaction to the report
The briefing was the grimmest and most comprehensive picture of the hurricane's toll on the environment offered by the EPA since the storm struck 2 1/2 weeks ago .

The status of the air, water and soil in the affected areas will help determine when it will be safe for people to return. Already, the agency has issued advisories warning people not to wade in or drink the floodwaters based on early tests that found it contained high concentrations of bacteria and the toxic metal lead.

Sen. James Jeffords, I-Vt., chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, said the briefing he got Wednesday from the EPA was a "a grave and sobering assessment."

"We heard that the degree of environmental damage is considered catastrophic," Jeffords said.

Among the developments revealed Wednesday:

•More recent tests on floodwaters detected a new suite of chemicals, including hexavalent chromium, a chemical used in metal plating, and arsenic, which is used to treat wood.
•More than 5,000 containers, containing everything from gas to medical waste, have been collected.
•The EPA has instructed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to use booms to prevent the oil and gasoline floating on top of the water from entering canals, the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain. Aerators — blowing oxygen in the water — have been set up in some canals to help fish breathe.
•On flights over the area, officials detected the industrial chemical chloroacetic acid leaking from a 55-gallon drum, a gas-well fire and numerous oil spills and sheens, although monitoring detected no chemicals above federal workplace standards.

Link to site: Bacteria from sewage and chemicals are lurking in the floodwaters of New Orleans

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- dangerous amounts of sewage-related bacteria and lead
- high levels of chemicals such as hexavalent chromium, used in industrial plating, and arsenic, used in treating wood
- flooded areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, there are 31 such sites that are part of the federal government's "Superfund" program


CBS/AP) New government tests show dangerous amounts of sewage-related bacteria and lead from unknown sources in the floodwaters in New Orleans, and high levels of chemicals such as hexavalent chromium, used in industrial plating, and arsenic, used in treating wood.

Environmental Protection Agency officials are taking samples daily at sites around New Orleans for biological pathogens and more than 100 chemical pollutants, including pesticides, metals and industrial chemicals.

Amid progress in restoring power and water service and the day after the release of government tests showing that the floodwaters still contain bacteria and chemicals, but that the air is safe to breathe, Mayor Ray Nagin announced that large parts of the city will reopen early next week. The French Quarter is set to reopen the week after that.

"The city of New Orleans will start to breathe again," he said.

Elevated levels of E. coli and other coliform bacteria that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain and fever have been found at up to 109 times the EPA's safe swimming limit.

Lead, which can cause nerve damage, was found in one sample at 56 times the EPA's limit for drinking water; two other samples had it at nearly twice and more than three times the limit.

A preliminary round of water and air tests done more than a week ago indicated that floodwaters in New Orleans contained bacteria at more than 10 times the acceptable levels, making direct contact by rescue workers and remaining residents dangerous.

"Human contact with the flood water should be avoided as much as possible," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson said last week.

Also found in the first round of testing were elevated lead levels, a risk if people, particularly children, were to drink the water.

Signaling a bacteria contamination, the floodwater changed color drastically in the first week after Katrina struck, Nagin told Harry Smith on The Early Show.

Five sites in the region containing some of the nation's worst toxic messes were flooded, and one of them, a landfill where residents took trash for decades, remains underwater and can't be reached.

Among all the flooded areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, there are 31 such sites that are part of the federal government's "Superfund" program to clean up hazardous waste.

There have been five oil spills in the New Orleans area. Some hazardous waste railcars are believed to be flooded, with water at least up to the wheels, although federal rail officials say they've had no reports of leakage so far.

EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson, who called the hurricane flooding the biggest disaster his agency has ever faced, said the lead contamination is a mystery.

"Whether it's lead paint or lead from batteries, we don't know what the source is. But we know we've got a high level, and that's of concern to us," he said Wednesday, revealing test results from samples taken during the past two weeks. Johnson said he has convened a panel of outside experts to advise the agency on how to assess and clean up the flood damage.

Johnson briefed reporters after giving the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee what Sen. James Jeffords called "a grave and sobering assessment" of the trouble.

"We heard that the degree of environmental damage is considered catastrophic," Jeffords said. "We also heard that the EPA is still in the very early stages of collecting the soil and water samples that are needed to determine whether it is safe for residents to return to the area."

Tests of the city's air, which has a strong stench even from a couple hundred feet up, indicated no potential health issues. Only a few air pollutants were detected, such as methanol, a wood alcohol, isobutylene, a flammable gas, and freon, a refrigerant.
Federal agencies aren't predicting when the city will be habitable.

The latest chemical samples were drawn Sept. 4 and Sept. 6 by the EPA and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.

Like previous tests, they turned up high levels of chemicals such as hexavalent chromium, arsenic and lead. A slightly elevated level of thallium was detected at one sampling location, but it was not enough to harm the public.

Link to site: Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, not the former FEMA chief

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- The federal official with the power to mobilize a massive federal response to Hurricane Katrina was Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, not the former FEMA chief
- Chertoff could have ordered federal agencies into action without any request from state or local officials.
- Chertoff may have been confused about his lead role in disaster response and that of his department

Jonathan S. Landay, Alison Young and Shannon McCaf, Knight Ridder Sep 13, 2005

WASHINGTON - The federal official with the power to mobilize a massive federal response to Hurricane Katrina was Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, not the former FEMA chief who was relieved of his duties and resigned earlier this week, federal documents reviewed by Knight Ridder show.

Even before the storm struck the Gulf Coast, Chertoff could have ordered federal agencies into action without any request from state or local officials. Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Michael Brown had only limited authority to do so until about 36 hours after the storm hit, when Chertoff designated him as the "principal federal official" in charge of the storm.

As thousands of hurricane victims went without food, water and shelter in the days after Katrina's early morning Aug. 29 landfall, critics assailed Brown for being responsible for delays that might have cost hundreds of lives.

But Chertoff - not Brown - was in charge of managing the national response to a catastrophic disaster, according to the National Response Plan, the federal government's blueprint for how agencies will handle major natural disasters or terrorist incidents. An order issued by President Bush in 2003 also assigned that responsibility to the homeland security director.

But according to a memo obtained by Knight Ridder, Chertoff didn't shift that power to Brown until late afternoon or evening on Aug. 30, about 36 hours after Katrina hit Louisiana and Mississippi. That same memo suggests that Chertoff may have been confused about his lead role in disaster response and that of his department.

"As you know, the President has established the `White House Task Force on Hurricane Katrina Response.' He will meet with us tomorrow to launch this effort. The Department of Homeland Security, along with other Departments, will be part of the task force and will assist the Administration with its response to Hurricane Katrina," Chertoff said in the memo to the secretaries of defense, health and human services and other key federal agencies.

On the day that Chertoff wrote the memo, Bush was in San Diego presiding over a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Chertoff's Aug. 30 memo for the first time declared Katrina an "Incident of National Significance," a key designation that triggers swift federal coordination. The following afternoon, Bush met with his Cabinet, then appeared before TV cameras in the White House Rose Garden to announce the government's planned action.

That same day, Aug. 31, the Department of Defense, whose troops and equipment are crucial in such large disasters, activated its Task Force Katrina. But active-duty troops didn't begin to arrive in large numbers along the Gulf Coast until Saturday.

White House and homeland security officials wouldn't explain why Chertoff waited some 36 hours to declare Katrina an incident of national significance and why he didn't immediately begin to direct the federal response from the moment on Aug. 27 when the National Hurricane Center predicted that Katrina would strike the Gulf Coast with catastrophic force in 48 hours. Nor would they explain why Bush felt the need to appoint a separate task force.

Chertoff's hesitation and Bush's creation of a task force both appear to contradict the National Response Plan and previous presidential directives that specify what the secretary of homeland security is assigned to do without further presidential orders. The goal of the National Response Plan is to provide a streamlined framework for swiftly delivering federal assistance when a disaster - caused by terrorists or Mother Nature - is too big for local officials to handle.

Dana Perino, a White House spokeswoman, referred most inquiries about the memo and Chertoff's actions to the Department of Homeland Security.

"There will be an after-action report" on the government's response to Hurricane Katrina, Perino said. She added that "Chertoff had the authority to invoke the Incident of National Significance, and he did it on Tuesday."

Perino said the creation of the White House task force didn't add another bureaucratic layer or delay the response to the devastating hurricane. "Absolutely not," she said. "I think it helped move things along." When asked whether the delay in issuing the Incident of National Significance was to allow Bush time to return to Washington, Perino replied: "Not that I'm aware of."

Russ Knocke, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, didn't dispute that the National Response Plan put Chertoff in charge in federal response to a catastrophe. But he disputed that the bureaucracy got in the way of launching the federal response.

"There was a tremendous sense of urgency," Knocke said. "We were mobilizing the greatest response to a disaster in the nation's history."

Knocke noted that members of the Coast Guard were already in New Orleans performing rescues and FEMA personnel and supplies had been deployed to the region.

The Department of Homeland Security has refused repeated requests to provide details about Chertoff's schedule and said it couldn't say specifically when the department requested assistance from the military. Knocke said a military liaison was working with FEMA, but said he didn't know his or her name or rank. FEMA officials said they wouldn't provide information about the liaison.

Knocke said members of almost every federal agency had already been meeting as part of the department's Interagency Incident Management Group, which convened for the first time on the Friday before the hurricane struck. So it would be a mistake, he said, to interpret the memo as meaning that Tuesday, Aug. 30 was the first time that members of the federal government coordinated.

The Chertoff memo indicates that the response to Katrina wasn't left to disaster professionals, but was run out of the White House, said George Haddow, a former deputy chief of staff at FEMA during the Clinton administration and the co-author of an emergency management textbook.

"It shows that the president is running the disaster, the White House is running it as opposed to Brown or Chertoff," Haddow said. Brown "is a convenient fall guy. He's not the problem really. The problem is a system that was marginalized."

A former FEMA director under President Reagan expressed shock by the inaction that Chertoff's memo suggested. It showed that Chertoff "does not have a full appreciation for what the country is faced with - nor does anyone who waits that long," said Gen. Julius Becton Jr., who was FEMA director from 1985-1989.

"Anytime you have a delay in taking action, there's a potential for losing lives," Becton told Knight Ridder. "I have no idea how many lives we're talking about. ... I don't understand why, except that they were inefficient."

Chertoff's Aug. 30 memo came on the heels of a memo from Brown, written several hours after Katrina made landfall, showing that the FEMA director was waiting for Chertoff's permission to get help from others within the massive department. In that memo, first obtained by the Associated Press last week, Brown requested Chertoff's "assistance to make available DHS employees willing to deploy as soon as possible." It asked for another 1,000 homeland security workers within two days and 2,000 within a week.

The four-paragraph memo ended with Brown thanking Chertoff "for your consideration in helping us meet our responsibilities in this near catastrophic event."

According to the National Response Plan, which was unveiled in January by Chertoff's predecessor, Tom Ridge, the secretary of homeland security is supposed to declare an Incident of National Significance when a catastrophic event occurs.

"Standard procedures regarding requests for assistance may be expedited or, under extreme circumstances, suspended in the immediate aftermath of an event of catastrophic magnitude," according to the plan, which evolved from earlier plans and lessons learned after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "Notification and full coordination with the States will occur, but the coordination process must not delay or impede the rapid deployment and use of critical resources."

Should Chertoff have declared Katrina an Incident of National Significance sooner - even before the storm struck? Did his delay slow the quick delivery of the massive federal response that was needed? Would it have made a difference?

"You raise good questions," said Frank J. Cilluffo, the director of George Washington University's Homeland Security Planning Institute. It's too early to tell, he said, whether unfamiliarity with or glitches in the new National Response Plan were factors in the poor early response to Katrina.

"Clearly this is the first test. It certainly did not pass with flying colors," Cilluffo said of the National Response Plan.

Mike Byrne, a former senior homeland security official under Ridge who worked on the plan, said he doesn't think the new National Response Plan caused the confusion that plagued the early response to Katrina.

Something else went wrong, he suspects. The new National Response Plan isn't all that different from the previous plan, called the Federal Response Plan.

"Our history of responding to major disasters has been one where we've done it well," Byrne said. "We need to figure out why this one didn't go as well as the others did. It's shocking to me."

Chertoff's Aug. 30 memo is posted at www.krwashington.com

Link to site: Health risks are many but the measurements are inconclusive

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- The worst environmental calamity in U.S. history
- More than three-quarters of the oil from the Katrina spills had not been recovered by yesterday,
- The magnitude of the oil spills came into focus with word that laboratories trying to test sediment from newly drained areas were having a problem:


By Randy Lee Loftis, The Dallas Morning News
 
EPA head Stephen Johnson acknowledged the scope.

DALLAS — Hurricane Katrina rapidly is becoming the worst environmental calamity in U.S. history, with oil spills rivaling the Exxon Valdez, hundreds of toxic sites still uncontrolled, and waterborne poisons soaking 160,000 homes.
New Orleans' neighborhoods are awash with dangerous levels of bacteria and lead, and with lower but still potentially harmful amounts of mercury, pesticides and other chemicals. Much will wind up in the soil or in Lake Pontchartrain.
Across southern Louisiana, the Coast Guard reported seven major oil spills from refineries or tank farms that totaled 6.7 million gallons, or 61 percent as much as the 11 million gallons that leaked into Alaska's Prince William Sound from the Exxon Valdez in 1989.
The total does not count gasoline from gas stations and the more than 300,000 flooded cars, likely to add an additional 1 million to 2 million gallons. Nor does it count oil from hundreds of smaller or undiscovered spills.
More than three-quarters of the oil from the Katrina spills had not been recovered by yesterday, the Coast Guard said.
The magnitude of the oil spills came into focus with word that laboratories trying to test sediment from newly drained areas were having a problem: There was so much petroleum in the dirt that they couldn't test for anything else.
The Exxon Valdez became the benchmark for U.S. oil spills by leaking North Slope crude into Alaska's cold isolation. This time, the danger includes untreated sewage, cancer-causing compounds, nameless black gunk from rail yards, chemicals used to kill plants or insects, substances that are poisonous even in the tiniest amounts, and decomposing remains.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson acknowledged the scope of the problem during a news conference in Washington, D.C. He wouldn't speculate on when residents could return or on whether the EPA might sanction lesser cleanups in some residential areas.
"All of us ... want New Orleans to return to the thriving city that it was before Katrina," he said, but only if the job is "done right and (is) proactive of public health."
Besides the water, the city must deal with a mass of hazardous debris that Johnson described as "enormous."

Link to site: Health risks are many but the measurements are inconclusive

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights: - Array of serious health threats, including lack of clean drinking water, astronomically high bacteria counts and unsafe levels of several toxic metals in floodwaters - Nearly 1,000 drinking-water systems remain disabled or impaired because of power outages or structural damage - Suspicious of the reliability of the EPA's tests because they have reported no detectable amounts of benzene or several other substances in petroleum products, even though oily sheens are visible on the floodwaters.

Marla Cone, Times Staff Writer
Calling Hurricane Katrina the largest disaster that the Environmental Protection Agency has ever encountered, the nation's top environmental official said Wednesday that the Gulf Coast was still facing an array of serious health threats, including lack of clean drinking water, astronomically high bacteria counts and unsafe levels of several toxic metals in floodwaters.

EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson said it was impossible to estimate how long the cleanup would take because no one knows the magnitude of the problems. Signs are emerging that there could be widespread hazardous waste in New Orleans that could delay rebuilding efforts, although the EPA so far says it has detected just three chemicals in the floodwaters at unsafe levels.

Hexavalent chromium and arsenic, which are known human carcinogens, were reported Wednesday in floodwaters in some New Orleans neighborhoods at levels that are unsafe for drinking water. The latest available samples were taken Sept. 4 through Sept. 6. The chromium compound is used in metal plating. Arsenic, found naturally in the Earth's crust, occurs in pesticides and wood preservatives.

Since Sept. 3, the agency has reported unsafe lead levels in floodwaters, including one sample that exceeded the drinking-water standard 15-fold. Lead can damage the brain of a fetus or child if it is ingested.

The health standards for arsenic and chromium are based on long-term dangers — the risk of cancer associated with a child drinking a liter of tainted water a day — so there is little immediate danger because people are not drinking the floodwaters. But the findings suggest that significant amounts of at least a few contaminants have polluted the area and probably pose a long-term threat to public health and the environment.

Nearly 1,000 drinking-water systems remain disabled or impaired because of power outages or structural damage. Many people have been told to boil their water.

Some environmental researchers are suspicious of the reliability of the EPA's tests because they have reported no detectable amounts of benzene or several other substances in petroleum products, even though oily sheens are visible on the floodwaters.

But Johnson said petroleum residue has been absorbed into the dirt. He said the soil and other sediment contain so much petroleum-based material that it is hard to isolate specific compounds in the tests. Johnson said the EPA has requested assistance from a panel of scientific experts on how to analyze the samples.

The visible oily waste in the sediments could mean massive amounts of soil may have to be excavated or treated, and perhaps taken to special landfills. Chemicals left in the soil can leach into groundwater and contaminate the air and drinking-water supplies, as well as crops and gardens.

New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin has said the EPA test results will be a key factor in determining how quickly residents can return.

Johnson would not speculate on whether the contamination will delay rebuilding parts of the city.

"Our top priority is to assess what the impacts are and conduct a cleanup operation — just as quickly as possible — that is done right" and protective of public health, he said.

The floodwaters in New Orleans' residential neighborhoods are being continuously tested for more than 100 compounds, including pesticides and industrial chemicals. But most have not been detected, and other than the chromium, arsenic and lead, none has been detected in concentrations that exceed drinking-water standards, according to data that the EPA released from sampling at 29 sites.

However, other chemicals are showing up in the water at low levels, including some pesticides; mercury; copper; barium, a metallic element used in the oil industry; thallium, another metallic element; and toluene, which is found in paint, gasoline and other petroleum products.

Some experts have questioned whether the tests can adequately assess the hazards.

John Froines, director of UCLA's Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, said just comparing the chemicals to drinking-water standards may not be enough to protect public health. Some, such as toxic ingredients in petroleum products and pesticides, can be absorbed through the skin and others can cause allergic reactions.

"There must be over 100,000 volunteers and National Guardsmen and other officials there," Froines said. "These people are likely to be wading in water, and they may have some of the most significant exposures.

"We know you can get massive uptake [of some chemicals] through the skin in certain occupational settings. I don't have a sense that anybody is thinking about that," Froines said.

Because the highest concentrations found so far are metals, the region "may have been spared" exposures similar to the World Trade Center disaster, where smoke and dust were toxic, he said.

"The question is what is going to happen to those metals?" Froines said. "There are long-term issues with respect to hazardous waste and plants taking up sediments, and people with gardens."

Federal and state officials, he said, should assemble a group of scientists and regulatory officials to determine which people may have been highly exposed and then consider testing their bodies for chemicals.

Although the nation has suffered other large floods, "this is not comparable at all, because of the scope and how high the water was and for how long, and the size of the population. We didn't have people wading in 25 feet of water for five days" after floods in the Midwest, said Roger Lewis, director of the St. Louis University School of Public Health's Environmental Health Research Lab.

Johnson acknowledged Wednesday that the EPA's floodwater tests offer "just a snapshot."

He said there is no doubt that the floodwater is unsafe, largely due to high bacteria counts. Bacteria counts remain much higher than acceptable levels for human contact, which indicates that raw sewage is still in the streets, according to samples collected Saturday.

The EPA has advised emergency crews and the public to avoid contact with standing water when possible and to wash exposed skin with soap and clean water.

He said the EPA has enough money for its emergency work, with more than 600 employees at the scene, mostly in Louisiana.

Environmental officials are also concerned that chemicals might be flowing off five Superfund sites — among the nation's most hazardous dumpsites — near New Orleans. One Superfund site, the Agriculture Street landfill, remains underwater. A cleanup occurred there in 2000, but some residue remains and the EPA has not tried to assess whether contaminants have flowed off the site.

Five major oil spills have been discovered in the New Orleans area since the hurricane, according to the EPA.

Maj. George Stejic, a member of the Army Corps of Engineers team that is in charge of pumping water from the area, said Wednesday that one spill involved a large tank that shifted, releasing 250,000 gallons of a petroleum product into floodwaters. He said the corps was working with the EPA to contain the spill and was using booms to keep the product from reaching pumps.

Link to site: Scientists begin taking samples to study whether fishing grounds remain safe as a toxic brew flows farther.

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

WILL VAN SANT, Times Staff Writer, September 15, 2005

From space, a plume of sediment from the Mississippi Delta into the Gulf of Mexico is always visible. Rich in dissolved nutrients and plant matter, the plume's browns and greens stand out against the surrounding dark blue waters of the gulf.

Since Hurricane Katrina struck, the plume has been fed by receding storm surge from devastated gulf states. From the air, it still looks the same. But some scientists and regulators worry that the plume is now carrying toxic substances harmful to marine life and people.

Hugh Kaufman, a senior policy analyst at the Environmental Protection Agency, said Katrina flooded dozens of Superfund and toxic waste sites. The water also washed over landfills, hazardous waste storage facilities and fuel depots, he said. All of that is now returning to the gulf.

"It makes Love Canal look like a fly compared to the elephant of contamination that is now in that region," Kaufman said.

On Monday, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration sent a vessel into the plume. The 187-foot Nancy Foster , in addition to a crew of scientists, took along 20 body bags, just in case it comes across victims of Katrina.

Between now and Friday when the vessel returns to port in Pensacola, its crew will travel through the plume, taking bottom and water samples. Marine life will be caught and frozen for further examination of contamination.

Oceanographer Mitch Roffer, owner of a Miami firm that uses environmental data from satellites to locate catches for commercial fisherman and weekend anglers, thinks more than a single voyage will be needed to assess the plume's threat.

"What's in the leading edge of this water?" said Roffer. "Nobody knows. It's critical to get out there now and see."

Oceanographers say most of the toxic brew will cling to the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama coasts. The portion that finds its way out into the gulf will be greatly diluted if it ever reaches the Florida Peninsula and the state's fishing grounds, they say.

But those same scientists agree that certain chemicals likely to be found in the plume are poisonous even in low concentrations and could endanger Florida's exhausted marine ecosystem. They also acknowledge uncertainty about what a catastrophic storm like Katrina could introduce into the plume.

"We have no experience with these kinds of things," said Frank Muller-Karger, an oceanographer at the University of South Florida. "There are a lot of people that are concerned. We don't want any surprises."

A finger of the plume that extends south into the gulf is of particular concern. Both Muller-Karger and Roffer said the finger could be swept into a powerful current that loops through the gulf and heads toward the Florida Keys and vulnerable coral reefs.

Peter Ortner, chief scientist at the NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory in Miami, is overseeing the Nancy Foster 's trip into the plume.

In addition to the testing this week, Ortner said he hoped to soon place buoys along the plume's leading edge. The buoys will send out signals, allowing the movement of the water to be monitored closely.

Already, the Commerce Department has announced a "fishery failure" for the Gulf Coast from the Florida Keys to the Texas border, a declaration that frees up federal aid for the fishing industry. Ortner said part of the Nancy Foster 's work will be assessing whether any fishing grounds need to be declared off-limits.

"It is an open question at present whether there has been contamination of areas that must be closed," Ortner said.

A complete determination of the plume's possible impact will take months of study, said Ortner, and he has requested an additional vessel and other resources to complete an assessment.

Roffer, too, sees the need for extensive tracking and study of the plume. It's quite likely, he said, that what is now present is relatively clean compared to what the plume may carry in coming weeks.

"This is the initial wash," he said. "It should not be considered a one-time event."

Link to site: Bacteria and chemicals are flowing into Lake Pontchartrain, and raw sewage is being released into the Mississippi

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Ralph Vartabedian and Marla Cone, Times Staff Writers, Sep 14, 2005

NEW ORLEANS — The high-stakes effort to bail out New Orleans is sending plumes of contaminated, brown, stinking water into Lake Pontchartrain, setting back years of effort to restore the environmentally sensitive home of Gulf Coast marine life.

After festering for two weeks in neighborhoods, commercial districts and industrial zones, the water is laden with bacteria, silt, petroleum products and possibly toxic substances.

City officials confirmed Tuesday that they were also releasing untreated sewage into the Mississippi River from one of two treatment plants operated by the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board.

Hurricane Katrina has forced the abandonment of normal environmental and sanitation practices as workers scramble to preserve what's left of the city and prevent a breakdown of public health.

"We are still trying to save lives," said Col. Richard Wagenaar, who heads the Army Corps of Engineers' New Orleans district.

The floodwaters are overrun with fecal material, silt and other substances that could damage the marine environment.

Martha Sutula, a senior scientist at the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project who has studied the ecology of Louisiana wetlands, said nutrients in the floodwaters, such as nitrates and ammonia, would probably cause algae and phytoplankton blooms in the shallow lake and surrounding estuaries. The blooms can deplete oxygen and suffocate marine life.

"I would imagine that you're going to have a pretty tremendous dead zone," Sutula said. "This is going to set them back quite a few years."

Al Naomi, senior project engineer for the Army Corps of Engineers, agreed. "It will take years to clean up our estuaries. The lake was coming back with manatees and fish. Twenty years of effort has been wiped out in an afternoon storm surge."

Although few experts criticize the extreme measures being taken to save New Orleans, the practices are believed to violate federal laws in normal times.

"We have multiple disasters in Hurricane Katrina," said William R. Freudenburg, a professor of environmental studies at UC Santa Barbara. "Much of the disaster was caused by the initial decision of where to put the city's levees. It was turned into a human disaster by the worst response I have ever seen by the government. Now we have a disaster on one of the most environmentally sensitive and valuable wetlands in America."

Much of the nation's seafood catch spends some portion of its life in the marshes of Louisiana, areas that were damaged by the storm surge. On the east flank of New Orleans, marshlands have been stripped clean of vegetation. "It looks like the surface of the moon," Wagenaar said.

So far, tests have not discovered any toxic pollution.

The flood inundated at least one Superfund site, the Agriculture Street landfill. The cleanup was completed before the flood, although toxic residue remained in the soil. Tens of thousands of inundated homes are thought to have solvents, pesticides and other toxic substances stored in garages and under sinks that could be leaking.

The Environmental Protection Agency has tested floodwaters in six locations for more than 100 chemicals. Only one chemical has exceeded EPA standards. Lead in water near an Interstate 10 exit ramp was 15 times higher than the level allowed in drinking water.

Most of the hazardous chemicals — including polychlorinated biphenyls, found in electrical equipment, and benzene, found in crude oil and gasoline — were undetectable in the EPA's first round of tests conducted Sept. 3.

Lake Pontchartrain, a brackish, shallow body of water that is affected by ocean tides, normally appears blue. But the view from a helicopter this week showed at least three large plumes of brown water leaving the 17th Street Canal, the London Avenue Canal and the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal.

Those waterways are the main channels for billions of gallons of floodwaters per day from the city's pumping stations. Even several hundred feet above the city the air stinks of sewage.

The water pumped into the 630-square-mile lake eventually drains through two narrow outlets to Lake Borgne and then to the Gulf of Mexico. The sewage going into the Mississippi River flows into the gulf at the river's mouth, about 80 miles from downtown.

Marcia St. Martin, executive director of the sewage board, said there was no evidence to support the contention that the water was a "toxic brew."

Link to site: Water Sampling delayed due to budgets and holiday

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Mike Colbert, The Lincoln County News, Sep 15 2005
Clam diggers may have lost as many as eight days of work earlier this month when the Department of Marine Resources kept clam flats closed based on speculation rather than on actual water quality tests.

From the Bath area to Martin Point, Friendship, flats remained closed over the recent Labor Day weekend. They were closed initially on Aug. 28 and 29 due to poor water quality test results following rainfall attributed to hurricane Katrina.

Flood closure regulations require clam flats be closed until water tests indicate that the water content is acceptably healthy.

Even though much of the expected rain veered north toward Montreal and Quebec, the DMR delay in conducting water tests insured that the flats remained closed well beyond the holiday weekend.

Despite the late August water testing that resulted in the closure of clam-flats throughout the area, water quality levels can improve significantly with just one tide, said Rep. David Trahan (R-Waldoboro). “That is why I’m so irked by this; that is what that water testing program is for.”

Although many tides came and went, testing was delayed until Tues., Sept. 6.

In an Aug. 31 e-mail, Amy Fitzpatrick, the Director of the Public Health Division at the DMR, indicated to concerned parties that rains resulting from Hurricane Katrina were tracking north and would for the most part avoid the coast. “Unless something really odd happens, I’d say we’re out of the woods on this one,” wrote Fitzpatrick.

But in another e-mail circulated on Sept. 1, the Thursday prior to Labor Day weekend, Fitzpatrick notified diggers and others that “due to budget constraints and the holiday weekend” water sampling to determine the opening of the clam flats would not take place until after the holiday.

While public health is a top priority, the failure to conduct water tests in a timely manner could only be supported by a “pathetic reasoning,” said Trahan. “This program should be responsive to the needs of the industry, not to the needs of the bureaucrats for a three day weekend. They caused an eight day delay and put thousands of people out of work.”

The Sept. 1 e-mail states that test data from Aug. 29 and Aug. 30 water samples showed fecal counts taken along the coast to be unusually high.

Jan Barter with the DMR’s Division of Public Health said that the amount of rain combined with budget constraints led to the decision.

While lighter rains Downeast were soaking into the ground, Midcoast waters were “heavy with runoff,” said Barter. Waldoboro, for example, received two and a half inches of rain, and Wiscasset two inches on Tues., Aug. 30.

Between the 29th and 30th, nearly five and a half inches of rain had fallen in Newcastle, said Barter, adding that at the time the forecast was for significantly more rain in the days ahead.

Although the promised hurricane rains moved farther west on Wed., Aug. 31 and Thurs., Sept. 1, Barter said she had to make a judgment call. Thursday, “the first day we could have flood sampled, I made a judgment call not to,” said Barter, “because Wednesday night we got another half inch to an inch of rain.”

There is a three-day turn around between collecting water samples, running them through the lab, and then reviewing the results, Barter said.

“Due to budget constraints we can’t have people work on the weekend,” said Barter. “We are not allowed to work on a holiday because the state can’t afford it. We couldn’t have collected samples on Friday because there would have been no one in the lab on Sunday. It’s a budgeting [problem] and a judgment call we made.”

On Aug. 30 Barter said she logged in more than 200 driving miles to collect water samples. Between Kittery and the Canadian border there are only six people responsible for the whole area, said Barter, indicating the situation was frustrating for both the scientists and the clam diggers. “I understand their frustration. I totally sympathize with them, but we can’t control the weather.”

The Sept. 1 Fitzpatrick e-mail also said that testing would also be delayed based on anticipations that heavy rainfall in the western part of Maine would indirectly affect the coast.

“We determined that with the heavy rainfall in the western portion of the state draining down through the major river systems, our decision was a prudent one to protect public health,” said Fitzpatrick in the Sept. 1 e-mail.

“I’d love to see the data behind that,” said Waldoboro clam digger Glen Melvin, questioning the logic. “This place is dry as a bone. Western Maine drank it right up.”

“Their decision making should not be based on speculation,” said Trahan, indicating that the water-quality testing program was vital to keeping the industry moving forward.

In a Sept. 2 letter sent to DMR Commissioner George Lapointe, Trahan said he was concerned not only with the closure of the clam flats, but also with the reasons expressed for the closure.

“One reason [given] for not testing until next week is that it is a holiday weekend. This is precisely why testing should be done as soon as possible. The demand and price of clams is increased during such holiday activities and a significant portion of the yearly income of these shell fishermen comes from this weekend,” wrote Trahan.

He said failure to conduct the water test in a timely manner had economic repercussions. Referring to the Medomak River in Waldoboro, Trahan said the DMR delay was “putting people in dire straits that depend on the river [for making a living.]”

Trahan copied the Lapointe letter to Governor Baldacci, asking the Governor to authorize contingency funding for water quality testing.

Indications that the DMR is understaffed, said Trahan, are “nothing more than an excuse at this point.”

Despite the cry that there is not enough money to run the DMR water testing program properly, Trahan said he could document the fact that “when that office hires somebody, it doesn’t decrease revenue, it increases revenue.”

Giving an example, Trahan said the DMR delayed opening the Bremen Long Island Clam flats for many months “because they were understaffed. How much money would have come into our economy if they’d opened it six months ago? How many flats like that across the state are in need of testing and opening?”

Part of the problem, said Trahan, is that Governor Baldacci “gutted the water quality testing program when he took office. I think he knew it was a fee based program.”

“What concerns me is that shellfish license fees went up significantly, but nothing was put into the program to insure the rivers would be opened back up in a timely manner. I feel like the shellfish industry is supporting the General Fund,” said Trahan.

Trahan said that this approach to balancing the budget does not appear to be an isolated practice under the current administration.

“He took $5 million out of the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife budget, knowing that the only thing we could do would be to raise fees,” said Trahan.

Opening closed shellfish harvesting areas is considered to be one of the top 100 benchmarks tied to economic development, according to economic goals outlined by the Maine Development Foundation.

Despite that fact, clam flats in Maine are often shut down longer than they need to be because of DMR delays in water testing. “It boils down to your philosophy on economic development,” said Trahan. “It’s obvious to anyone that the more days the flats are open and the more acres of flats open, the better it is for our economy and for individuals. When you hire a staff person for water testing and they’re able to open a flat, it brings in income and sales tax. They’re putting those people to work and putting more money into our economy.”

There are other repercussions too, some of them more personal than the number of dollars earned and lost.

“As a consequence of doing a poor job, it puts fewer clams on the market,” said Trahan. “Consumers pay more for clams at the market and fewer people are working. You combine that with the cost of fuel going into the winter, more people are going to be relying on state resources. There’s going to be a lot of folks struggling because this government failed them. You don’t have to be a genius to figure out that if clam diggers are out of work for eight days straight and they’re losing two to three hundred dollars a day, that at the end of the year they won’t have earned enough money to survive.”

Fitzpatrick could not be reached at the DMR despite repeated attempts to do so over the last week.

Trahan said he asked the DMR months and months ago for information on the water quality testing program, and again a week ago, but had not gotten even so much as an acknowledgment of his request.

Because of frustrations like these, Trahan said he submitted a bill last week entitled An Act to Review the Water Quality Testing Program at Marine Resources. The bill is designed to determine whether the water quality-testing program is properly funded, and to see if it is meeting its legislative intent.

Asked if he had received a response to his letter from either Lapointe or Baldacci, Trahan said, “Nothing. Eerily quiet from the governor’s office.”

Link to site: Extensive sampling of standing flood waters

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

EPA is carrying out extensive sampling of standing flood waters in the City of New Orleans. The Agency follows a quality assurance process that ensures that the data is thoroughly reviewed and validated. This process is being used for all data received as part of the emergency response. EPA is ensuring coordination of data between federal, state, and local agencies and will routinely release data as soon as it is available.

Biological testing: total coliforms and E. coli

The samples are being analyzed for total coliforms and E. coli. These bacteria are commonly found in high numbers in the feces of humans and other warm-blooded animals. Finding total coliforms and E. coli in a water sample indicates the potential presence of pathogens and therefore a risk of illness or infection by being exposed to the feces-contaminated water. EPA and CDC have agreed that examining water samples for pathogens, such as Vibrio cholera, Shigella, E.coli 0157 or Salmonella would not be useful at this time.

More specifically, pathogens will not be determined at this time because:
• Pathogens are difficult to grow in the laboratory, especially in highly contaminated surface waters.
• Finding one pathogen will not predict the risk from other pathogens.
• Finding pathogens in standing water will not affect how imminent risk is presented to the public or how decisions are made.
• Wastewater from a large population is expected to contain enteric pathogens, therefore, identifying the presence of fecally-contaminated water will give a broader risk perspective than detecting specific pathogens.

The sampling effort devoted to measuring total coliforms and E. coli will be more effective if a large number of samples are tested and the results are applied to warning the public about risks associated with contact with contaminated floodwaters.

Based on the sampling, emergency responders and the public should avoid direct contact with standing water when possible. In the event contact occurs, EPA and CDC strongly advise the use of soap and water to clean exposed areas if available. Flood water should not be swallowed and all mouth contact should be minimized and avoided where possible. People should immediately report any symptoms to health professionals. The most likely symptoms of ingestion of flood water contaminated with bacteria are stomach-ache, fever, vomiting and diarrhea. Also, people can become ill if they have an open cut, wound, or abrasion that comes into contact with water contaminated with certain organisms. One may experience fever, redness, and swelling at the site of the infection and should see a doctor right away if possible.

Test results Biological testing Sep. 3-10, 2005

Chemical testing

EPA in coordination with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality performed chemical sampling of New Orleans flood waters for over one hundred priority pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs), total metals, pesticides, herbicides, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Concentrations of lead in the flood water exceeded EPA drinking water action levels. These measured levels are a concern if flood water were to be a child's source of drinking water.

Flood water sampling data for chemicals from September 4 and September 6, 2005 are now available for public review. Data from September 5 is now undergoing review and validation. The data will be posted as soon as this process is complete. Hexavalent chromium and arsenic, in addition to lead which was previously detected on September 3rd, were detected at levels which exceeded EPA drinking water standards. These compounds would pose a risk to children only if a child were to drink a liter of flood water a day. Long-term exposure (a year or longer) to arsenic would be required before health effects would be a concern. Thallium was detected at one sampling location and while levels are slightly elevated, they are 10 times lower than levels at which there would be a health effect.

Based on the sampling, emergency responders and the public should avoid direct contact with standing water when possible. In the event contact occurs, EPA and CDC strongly advise the use of soap and water to clean exposed areas if available. Flood water should not be swallowed and all mouth contact should be minimized and avoided where possible. People should immediately report any symptoms to health professionals. The most likely symptoms of ingestion of flood water contaminated with bacteria are stomach-ache, fever, vomiting and diarrhea. Also, people can become ill if they have an open cut, wound, or abrasion that comes into contact with water contaminated with certain organisms. One may experience fever, redness, and swelling at the site of the infection and should see a doctor right away if possible.

Additional information regarding health and safety issues for both the public and emergency responders can be found on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Web site (http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/index.asp) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Web site (http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/hurricaneRecovery.html).

Test results
Chemical testing Sep. 3, 2005
Chemical testing Sep. 4, 2005
Chemical testing Sep. 6, 2005

Link to site: First rounds of biological and chemical water sampling

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

EPA News Release - September 14, 2005
EPA and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (http://www.deq.state.la.us/) have posted the results of the first rounds of biological and chemical water sampling.  The data has been reviewed and validated through a quality assurance process to ensure scientific accuracy.  

Biological sampling data from Sept. 3-10 are available at http://www.epa.gov/katrina/testresults/water.html.  Chemical sampling data from Sept. 3, 4 and 6 is available at http://www.epa.gov/katrina/testresults/water.html#chem.  Chemical sampling data from Sept. 5 is now undergoing review and validation.  

Environmental screening data from EPA's ASPECT aircraft is available at http://www.epa.gov/katrina/testresults/air.html.  Data produced by ASPECT is non-validated and used by EPA and other agencies for screening purposes to assess immediate environmental hazards.  Information and data from ASPECT analyses are forwarded to personnel on the ground who evaluate the data and request follow-up air monitoring, if warranted.

EPA and CDC are working together to identify potential hazards that workers may be exposed to in the flood area.  EPA has requested that Federal Occupational Health physicians be deployed in New Orleans and St. Tammany Parish to assist workers by issuing prescriptions and monitoring workers for health effects.  OSHA will provide a team to assist with worker health monitoring.

EPA water sampling teams collected samples at 11 outfall locations and five floodwater locations yesterday.  LDEQ contractors conducted standard water quality and fecal coliform sampling in Lake Pontchartrain and selected Bayous.  The United States Public Health Service has taken the lead for sampling water and sediments for biological contaminants.  

EPA and the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov/) continue to assess drinking water systems and provide technical assistance to help restore safe drinking water to affected communities.  More than 400 drinking water systems are now operational.  Thirty-six drinking water systems are operational with boil water advisories.  

An EPA Mobile Lab is stationed in St. Tammany Parish offering support to residents with private wells that have been flooded.  Residents can bring samples directly to the Mobile Lab for testing.

Responders are assessing the area's wastewater facilities.  More than 82 percent of major municipal wastewater facilities are operational.  More than 29 percent of major industrial wastewater facilities are operational.  

EPA and contractors have collected more than 9700 containers of household hazardous waste/orphan containers in Mandeville, Slidell and St Tammany Parish.

Two teams completed reconnaissance of the Bayou Bonfouca, Southern Shipbuilding, Madisonville Creosote Works, Agriculture Street landfill, and Delatte Metals NPL sites.  The Bayou Bonfouca site was secure but the pump and treat system was non-operational.  Visual investigation of the capped on-site landfill indicated that the cap was not damaged and appeared to be in good condition.  The Southern Shipbuilding site was secure, but closed.  Teams are working to contact the current owner for access and to further assess the site's condition.  The Agricultural Street landfill site is underwater and inaccessible to the reconaissance teams.  EPA will perform an overflight assessment.  The Madisonville Creosote Works treatment facility appeared to be in good condition.  The decontamination pad was intact and in good condition.  At Delatte Metals, the smelting and concrete structures sustained no visible damage.

LDEQ is monitoring ambient air quality using summa canisters.  EPA Trace Atmospheric Gas Analyzer (TAGA) units conducted air quality monitoring in Orleans Parish and at the outfall near the USCG station in Metairie.  Passive air monitoring devices will be distributed to EPA staff working in hurricane-affected areas.  EPA and OSHA will develop a plan to measure air monitoring results from the individual pasive air monitoring devices worn by sampling teams.

EPA's joint field operations with state officials are ongoing.  The EPA and State of Louisiana Joint Incident Management Team is operating 24 hours a day at the emergency center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Link to site: Floodwaters remain contaminated with E. coli and other bacteria, high levels of lead, oil products and other dangerous chemicals

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Steven Reinberg, HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDayNews) -- As the death toll from Hurricane Katrina surged past 650 on Tuesday, federal officials said floodwaters in the devastated Gulf Coast region remain contaminated with E. coli and other bacteria, high levels of lead, oil products and other dangerous chemicals.

Drinking water must be boiled. And land is also contaminated with debris that runs the gamut from toxic waste to tree limbs, EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson said at a news conference.

"We continue to sample the flood water," Johnson said. "We are seeing a range of chemicals from 24D barium, chromium, copper, sodium and iron."

"This is one of the biggest environmental challenges in our agency's history. Since we haven't seen anything of this scale before, it's hard to make specific predictions," said Eryn Witcher, an EPA spokeswoman. The agency's top priority is a quick cleanup that protects people's health, she told the Associated Press.

The death toll continues to climb in the flood-ravaged Gulf Coast, with Louisiana's count rising to 423 after the discovery of the bodies of 34 elderly patients -- presumed drowned -- at a Chalmette nursing home.

Proprietors Salvador and Mable Mangano now face homicide charges for the deaths, with authorities claiming they did not heed warnings to evacuate their patients as Katrina came ashore Aug. 29. The two reportedly also turned down an offer of evacuation help from St. Bernard Parish officials.

Johnson noted that drinking water systems throughout the region are still not working properly. "In some cases, they are not working because there is no electricity," he said. "In other cases, such as New Orleans, they are operating, but there are 'boil-water advisories' because the water is unsafe."

Young children are most susceptible to illness because their immune systems are still developing. But, the EPA said the amount of chemicals found in the water would pose a risk to children only if a child were to drink a liter of floodwater a day, the AP said.

Nonetheless, officials from the EPA and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strongly urged people not to wade in or drink standing water. If contact can't be avoided, soap and water to clean exposed areas should be used, the news service said.

Waste-treatment facilities remain crippled, Johnson said, with many systems in Louisiana and Mississippi not operating, he said.

"Drinking water systems need attention," Johnson said. "Waste-water systems need attention. We are on the scene trying to help state and local communities bring them back up."

The EPA and state authorities are also testing the water in the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain. To prevent further contamination from oil and gasoline and other pollutants, the EPA has placed booms in these and other waterways where floodwater is draining.

In terms of the land, Johnson said there is an enormous amount of debris. "The kind of debris we are seeing ranges from trees to hazardous materials," he said. "We have recovered over 5,000 orphan containers that range from gas cylinders to medical waste disposal drums."

Another problem is the sediment left behind by flooding, he said.

"We have begun to sample the sediment from New Orleans," Johnson said. "We don't have any results yet. Our labs have had difficulty doing the analysis because the sediment samples are so laden with petroleum products -- it is hard to get those products out of the sediment so that you can look for other chemicals or bacteria."

Johnson also noted that hazardous waste and superfund sites -- uncontrolled or abandoned places where hazardous waste is located -- were disrupted by the hurricane. "We are now looking at what steps to take to assure the public that these sites have not been compromised. One superfund site remains underwater."

The EPA has also received numerous reports of chemical odors and oil spills. "There have been five oil spills in New Orleans to date," Johnson said.

So far, air sampling has not detected any serious chemical or radioactive releases, he said, adding that the EPA will continue to work with state and local agencies to monitor environmental conditions.

More information

The EPA can tell you more about environmental testing in the hurricane affected areas.

Link to site: No release from titanium dioxide plant

Return to: watercenter.org

Associated Press, Sep. 12, 2005

DELISLE, Miss. - Officials at the DuPont titanium dioxide plant here say they've found no evidence of chemicals being scattered into the coastal environment by Hurricane Katrina.

"We are pleased to report that the plant performed well," Pat Nichols, the DeLisle plant manager, told reporters during a tour of the facility Sunday.

Robbie Wilbur, spokesman for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, said several of the agency's staff members have been to the DuPont plant since Katrina hit Aug. 29.

"We have not detected at this time nor has DuPont reported to MDEQ any releases," Wilbur said Monday.

He said the department has requested, through the federal Environmental Protection Agency, that water samples be tested from the Bay of St. Louis.

A severe-weather dome at the DuPont facility, built 35 feet above sea level and capable of withstanding 400 mph winds, housed 24 employees during the storm. Safety manager Steve Fayard, a member of the severe-weather team, has lived in the dome the past two weeks.

"We didn't have any environmental releases before, during or after the storm," he said.

Katrina left the dome without a scar. The levee system designed to keep the plant from leaking its contents into St. Louis Bay showed some damage, though plant officials said there were no leaks into the bay.Rubble littered the levee, and most of the railroad system along the levee was destroyed. The system was built 20 feet above sea level. Dan Sloan, a plant engineer, said saltwater from the bay was pushed to about eight feet above the levee.

Officials said another system of levees, protecting several containment ponds, showed no significant damage.

Lines of debris are wrapped around the ponds. The lines are evidence of the water flooding the plant, but the rubble is about 20 feet below the closest pond.

DuPont officials expect the plant to remain dormant for several weeks while inspectors continue tests to survey the damage.

The DeLisle facility is the second-largest producer of super-white titanium dioxide in the U.S.

Last month, a Bay St. Louis oyster fisherman was awarded $14 million in a lawsuit against the chemical giant. The plaintiff said dioxins from the plant caused his cancer. It was the first of nearly 2,000 lawsuits filed by former employees and residents, making similar claims.

Later this week, DuPont executives plan to release the daily dollar amount lost during the plant's post-Katrina shutdown.

Long-term, harmful implications for the lake ecosystem and future human use

Link to site:

Return to: watercenter.org

DURHAM, N.C., Sept. 12 (AScribe Newswire) -- The pumping of New Orleans floodwaters into Lake Pontchartrain will create "long-term, harmful implications for the lake ecosystem and future human use of the area," warns Duke University environmental engineer Karl Linden.

The possibility of even more serious harm may be avoided by extensive testing of waters in the industrial zone for toxic chemicals and developing a plan to treat those waters before disposal, he added. So far, there has been no sampling performed in any of the city's industrial areas, unlike the residential areas, Linden said.

"While pumping floodwaters into the lake may seem 'better' than pumping pollution into the river or Gulf, make no mistake, this choice is only the lesser evil," said Linden, associate professor of environmental engineering at Duke's Pratt School of Engineering.

Linden acknowledged that Louisiana officials faced terrible choices in handling the polluted floodwaters in New Orleans. Trying to balance the immediate, overwhelming needs of its people against damaging the environment, Louisiana is now pumping floodwater into Lake Pontchartrain.

"According to EPA sampling, the types and levels of harmful bacteria in the floodwaters from residential areas are similar to raw sewage. Affected areas of Lake Pontchartrain will likely experience an extended period of low oxygen levels, elevated nutrients and high microbial loads, all leading to fish kills, algae blooms and the need to prevent human contact with the water," Linden said.

"Given the recent successes of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation in restoring the lake to make it safe for human contact and even manatees to populate, this is a very sad development," he said.

"According to the government authorities, the alternatives were only concerned with where to pump (-- into the lake or the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico). They did not consider water treatment to help minimize the impacts of pumping. Sacrificing the lake perhaps seemed like a better way to contain the pollution and make the eventual remediation effort at least conceivable."

Based on the data available so far, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency did not find any priority pollutants -- those that persist in the environment -- that exceeded health levels in the residential areas that have been tested, Linden said. Now it is time to turn attention to the areas of the city most likely to be sites of concentrated pollution -- the industrial zones, he said.

"Before any pumping from industrial areas occurs, it is imperative that an assessment be made of the level and types of pollutants present," Linden urged. "Once the status of these areas is known, a plan needs to be put in place to minimize the environmental damage from these sites, as many of them could be extremely hazardous. It would be irresponsible to simply pump the water from these areas into the lake or gulf without an attempt to remove and stabilize the toxic chemicals first."

"Waiving discharge regulations for pumping toxic water from the residential areas can be excused in the name of search and rescue. But let's please take the time to plan and prepare for the proper disposal of the industrial zone water and not cause further harm -- perhaps much more serious harm -- to the natural waters beyond what is necessary for protecting human health," Linden said.

Long-term, harmful implications for the lake ecosystem and future human use

Link to site:

Return to: watercenter.org

DURHAM, N.C., Sept. 12 (AScribe Newswire) -- The pumping of New Orleans floodwaters into Lake Pontchartrain will create "long-term, harmful implications for the lake ecosystem and future human use of the area," warns Duke University environmental engineer Karl Linden.

The possibility of even more serious harm may be avoided by extensive testing of waters in the industrial zone for toxic chemicals and developing a plan to treat those waters before disposal, he added. So far, there has been no sampling performed in any of the city's industrial areas, unlike the residential areas, Linden said.

"While pumping floodwaters into the lake may seem 'better' than pumping pollution into the river or Gulf, make no mistake, this choice is only the lesser evil," said Linden, associate professor of environmental engineering at Duke's Pratt School of Engineering.

Linden acknowledged that Louisiana officials faced terrible choices in handling the polluted floodwaters in New Orleans. Trying to balance the immediate, overwhelming needs of its people against damaging the environment, Louisiana is now pumping floodwater into Lake Pontchartrain.

"According to EPA sampling, the types and levels of harmful bacteria in the floodwaters from residential areas are similar to raw sewage. Affected areas of Lake Pontchartrain will likely experience an extended period of low oxygen levels, elevated nutrients and high microbial loads, all leading to fish kills, algae blooms and the need to prevent human contact with the water," Linden said.

"Given the recent successes of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation in restoring the lake to make it safe for human contact and even manatees to populate, this is a very sad development," he said.

"According to the government authorities, the alternatives were only concerned with where to pump (-- into the lake or the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico). They did not consider water treatment to help minimize the impacts of pumping. Sacrificing the lake perhaps seemed like a better way to contain the pollution and make the eventual remediation effort at least conceivable."

Based on the data available so far, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency did not find any priority pollutants -- those that persist in the environment -- that exceeded health levels in the residential areas that have been tested, Linden said. Now it is time to turn attention to the areas of the city most likely to be sites of concentrated pollution -- the industrial zones, he said.

"Before any pumping from industrial areas occurs, it is imperative that an assessment be made of the level and types of pollutants present," Linden urged. "Once the status of these areas is known, a plan needs to be put in place to minimize the environmental damage from these sites, as many of them could be extremely hazardous. It would be irresponsible to simply pump the water from these areas into the lake or gulf without an attempt to remove and stabilize the toxic chemicals first."

"Waiving discharge regulations for pumping toxic water from the residential areas can be excused in the name of search and rescue. But let's please take the time to plan and prepare for the proper disposal of the industrial zone water and not cause further harm -- perhaps much more serious harm -- to the natural waters beyond what is necessary for protecting human health," Linden said.

Following facts highlight efforts

Link to site:

Return to: watercenter.org

Office of the Press Secretary
September 10, 2005

Federal support to state and local officials and volunteer organizations continues around the clock in an effort to save lives, sustain life, and assist with law enforcement operations in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. The following facts highlight some of the important activities and approximate numbers as of 4 p.m.:

- Lives Saved (rescues performed) -- 49,700
- People housed in shelters -- 208,000
- FEMA responders -- 8,900
- U.S. Coast Guard personnel -- 4,000
- National Guard personnel -- 50,800
- Active Duty Military -- 20,000
- MREs provided (meals) -- 21.3 million
- Water provided (liters) -- 49.2 million

The Department of Labor has established toll-free number (1-866-4-USA-DOL) and a Web site, www.dol.gov (Department of Labor’s Hurricane Recovery Assistance Page); to help evacuees file unemployment insurance claims and access temporary and permanent job information.

The Coast Guard has established a forward operating base in Baton Rouge, LA, to coordinate pollution response efforts with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the state of Louisiana, and local industries. The Coast Guard is responding to over 150 pollution reports.

EPA in coordination with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality posted data from New Orleans flood water samples. The data has been reviewed and validated through a quality assurance process to ensure scientific accuracy. The results show the public and emergency responders should avoid contact with the standing water and are publicly available at the EPA website -- www.epa.gov. Daily sampling is ongoing and EPA, in coordination with federal, state and local agencies will continue to release data as it becomes available.

Link to site: dentified at least six serious oil spills and numerous smaller incidents in southern Louisiana

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Steve Levine, Christopher Cooper and Michael Corkery, The Wall Street Journal
Monday, September 12, 2005
MERAUX, La. -- Now that water has receded from some of the most heavily damaged areas of New Orleans, it is becoming increasingly clear that Hurricane Katrina has left a major environmental mess in its wake.

Assessment teams and local emergency officials have identified at least six serious oil spills and numerous smaller incidents in southern Louisiana, but they are most concerned about a leak of an estimated 672,000 gallons of crude oil from a storage tank at a Murphy Oil Corp. refinery, some of which seeped into densely populated neighborhoods on the southeastern outskirts of New Orleans.

Federal officials told area leaders in private meetings over the weekend that they have designated the location around the Murphy refinery in Meraux in St. Bernard Parish as a "hot zone," or a potentially deadly hazard. Official access to the area has been restricted, but reporters from The Wall Street Journal who drove through city streets in the area saw block after block of homes within a mile of the refinery that had been inundated with what appears to be a mixture of oil and mud. Streets and much of the ground are covered in several inches of oozing muck.

Only limited work has been performed to remove the spilled crude since water began to recede from the area this past Thursday. As more of the crude sinks into the earth, officials say, the probability grows that as many as 4,000 homes will have to be razed and two to three feet of soil removed before the area could be inhabited again. Government officials say oil sludge spread across an area of three square miles.

The company believes most of the spilled oil was trapped behind a containment dike around the storage tank, and "we don't think very much oil got out of our refinery property, as far as we can tell," says Kevin Fitzgerald, a Murphy spokesman. The U.S. Coast Guard says Murphy estimated that 672,000 gallons of crude oil leaked out of the partially filled, 3.6 million gallon storage tank. The company says the tank may have dislodged from its foundation during the flood, floated as far as 15 feet and was punctured. Murphy says the containing wall around the tank was damaged during the storm, causing an unknown amount of oil to spread into the neighborhood.

Mr. Fitzgerald says he thinks much of that flowing liquid was muddy water containing a range of pollutants other than oil. Cleanup crews were using vacuum trucks and drum skimmers to suck up the oil, the Coast Guard says.

Crude oil is an unrefined form of oil that contains several harmful substances, including benzene, says Dr. Lynn Goldman, a professor of environmental health sciences at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.

Most spills occur outdoors, where the sun and air help break down the oil, causing it to evaporate. But if the crude from the Meraux tank seeps inside homes it will take longer to vaporize. "If it winds up inside structures it can stay there for a long time," says Dr. Goldman, a former assistant administrator at the EPA. She adds that the oil could seep into storm drains and sewers and spread through the city. "Literally the environment around the city would become polluted from it," she says.

The U.S. Coast Guard says it is helping clean up as many as six separate oil spills in Louisiana, including the one in Meraux. The other spills occurred along the Louisiana coast, south of New Orleans at facilities owned by Chevron Corp., Royal Dutch/Shell and others. Most of the discharged oil -- totaling more than 5.4 million gallons, according to the Coast Guard -- was contained by retaining systems around the storage tanks, although there was some reported leakage beyond the protective walls. (By comparison, the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Prince William Sound in Alaska was about 11 million gallons.)

Other areas of concern to environmental officials in New Orleans include a federal Superfund site near the Industrial Canal where a school and housing were built on top of a former landfill. That area was underwater for days. Before the hurricane, cleanup crews had removed soil that may have been contaminated with arsenic and lead and capped the area with a special covering. The site was in the process of being taken off the Environmental Protection Agency's national priority list of polluted sites when the hurricane hit. While the EPA won't speculate on whether the flood may have stirred up buried pollutants, "we don't know what lies before us with regard to that site," said Stephen Johnson, head of the agency.

The Washington, D.C.-based National Environmental Trust has identified 66 chemical plants and petroleum refineries and storage facilities in the Louisiana parishes hardest hit by the hurricane.

Last Tuesday, a team of eight scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the EPA, led by Dr. Henry Falk, a government expert in environmental hazards and their health effects, arrived in Baton Rouge, La., to assess the environmental hazards in New Orleans in the wake of the hurricane, and what needs to be done so people can return safely to their homes. The plan, Dr. Falk says, is to compile a list of those hazards, define who is responsible for addressing them, and pinpoint the obstacles toward fixing them or cleaning them up.

The team plans to deliver a report to the CDC and EPA soon, says Dr. Falk. Its observations and EPA testing so far show the hazards run the gamut from toxic chemicals in the floodwaters and soil to municipal issues such as making the drinking water clean again, getting sewage disposal working, and checking for gas leaks, he says. Houses will be examined for structural problems and mold damage, he says.

"I've worked on Three Mile Island, Mount St. Helens, Hurricane Hugo and Hurricane Andrew, but this is a unique situation," Dr. Falk says. "It involves a large urban area. There's a lot to coordinate. There's a staggering amount of debris."

The EPA's Mr. Johnson said that the agency is testing the floodwaters, soil and air in New Orleans for bacteria and more than 100 chemicals. So far, results of tests of the floodwaters in residential areas have consistently revealed high levels of ecoli and similar sewage-related bacteria, along with unsafe levels of lead. Mr. Johnson said he couldn't give an assessment about the overall environmental impact of the hurricane. "There are so many unknowns. We have to get the floodwaters out," he said.

Local leaders in Meraux had their first indication of the spill when a wildlife official noticed oil floating on the floodwaters after the hurricane, says Jeff McClain, director of the St. Bernard Parish Port. Little could be done since communications were cut off -- for five days no outside assistance came. When water levels dropped last week, sludge clung to trees and grass, houses and buildings. Cars and boats are scattered haphazardly on rooftops and streets. Abandoned dogs, many slick with oil, walked feebly along the median of Judge Perez Drive.

Three men in yellow hazardous material slickers used large squeegees to push through a petroleum slush that was as deep as a foot along Judge Perez Drive late last week. The men worked about a half-mile away from the refinery, piling up the sludge so it could be vacuumed into a pair of waiting tanker trucks. The sludge had the consistency of pudding, and the smell of petroleum hung heavy in the air.

On side streets, what appeared to be oil was thinner and ran deep in the streets. The brown stain of oil marked the high water points on buildings in the neighborhood, which run up to the boundaries of the refinery. A burnt line of grass on the main street's median marked the level the oil had reached when the water disappeared, well over a foot deep. On the southeast end of the refinery property, two men emptied the contents of a tanker truck, using a small pump to drain it into a canal. Mr. Fitzgerald, the Murphy spokesman, says he didn't know whether the canal was part of the spill-containment system or whether the workers were employed by Murphy.

The Coast Guard said Friday that more than 67,200 gallons had been recovered from the spill. For the last several days, volunteer emergency crews from Macon, Ga., Baltimore and other parts of Louisiana have donned protective gear in Meraux, searching for hurricane survivors or the bodies of victims whose presence could hamper the cleanup. Bulldozers have spread sand on the street to soak up the crude. Meraux's toxicity level is so high that vehicles leaving the area must pass through a decontamination spray.

Stragglers found in recent days have been given decontamination baths. "It's about as apocalyptic as you can imagine," St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stephens says.

Floodwater samples tested for total coliforms and E . Coli bacteria

Link to site:

Return to: watercenter.org

Introduction

Floodwater samples across the New Orleans area were collected and tested for total coliforms and E . Coli bacteria. Results of these tests indicated bacteria levels in the floodwaters greatly exceeded EPA's recommended levels of contact.

Using EPA approved methodology specifically designed to test for coliform and E . Coli (Colilert-18 test kits), bacterial concentration levels of over 2400 coliform bacterial colonies were detected in all samples collected. These levels of E. Coli were detected in all but two samples collected. EPA recommends “safe” levels for coliforms to be below 200 bacterial colonies per sample and for E. Coli below 126 colonies per sample for recreational contact from swimming, fishing, or wading.

Since these samples were found contaminated far beyond EPA's recommend level of human contact, it was determined that no useful information relative to the degree of hazard to public health could be gained from further testing.

The data below is the first set of what will be an extensive amount of flood water sampling results. The samples were analyzed for both biological pathogens and chemicals. The biological data is presented here. Chemical data will be presented here as it becomes available (estimate: September 10th).

The data below is the first set of what will be an extensive amount of flood water sampling results. The samples were analyzed for both biological pathogens and chemicals. The biological data is presented here. Chemical data will be presented here as it becomes available (estimate: September 10th).

Data

Sample Number	Sample Date	Bacteria	Colonies/100ml
1	9/3/2005	E. Coli	39.7
1	9/3/2005	Total Coliform	>2419.6
2	9/3/2005	E. Coli	68.0
2	9/3/2005	Total Coliform	>2419.6
3	9/3/2005	E. Coli	>2419.6
3	9/3/2005	Total Coliform	>2419.6
4	9/3/2005	E. Coli	>2419.6
4	9/3/2005	Total Coliform	>2419.6
5	9/3/2005	E. Coli	1413.6
5	9/3/2005	Total Coliform	>2419.6
6	9/3/2005	E. Coli	461.1
6	9/3/2005	Total Coliform	>2419.6
7	9/4/2005	E. Coli	508.8
8	9/4/2005	E. Coli	1914.4
9	9/4/2005	E. Coli	>9678.8
10	9/4/2005	E. Coli	1252
11	9/5/2005	E. Coli	1145.5
12	9/5/2005	E. Coli	12718

 

Map of sampling locations

Chemical sampling of New Orleans flood waters

Link to site:

Return to: watercenter.org

EPA in coordination with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality performed chemical sampling of New Orleans flood waters for over one hundred priority pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs), total metals, pesticides, herbicides, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Concentrations of lead in the flood water exceeded EPA drinking water action levels. These measured levels are a concern if flood water were to be a child's source of drinking water.

Based on the sampling, emergency responders and the public should avoid direct contact with standing water when possible. In the event contact occurs, EPA and CDC strongly advise the use of soap and water to clean exposed areas if available. Flood water should not be swallowed and all mouth contact should be minimized and avoided where possible. People should immediately report any symptoms to health professionals. The most likely symptoms of ingestion of flood water contaminated with bacteria are stomach-ache, fever, vomiting and diarrhea. Also, people can become ill if they have an open cut, wound, or abrasion that comes into contact with water contaminated with certain organisms. One may experience fever, redness, and swelling at the site of the infection and should see a doctor right away if possible.

Additional information regarding health and safety issues for both the public and emergency responders can be found on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Web site (http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/index.asp) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Web site (http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/hurricaneRecovery.html).

Chemical sampling map - September 3, 2005
Click the Links below for Test Results:
Site 1: West End Blvd Veterans Highway (I-10 and I-61)
Site 2: Airline Highway and Causeway Blvd
Site 3: North Claiborne Ave exit ramp (Exit 236B) off I-10
Site 4: Off I-10 near Exit 239 Louisa St and Almonaster Ave
Site 5: Off I-10 near Exit 240B Chef Menteur Highway (US Hwy 90)
Site 6: Off I-610 near Exit 2A between Paris St and St. Bernards St

Link to site: Katrina water sampling is a high priority

Return to: watercenter.org

News Release - September 11, 2005
Water sampling is a high priority in EPA's response to Hurricane Katrina.  EPA and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (http://www.deq.state.la.us/) have posted the results of the first rounds of sampling.  The data has been reviewed and validated through a quality assurance process to ensure scientific accuracy.  

To view the test results, visit http://www.epa.gov/katrina/testresults/index.html.  EPA and LDEQ continue to conduct flood water sampling for chemical and biological testing in Lake Pontchartrain and the greater New Orleans area.

EPA and the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov/) continue to assess drinking water systems.  More than 36 percent of drinking water systems are now operational.  More than 12 percent of drinking water systems are operational with boil water advisories.  

Responders are assessing the area's wastewater facilities.  More than 79 percent of major municipal wastewater facilities are operational.  More than 15 percent of major industrial wastewater facilities are operational.  More than 43 percent of minor municipal facilities are operational.

Sediment was sampled at 21 locations in Jefferson Parish yesterday and will continue today in the New Orleans area.

EPA and state officials are assessing the quantity of housing structures, cars and boats that are currently submerged in flood water and will require disposal.  Contaminants of concern include lead-based paint, asbestos, household wastes and petroleum products.

EPA and CDC are working together to identify potential hazards that workers may be exposed to in the flood area.

LDEQ is monitoring ambient air quality using summa canisters.  An EPA Trace Atmospheric Gas Analyzer (TAGA) unit will be in the field conducting real-time screening information in accordance with standard operations.

DOE and LDEQ conducted fly-overs looking for sources of radiation, such as universities and hospitals, as identified by Los Alamos National Laboratory.

EPA's joint field operations with state officials are ongoing.  The EPA and State of Louisiana Joint Incident Management Team is operating 24 hours a day at the emergency center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

EPA Test results from Sep.3-4-5, 2005

Link to site:

Return to: watercenter.org

EPA is carrying out extensive sampling of standing flood waters in the City of New Orleans. The Agency follows a quality assurance process that ensures that the data is thoroughly reviewed and validated. This process is being used for all data received as part of the emergency response. EPA is ensuring coordination of data between federal, state, and local agencies and will routinely release data as soon as it is available.

Biological testing: total coliforms and E. coli

The samples are being analyzed for total coliforms and E. coli. These bacteria are commonly found in high numbers in the feces of humans and other warm-blooded animals. Finding total coliforms and E. coli in a water sample indicates the potential presence of pathogens and therefore a risk of illness or infection by being exposed to the feces-contaminated water. EPA and CDC have agreed that examining water samples for pathogens, such as Vibrio cholera, Shigella, E.coli 0157 or Salmonella would not be useful at this time.

More specifically, pathogens will not be determined at this time because:
• Pathogens are difficult to grow in the laboratory, especially in highly contaminated surface waters.
• Finding one pathogen will not predict the risk from other pathogens.
• Finding pathogens in standing water will not affect how imminent risk is presented to the public or how decisions are made.
• Wastewater from a large population is expected to contain enteric pathogens, therefore, identifying the presence of fecally-contaminated water will give a broader risk perspective than detecting specific pathogens.

The sampling effort devoted to measuring total coliforms and E. coli will be more effective if a large number of samples are tested and the results are applied to warning the public about risks associated with contact with contaminated floodwaters.

Test results for Biological testing Sep. 3-4-5, 2005

Chemical testing

EPA in coordination with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality performed chemical sampling of New Orleans flood waters for over one hundred priority pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs), total metals, pesticides, herbicides, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Concentrations of lead in the flood water exceeded EPA drinking water action levels. These measured levels are a concern if flood water were to be a child's source of drinking water.

Based on the sampling, emergency responders and the public should avoid direct contact with standing water when possible. In the event contact occurs, EPA and CDC strongly advise the use of soap and water to clean exposed areas if available. Flood water should not be swallowed and all mouth contact should be minimized and avoided where possible. People should immediately report any symptoms to health professionals. The most likely symptoms of ingestion of flood water contaminated with bacteria are stomach-ache, fever, vomiting and diarrhea. Also, people can become ill if they have an open cut, wound, or abrasion that comes into contact with water contaminated with certain organisms. One may experience fever, redness, and swelling at the site of the infection and should see a doctor right away if possible.

Additional information regarding health and safety issues for both the public and emergency responders can be found on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Web site (http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/index.asp) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Web site (http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/hurricaneRecovery.html).

Test results

Chemical testing Sep. 3, 2005

Link to site: Harardous chemical worries

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

IAN URBINA and MATTHEW L. WALD, the New York Times
Published: September 9, 2005

DeLISLE, Miss., Sept. 8 - When Hurricane Katrina's 13-foot storm surge crashed through the houses and businesses of this town on the Gulf Coast, it also rushed through a plant where DuPont stored dioxins and other hazardous materials. Now that the floodwaters have receded, local residents, deciding whether to rebuild, worry about what happened to those chemicals.

"Would you rebuild your home if it had been on Three Mile Island?" asked Paul Stewart, whose house, across the street from the DuPont plant, was destroyed. "I'm nervous about even rummaging through the rubble to find my things."

DuPont officials said that even though the plant sustained extensive damage from high winds and flooding, no harmful chemicals escaped the plant, which is about 60 miles northeast of New Orleans near the St. Louis Bay.

"We had advance notice the storm was coming, and we went through an orderly, disciplined procedure to shut down," said F. Edmund Johnston, the safety, health and environmental manager for DuPont's titanium business, in a telephone interview from his office in Wilmington, Del.

Before Hurricane Katrina, the Environmental Protection Agency had identified nearly 400 sites in the counties now declared disaster areas as possibly needing cleanup because of their potential impact on human health. Those sites contained toxic materials that may have been redistributed by the winds and water.

Robbie Wilbur, a spokesman for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, said in an e-mail message that personnel from his department had visited the DuPont site and that he had no reports of a spill.

But some local residents remain unconvinced.

"I don't know how they can say nothing got out when I was down on the bayou the day after the storm and I saw white film all over things down there," said Lena Lizana, a housekeeper who lives across the street from DeLisle Elementary School on Whitman Road. The plant produces titanium dioxide, a pigment for white paint.

In some form, the dispute in DeLisle will probably be repeated in about a thousand other places that, according to recent federal records, produce, store or manufacture toxic chemicals in the counties declared disaster areas in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and parts of Florida. Of those, 290 produce dioxins, like the DuPont plant, or other chemicals known to accumulate in the body. Like so much else in this battered region, the amount of chemicals that were dispersed by the floodwaters is unknown.

Even before the storm, the DuPont plant had been regarded with suspicion. Nearly 2,000 lawsuits are pending against the plant, and last month a jury awarded $14 million to a local oyster fisherman with multiple myeloma, a form of cancer. The company is appealing.

Across the Gulf Coast - the petrochemical heart of America - regulators are only now beginning to inspect a variety of factories damaged by the storm. And while the rancid floodwaters being pumped out of New Orleans are laden with human waste, oil slicks and the household chemicals stored in the cabinets of hundreds of thousands of kitchens and garages, there are other places - like the one here in DeLisle, where the eye of the storm came ashore - with far more toxic hazards.

The E.P.A. is flying a three-seat, single-engine plane around the Gulf Coast, looking for environmental problems.

In a telephone interview, Stephen L. Johnson, the agency's administrator, said, "Obviously we are concerned about a lot of things, including chemical plants, the oil facilities, the gas facilities, the fact that we've got raw sewage in the floodwaters of New Orleans."

The agency has taken water samples in New Orleans and elsewhere and is preparing to take soil samples, he said. Many houses that were damaged or destroyed used asbestos and lead paint, adding to contamination problems, he said.

"We're going to be looking at chemical plants, and some Superfund sites in the path of the hurricane," he said. One site, the Agriculture Street Landfill, in New Orleans, is under water, he said.

But when E.P.A. personnel first launched boats in flooded areas to look for environmental problems, he said, their first task was more immediate, to rescue 700 stranded people.

Philip B. Bedient, a flood expert who is a professor in the civil and environmental engineering department at Rice University in Houston, said most chemical plants were not required to build waste pools in plateaus above ground level. Instead, he said, they usually built three- to six-foot earthen levees around the waste pools for protection.

"Still, even if the levees worked as barriers, and the floodwaters didn't wash over these ponds, the 100-mile-an-hour winds hitting the surface of the ponds likely sprayed large amounts of the liquids from them into the surrounding area," he said. "On the other hand, the only upshot of the massive amounts of water and wind that came ashore is that it probably spread these chemicals far and wide and diluted them in the process."

Becky Gillette, a spokeswoman for the Sierra Club in Ocean Springs, Miss., said, "I think there is good reason for people to be concerned along the whole industrial corridor here in Mississippi."

Ms. Gillette said that along the Bayou Casotte Road in East Pascagoula, at least five major chemical plants had been flooded by storm surges above 20 feet. "Do you really think these places were sealed that tight?" she asked.

Link to site: Three Superfund toxic waste sites in and around New Orleans were flooded

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 10, 2005

Three Superfund toxic waste sites in and around New Orleans were flooded by Hurricane Katrina and one remains underwater, Environmental Protection Agency officials said yesterday, adding that they will soon start investigating whether hazardous materials are leaching into the environment.

Although the agency is focused on conducting search-and-rescue missions and taking floodwater samples from the city at large rather than from waste sites, officials have begun to monitor the potential danger. The Agriculture Street Landfill in New Orleans, where city residents dumped their trash for decades, is still underwater. In the nearby suburbs, the Bayou Bonfouca site in Slidell, La., and the Madisonville Creosote Works site also sustained flooding.

Local environmental activists, who are concerned that two Superfund sites in neighboring Mississippi may also have sustained water damage, said federal authorities are not moving fast enough to assess the public health threat.

The uncertainties surrounding how the storm affected hazardous waste sites -- EPA administrator Steve Johnson said his agency had yet to determine if any of their protective shields had been degraded -- highlights the challenges facing any future cleanup. The Gulf Coast has long been a magnet for chemical plants and waste dumps, some of which shut down after becoming too contaminated in recent years.

"We don't know if there's a problem or not," Johnson said, adding that officials will begin sampling soil and water from the sites when they have a chance. "We are taking appropriate steps to understand what we're dealing with. There's just a lot of work to be done."

Darryl Malek-Wiley, a Sierra Club organizer in Louisiana who has spent years working on the cleanup of the Agriculture Street Landfill two miles north of the central business district, said he is particularly concerned about that site because the city encouraged first-time black home buyers to move there in the 1970s. Federal officials placed the site on Superfund's National Priorities List in 1994.

"What's happening, we don't know. If EPA says they know, they're lying," Malek-Wiley said, adding that the agency has done more to protect Superfund sites in wealthier areas. "What it says is the federal government's approach to cleanup is that they do a better job in rich counties than in poor counties."

Several scientists and environmental experts said it was likely the rush of water, much of which remains trapped inside New Orleans, had infiltrated the waste sites and absorbed a range of contaminants. In the Agriculture Street Landfill, federal authorities replaced the top two feet of contaminated soil in residents' yards and laid down a layer of protective sheeting four years ago, but standing water could leach into the dirt over time.

"Very few facilities are designed to withstand this kind of severe flooding," said Lynn Goldman, who served as assistant administrator for the EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances under President Bill Clinton and now teaches at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "You have to get in there and do an assessment of what the damage is."

Randy Deitz, an attorney adviser in the EPA's Office of Solid Waste Management and Emergency Response, said federal officials took steps when cleaning up the Gulf Coast sites to protect them from future storm damage. But he added, "In the case of a catastrophe, sometimes all the engineering in the world is not going to prevent some erosion."

Although federal authorities have yet to conduct a formal count, several former EPA officials said they could not recall a single flood affecting so many Superfund sites since at least the early 1990s, when the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers overflowed simultaneously.

Sylvia Lowrance, who headed the EPA's hazardous waste management program and worked at the agency for nearly a quarter-century, said she could not remember a time when a Superfund site "was literally underwater. This is certainly one of the worst, if not the worst, environmental and public health disasters we've faced in modern times."

The flooded Superfund sites in Louisiana and Mississippi contain a range of contaminants that include heavy metals linked to increased cancer risk and developmental problems and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are carcinogens.

Richard T. Di Giulio, who heads Duke University's Superfund Basic Research Center, said when a toxic site is flooded, the contaminants could seep into surface water and the surrounding soil.

EPA officials said they could not determine whether serious flooding had affected two waste sites in Mississippi, a wood treating plant in Picayune and a chemical fixation facility in Harrison County along the Louisiana border. Both areas were hit by massive storm surges during the hurricane, but local activists said they had not had a chance to survey the sites.

Environmentalists said they feared many functioning chemical plants in the area also experienced damage during the storm, but dozens of operators have reported they have emerged unscathed. Dorothy Kellogg, director for security and operations at the American Chemistry Council, said of the 40 companies she had surveyed, none had reported environmental releases.

"In terms of the environment, things seem to be pretty good," Kellogg said, adding that plant operators took precautions before the hurricane hit to protect their supplies. "The companies had plans in place, and the plans worked."

Link to site: Health of Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain is not at stake

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

DELTHIA RICKS, Staff Writer, NEWSDAY
September 9, 2005

The health of Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain is not at stake despite 2 million gallons of fetid floodwaters being pumped per minute into the vast inland body of water, experts said yesterday.

The Army Corps of Engineers is pumping the contaminated floodwater into the lake, and its technicians are not adding chlorine or other disinfectants.

"You can't chlorinate the water going into the lake," said Edward Bouwer, a professor of environmental engineering at Johns Hopkins University, "because that would create other problems" that could possibly damage the lake's health and alter its ecosystem, he said.

New Orleans' drinking water comes from the Mississippi River, though many inhabitants drink bottled water.

An EPA analysis of the stagnating floodwater conducted earlier this week revealed a veritable zoo of microorganisms mixed with toxins, such as lead.

Bouwer and other scientists yesterday emphasized that human bacteria, such as E. coli and other intestinal coliform species, will not live long. Pumping the water into the lake disperses the bacteria and exposes them to ultraviolet light.

"Once they are outside of us, these pathogens do not survive too long," Bouwer said, adding that sunlight and age destroy the microbes. Coliform bacteria normally aid digestion.

Dr. Richard Besser, director of the CDC's response to Hurricane Katrina, yesterday said a bacterium related to three deaths in the storm's aftermath probably will not harm lake waters or the fish. Vibrio vulnificus is common in shellfish often in the Gulf of Mexico.

"This organism lives in brackish water. It likes the warm brackish water along the coast," Besser said. He added that V. vulnificus often is found in oysters and other shellfish from the gulf and can cause a rare but potentially fatal infection in people with a weakened immune system. Besser nevertheless underscored that all shellfish should be thoroughly cooked to avoid the possibility of gastrointestinal illness.

Meanwhile, other experts pointed to additional organisms that might flow into Lake Pontchartrain that can persist despite the presence of sunlight.

"There is a possibility of cryptopsoridium and giardia being detected in the [flood]water" flowing out of New Orleans, said Charles O'Melia, a water quality expert at Johns Hopkins University. While those two organisms originate in soil and were not reported Wednesday when the EPA released its list of bacteria and toxins, it is possible that they may be found as further water samplings are taken. They can surface in unhygienic, crowded conditions.

O'Melia said the organisms are of concern when they are ingested because of the severe gastrointestinal illnesses they cause.

In Washington, Candy Walters, spokeswoman for the Army Corps of Engineers, said pumps are running 24 hours a day to drain toxic floodwater out of New Orleans. "Not all of the pumps are up and running," Walters said, adding that it will take at least 80 days to get all of the floodwater out of the city.

Link to site: EPA continues assessment of to help restore service in AL, MS, and LA.

Return to: watercenter.org

EPA
At a news conference with CDC on 9/7, Administrator Johnson released initial sampling results of New Orleans flood waters from six locations. Preliminary information indicates that counts for E. Coli in sampled areas greatly exceed EPA's recommended levels for contact. Also lead concentrations exceeded drinking water action levels, which would be a concern if the flood water was a child's source of drinking water. Given these preliminary results, emergency response personnel and the public should avoid direct contact with standing water when possible. Collection of flood water samples began 9/3 in downtown New Orleans . Samples were shipped to a Houston lab and a local lab in Lafayette, LA for analysis. Daily sampling is ongoing.

Recovery – EPA search and rescue operations continue. Food and water were distributed and an additional 5 people were rescued. Approximately, 775 rescues have been made by EPA in LA. Sixty EPA water craft are currently available for rescue efforts.

Public Advisories – On 9/6, EPA and HHS issued an advisory cautioning the public and all responders about the possible hazards of flood waters due to potentially elevated levels of contamination associated with raw sewage and other hazardous materials. On 9/4, EPA issued an advisory to the public urging caution when disposing of household hazardous waste and asbestos-containing debris from storm-damaged homes and other buildings.

Water Assessment – EPA estimates the number of water systems affected by the hurricane is now 73 in AL, 555 in MS and 469 in LA. In AL, many water systems were disabled or impaired by loss of electrical power. Five systems in AL currently have boil water advisories. EPA continues its assessment of damage to local drinking water systems in MS, and provides technical assistance to help restore safe drinking water to those systems. EPA sent two mobile laboratories to MS to assist the state Department of Public Health in drinking water analysis. The labs are expected to be operational on September 8, 2005 . Boil water notices have been issued to 404 water systems in MS. Samples from these systems will be analyzed for total fecal coliform bacteria before the systems restore service. EPA is assisting the LA Department of Health and Hospitals in assessing drinking water and will deploy 35 more EPA personnel to LA during this week. There are approximately 378 drinking water systems that are not in operation in LA with another 48 systems on a boil water notice. In LA, one EPA mobile lab is currently testing drinking water samples and providing analytical data. An additional mobile lab is expected to arrive this week in LA.

Wastewater Treatment Facilities – EPA continues to assess wastewater treatment facilities in LA, MS and AL. EPA estimates the number of wastewater treatment facilities affected is now 13 in AL, 114 in LA and 45 in MS.

Air Surveillance - EPA's environmental surveillance aircraft (ASPECT) is being used to assess spills and chemical releases. On 9/4, a large oil spill was surveyed in Chalmette, LA (Murphy Oil). A 250,000 barrel tank containing 85,000 barrels of oil released beyond secondary containment and extended into a residential area. The company and its contractors are working with EPA and the Coast Guard to repair the storage tank, contain the oil and begin cleanup. EPA and state officials continue to collect air quality information from daily aerial helicopter inspections of facilities. On-the-ground inspections of these facilities will provide additional information in the coming weeks. Air assessments of spills and chemicals releases in New Orleans and surrounding area continue.

Incident Management Team (IMT) – On 9/2 EPA deployed a 17 person Incident Management Team (IMT) to Baton Rouge to integrate with LA officials and manage EPA's field operations. On 9/6, EPA personnel staffing of a second full IMT began mobilization to LA.

Peer Support & Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team – EPA has deployed CISM team members to Baton Rouge, LA and will deploy two CISM Team members to Jackson, MS on 9/7 to consult with all EPA staff conducting field operations in areas impacted by the hurricane.

Hazardous Waste Disposal - EPA personnel continue to offer technical assistance in the disposal of hazardous waste and other debris left behind by the storm. Teams are working closely with the Coast Guard to conduct assessments of potential oil spills and chemical releases caused by the hurricane.

Technical Expertise – EPA will be assessing environmentally safe clearance standards for residences and commercial buildings. EPA has practical and scientific expertise in the environmental health hazards caused by flood waters, especially the effects of molds and mildew, and in the disposal of household hazardous waste and asbestos-containing materials from storm-damaged buildings.

Emergency Call Center – EPA expects to deploy 30-50 personnel from the Region 5 (Chicago) office to assist staffing of the FEMA Emergency Call Center that will register people who are applying for federal assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The call center is anticipated to be operational on September 8th.

Link to site: Preliminary water sampling assess 684 drinking water systems.

Return to: watercenter.org

Water sampling is a high priority in EPA's response to Hurricane Katrina.  EPA and the Centers for Disease Control released preliminary water sampling results yesterday (http://www.epa.gov/katrina/activities.html#sep7response) and continue to conduct flood water sampling for chemical and biological testing in and around the New Orleans area.

EPA and the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov/) are working to assess 684 drinking water systems.  About 127 systems are producing drinking water and are no longer on boil water notices. EPA deployed more than 30 drinking water specialists from Dallas to Louisiana on Wednesday morning to assist in restoring safe drinking water to the affected communities.

EPA's joint field operations with state officials are ongoing.  EPA and the State of Louisiana Joint Incident Management Team is operating 24 hours a day at the emergency center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  

EPA is coordinating with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (http://www.deq.state.la.us/) to prepare a sediment sampling plan that will include characterization for disposal and worker exposure.

Eight teams of responders from state and federal agencies are coordinating disposal of household hazardous waste for the southern Louisiana parishes.

The ASPECT aircraft continues to conduct over-flights of several large industrial facilities in the area and inspect for oil and chemical spills.  The ASPECT aircraft identified one fire over a railyard, which detected combustion products but did not detect elevated airborne concentration of hazardous pollutants.

Link to site: the Mississippi River or Lake Pontchartrain

Return to: watercenter.org

H. JOSEF HEBERT; The Tribune-Star

WASHINGTON (AP) The decision to pour heavily contaminated floodwaters from New Orleans streets into Lake Pontchartrain was a difficult one and could pose new environmental problems in the years ahead, the chief of the Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday.

"We were all faced with a difficult choice," EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson said in an interview with The Associated Press. "The choice was, we have to get the water out of New Orleans for the health and safety of the people and we need to put it someplace."

The other option was to pour it into the Mississippi River, where it eventually would move into the Gulf of Mexico, said Johnson. "Our collective judgment was to put it into Lake Pontchartrain."

He said he could not speculate on the possible environmental fallout for the massive freshwater tidal estuary, but the EPA was prepared to "take whatever steps we need to take" to deal with future environmental problems.

Of the watery soup that has engulfed New Orleans, Johnson said: "This water is very unsafe. It's a health hazard." The first set of samples tested show it has a level of sewage-related bacteria that is at least 10 times higher than acceptable, as well as a surprising amount of lead. Louisiana officials believe it is laced with an assortment of heavy metals, pesticides and toxic chemicals.

Johnston said the EPA is testing for more than 100 chemicals from heavy metals, pesticides, industrial chemicals and PCBs and expects a more definitive word on the makeup of the hazardous brew in the coming days, possibly as early as this weekend.

So far, the EPA tests have been focused in residential areas and in the French Quarter, not the industrial areas where the floodwaters are likely to be more heavily laced with toxic substances, said Johnson.

"We don't know where the lead came from," said Johnson. "The samples that were taken were not near any industrial area." But he noted the city was full of old homes with lead paint and asbestos, which is probably also in the water.

Johnson said the EPA will also examine sediment for lead and other contaminants. If it is also contaminated, the cleanup could include removal of tons of soil and sediment.

"This is a huge area that encompasses three states," Johnson said. "Given the magnitude of this disaster we at this point can't say what the magnitude of the environmental challenges will be."

Johnson said the EPA is also taking air samples and using sophisticated detection systems to determine whether there might have been radiological releases from hospitals or university research facilities. So far no evidence of such releases has been found, he said.

The 630-square-mile Lake Pontchartrain formed some 5,000 years ago by the meandering Mississippi River. Many scientists believe it will survive the latest onslaught, although the effects may linger for decades.

Along with the toxic chemicals and sewage, the lake has become saltier. The hurricane poured waves of saltwater into the lake and the recovery effort will increase the salinity even more. Environmentalists worry that could harm the lake's cypress swamps.

This summer an unusually large number of manatees, an endangered species, were spotted on the lake, according to the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. Well before the hurricane hit, the group urged visitors to its Web site to look out for the mammals, saying we "want their visit to be safe."

On the Net: Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov/

Link to site: Long-term environmental effects remain unclear

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Glen Martin, Chronicle Environment Writer
Thursday, September 8, 2005
 
The dark waters now covering New Orleans constitute a nasty brew of toxic chemicals and harmful bacteria, but the long-term environmental effects of the city's inundation by Hurricane Katrina remain unclear, scientists say.

Certainly, the Mississippi Delta and its environs hardly made up a pristine Eden before the hurricane. The region supported one of the great oil and gas extraction and petrochemical refining complexes on the planet, and pollution has long been a hot-button issue there.

"This is an area known as Cancer Alley, and there's a good reason for that," said David Lewis, the executive director of Save the Bay, an Oakland environmental group that maintains a liaison with a Louisiana wetlands preservation organization. "Contaminants were already a problem (in local waters)."

Still, said Tina Swanson, the senior scientist with the Bay Institute in Novato, the delta of the Mississippi and the surrounding waters of the gulf are biologically rich, supporting robust fisheries for shrimp, oysters, crabs and a wide array of fish.

"True, there were problems, but you had thriving operations producing fish and shellfish that were presumably safe to eat, given government regulations," Swanson said.

Now, Katrina has vastly increased the amount of potentially dangerous substances in the local aquatic environment.

Some figures are already coming in. The results of the first government pathogen tests on water obtained from New Orleans were made available Wednesday, and they showed coliform bacteria counts 10 times higher than safe levels. Elevated coliform bacteria levels correspond with increased risks of contracting gastrointestinal disease.

In effect, much of the coastal gulf has been turned into an open sewer. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 212 wastewater treatment plants have been disabled or impaired -- 114 in Louisiana, 85 in Mississippi and 13 in Alabama.

The hazards to human health from the effluent are real and immediate, said Bob Perciasepe, the chief operating officer for the National Audubon Society, and the same can be said for the gasoline that casts a rainbow sheen off the surface of the lake that is now the Crescent City.

But those dangers most likely will prove temporary, Perciasepe said: Gasoline is a light, highly unstable compound and will volatilize quickly. The pathogens in the sewage will disperse with dilution and die from exposure to sunlight. Nutrients in the effluent may contribute to oxygen depletion and subsequent fish kills, but they, too, will be a passing phenomenon.

More troublesome are the quantities of unknown compounds seeping into the water from petrochemical refineries and chemical warehouses, from dry-cleaning shops and home garages.

"These great industrial areas are normally isolated from the hydrologic process, and now they're very much a part of it," said Lester McKee, an environmental scientist with the San Francisco Estuary Institute, an organization that monitors toxic compounds in San Francisco Bay.

"Now you have tanks leaking directly into the water," McKee said. "Or, say there is an area of ground that has been saturated with chemicals leaching from a tank for many years -- now it's (flooded), and the chemicals are released into the water."Additionally, McKee said, many thousands of home garages and toolsheds must be considered de facto toxic dumps.

"Old packages of now-outlawed pesticides like chlordane, solvents, even old computers," he said. "The human environment has an incredible number of chemicals laced through it. It's a chemical cocktail."

Swanson of the Bay Institute said such heavily contaminated water presents a threefold problem to fisheries and wildlife. First, she said, some susceptible species may be killed outright. Included in this category, she said, are creatures destroyed by the physical force of the hurricane.

"I hear many of the oyster beds have been buried with silt, and that will wipe them out," she said. "They're filter feeders, and they can't survive being covered with mud."

Second, she said, are sublethal impacts: reproductive and developmental problems caused by chemicals that can affect certain species of fish, shellfish or birds over time, significantly reducing their populations.

"And finally, we have bio-accumulation," she said. "Certain toxic substances concentrate in the fatty tissue, accumulating in greater quantities the higher you go on the food chain. So a big, predatory fish has much more of the chemical than a little fish. And the bird, animal or person that eats that big fish can get the biggest dose of all."

Right now, however, such concerns must remain secondary as New Orleans attempts to drain the water from its streets. This is largely being accomplished by pumping the water back into Lake Pontchartrain, the huge saltwater lake that flooded the city when its levees were breached.

The project is basically refilling the lake's basin with toxic effluent, reversing years of effort to clean up the water. But there are few, if any, dissenting voices -- even from the environmental community. There simply seems to be no other alternative.

"It's an acute emergency, so I'd be surprised if anyone was against it," said Lewis of Save the Bay.

Mike McDaniel, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, expressed optimism that an ecological catastrophe can be avoided.

"The wonderful thing about nature is its resilience," McDaniel told reporters.

Thomas Miller, a water quality specialist at the University of Maryland who specializes in contamination problems after natural disasters, agreed with McDaniel that "nature is pretty good about self-recovery," but added much depends on whether humans assist or stymie the process.

"The nice thing about wetlands is that they can cleanse and filter water as it moves through," Miller said. "But too much contamination can overwhelm this natural filtering system and destroy it."

Link to site: Flooded houses may be tough to save

Return to: watercenter.org

By Adam Shell, USA TODAY
Houses burn down all the time. Losing a home to water is far less common. Yet in New Orleans, countless homes are in a race against the clock to avoid extinction from a ruthless enemy: floodwaters summoned by Hurricane Katrina.

The prognosis for many houses, which have been buried in water as high as 10 feet for as many as 10 days, is not good, structural engineers say. The longer houses are under water and the higher the water rises, the more damage they suffer, and the harder it is to save them from the wrecking ball.

"I'll be surprised if any of the houses submerged to the ceiling will be able to be salvaged," says Jim Wiethorn of Haag Engineering.

The severe flooding in the Big Easy and other Gulf Coast towns caused by the worst natural disaster in U.S. history makes the run-of-the-mill "flooded basement" seem like a spilled glass of water.

The depth of the water, the length of time it has stood stagnant and the toxic brew of contaminants in the floodwater considerably lowers the odds of survival for wood-framed homes.

Water attacks and compromises the integrity of every part of a house, including the wood foundation pilings, structural beams, carpets, wood floors, cabinetry, mechanical systems, utilities and wallboard. The density of water enables it to pack a destructive punch. Water moving at 10 miles an hour exerts the same pressure as wind gusts of 270 miles per hour, Wiethorn says.

Most damage to homes is sustained in the first four feet of flooding above the first floor, adds Larry Buss of the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.

Buss notes that floods that rise and recede quickly cause less damage than water that sits for long periods: "In a normal flood, you can replace the carpets and drywall, dry things out, and the rest of the structure is likely to be OK."

Not so with floodwaters that fill homes for weeks. It makes it tougher to salvage anything. "Interiors are going to be ruined," says Barry LePatner, a New York-based construction law attorney.

An economic decision must be made, says Christopher Jones, a coastal engineer from Durham, N.C., who specializes in storm-damage assessments. "Is it easier to knock the house down and start over or repair what you've got?"

In the most serious Katrina-related cases, engineers say starting from scratch likely will make more sense.

Consider wallboard. Once it gets wet, mold growth is almost guaranteed, unless it is quickly and thoroughly dried, which is unlikely in the abandoned city. United States Gypsum, which makes wallboard, says on its Web site that if gypsum board has gotten wet "continuously for 24 hours or intermittently for many days or weeks," the best way to guard against mold is to "replace the affected areas." The same goes for waterlogged insulation, hidden by walls.

Rugs, soaked and tainted by putrid floodwater, must be ripped out. Mechanical systems, such as heating and air-conditioning units, will likely need to be replaced. Appliances soaked by contaminated water could pose health hazards. Damaged electrical outlets must be replaced to avoid fire hazards. Wood floors might buckle. Other wood materials might warp, and if they are wet to the core, might be difficult to dry out.

That means "you're down to the studs," says Robert Frosch, civil engineering professor at Purdue University.

Structural damage is also a big concern, says Glenn Bell, CEO of Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, an engineering consulting firm in Boston. The foundation pilings, which resemble telephone-poles and are driven at least 10 feet into the ground, can be compromised by weakened soil caused by the effects of water, especially if they were in poor condition to begin with. Water and mud pushing against the side walls of the foundation can also weaken the structure. In a worst case, "the structure can separate from the foundation," or collapse Bell says.

Perhaps the biggest reason many homes in New Orleans will likely be bulldozed is because they will stay wet for too long and pose future health hazards.

Says Jones: "My best assessment is that you won't be able to dry out these homes, which means they will have to tear them down."

Link to site: the blackish-green water with an oily sheen

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Stephen Smith and Beth Daley; The Register-Guard
Wednesday, September 7, 2005
NEW ORLEANS - Weary Army engineers succeeded in switching on 10 of about 40 pumping stations throughout Greater New Orleans on Tuesday, but the machines were draining only a small fraction of the fetid water needed to dry out the city.
As a putrid stench wafted up from the blackish-green water with an oily sheen, officials worked frantically to pump the water away from the nearly deserted city and into adjacent Lake Pontchartrain. The water, still 15 feet deep in spots, is contaminated with chemicals, gasoline, pesticides and human waste, and could be harmful to people who come in contact with it, officials said.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials estimated that it would take 24 to 80 days to drain the water from the below-sea level city. Hurricane Katrina caused breaches in many spots of the intricate levee system designed to protect New Orleans, flooding the city with billions of gallons of storm water.
advertisement
The four pumps working within city limits Tuesday gave a hint of the massive cleanup task facing officials not only in the Big Easy, but along the Gulf Coast. Plagued with power and mechanical problems, the pumps were operating at reduced capacity. More than 140 other pumps remained offline in the city, with many submerged, broken or uninspected by cleanup workers. Pumping stations can include many pumps.
``It's enormous,'' said Kenneth Crumholt, a project manager for the 17th Street Canal repair, where a major breach in a levee was plugged successfully Monday. ``It's not just New Orleans; you are talking about other cities ... the whole Southern Gulf Coast really.''
Throughout the region, officials struggled to plug holes, drain water and get public drinking water and sewage systems operational. Damage was reported to 1,097 water systems in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, including 460 systems where residents were urged to boil water before drinking it, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
In New Orleans, where the damage is widespread, Army Corps officials were cautiously optimistic Tuesday, saying holes they punched in parts of the levee to drain water out of the city in recent days helped lower water in some spots by as much as 4 feet.
Contractors today are expected to finish building an access road at the London Avenue Canal to bring in construction material, sandbags and 70-foot-long steel sheets to drive into the ground to close a 600-yard breach there. The water levels in the city and Lake Pontchartrain are at the same height now, but officials need to shore up many levee walls before pumping more water out of the city into the lake.
``We are making a lot of progress,'' said Walter Baumy, a top Corps engineering official. ``We are starting to see things on the ground, we are getting access to areas we have not been able to get to.''
But as federal officials and New Orleans residents welcomed the drainage of the murky, turbid water, other worries arose.
Baumy said buildings may have been weakened structurally from the pressure of the 20-foot storm surge and subsequent standing water, damaging them in ways that may not be apparent until the water is drained.
Meanwhile, others worried that another set of environmental problems was being created by the massive drainage into Lake Pontchartrain. The shallow lake can take months to flush into the Gulf of Mexico. Conservationists are worried that pumping polluted water

Link to site: Army Corps Says Lake OK

Return to: watercenter.org

BY DELTHIA RICKS NEWSDAY STAFF WRITER
September 9, 2005
The health of Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain is not at stake despite 2 million gallons of fetid floodwaters being pumped per minute into the vast inland body of water, experts said yesterday.

The Army Corps of Engineers is pumping the contaminated floodwater into the lake, and its technicians are not adding chlorine or other disinfectants.
"You can't chlorinate the water going into the lake," said Edward Bouwer, a professor of environmental engineering at Johns Hopkins University, "because that would create other problems" that could possibly damage the lake's health and alter its ecosystem, he said.

New Orleans' drinking water comes from the Mississippi River, though many inhabitants drink bottled water.

An EPA analysis of the stagnating floodwater conducted earlier this week revealed a veritable zoo of microorganisms mixed with toxins, such as lead.

Bouwer and other scientists yesterday emphasized that human bacteria, such as E. coli and other intestinal coliform species, will not live long. Pumping the water into the lake disperses the bacteria and exposes them to ultraviolet light.

"Once they are outside of us, these pathogens do not survive too long," Bouwer said, adding that sunlight and age destroy the microbes. Coliform bacteria normally aid digestion.

Dr. Richard Besser, director of the CDC's response to Hurricane Katrina, yesterday said a bacterium related to three deaths in the storm's aftermath probably will not harm lake waters or the fish. Vibrio vulnificus is common in shellfish often in the Gulf of Mexico.

"This organism lives in brackish water. It likes the warm brackish water along the coast," Besser said. He added that V. vulnificus often is found in oysters and other shellfish from the gulf and can cause a rare but potentially fatal infection in people with a weakened immune system. Besser nevertheless underscored that all shellfish should be thoroughly cooked to avoid the possibility of gastrointestinal illness.

Meanwhile, other experts pointed to additional organisms that might flow into Lake Pontchartrain that can persist despite the presence of sunlight.

"There is a possibility of cryptopsoridium and giardia being detected in the [flood]water" flowing out of New Orleans, said Charles O'Melia, a water quality expert at Johns Hopkins University. While those two organisms originate in soil and were not reported Wednesday when the EPA released its list of bacteria and toxins, it is possible that they may be found as further water samplings are taken. They can surface in unhygienic, crowded conditions.

O'Melia said the organisms are of concern when they are ingested because of the severe gastrointestinal illnesses they cause.

In Washington, Candy Walters, spokeswoman for the Army Corps of Engineers, said pumps are running 24 hours a day to drain toxic floodwater out of New Orleans. "Not all of the pumps are up and running," Walters said, adding that it will take at least 80 days to get all of the floodwater out of the city.

Link to site: New Orleans may need $80-100bn

Return to: watercenter.org

David Adam and John Vidal; The Guardian
Wednesday September 7, 2005

New Orleans Roads, sewers and pipes will have to be replaced as draining of city reveals huge task

Engineers in New Orleans face an unprecedented rebuilding programme as operations to pump water out of the flooded city began yesterday. Flood levels in some areas were said to have dropped by a foot after army engineers plugged a major gap in the levees.

Yesterday it emerged that many of the roads, sewers and pipes carrying water and gas will have to be replaced and that contamination by sewage and toxic chemicals could mean some areas of the city have to be rebuilt completely.

Hugh Kaufman, senior policy analyst for emergency response at the Environmental Protection Agency, said New Orleans may need one of the largest public building programmes ever seen in the US at a cost of $80-100bn - approximately the same as the yearly cost of the war in Iraq.

More... New Orleans may need $80-100bn

Link to site: Lehigh University Experts Available

Return to: watercenter.org

BETHLEHEM, Pa., Sept. 8 (AScribe Newswire) -- Lehigh University offers the following experts to comment on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. To reach any of the experts listed below, please contact Dina Silver at dis204@lehigh.edu, 610-758-6656 or by cell at 610-721-1850; or Linda Harbrecht at lmh2@lehigh.edu, 610-758-4838 or by cell at 610-217-0068.

       -"Toxic water: tips and long-term solutions." Arup SenGupta, professor of civil and environmental engineering, has invented a filtration system that is being used to remove arsenic from contaminated water wells in 130 villages in India. SenGupta says people can take simple steps to prevent illness and death if they are exposed to or forced to drink contaminated water such as water from Katrina. These steps include using iodine tablets to kill waterborne bacteria and viruses; using cloth, especially cotton, to filter water; and boiling water before drinking. The long-term fix for New Orleans' contaminated water is not complicated, SenGupta says, but purification cannot commence until pumping is completed.

       - "Hurricanes and global warming." Dork Sahagian, professor of earth and environmental sciences and director of the Environmental Initiative at Lehigh, can discuss global warming and its continuing impact on weather patterns, including more severe and destructive weather conditions.

       - "Draining the bowl." Charles Smith, professor of mechanical engineering at Lehigh University, can discuss the size and pumping capacity of modern pumps and the rate at which water would need to be pumped out of the New Orleans "bowl" and what external factors play a role in that rate.

       - "A social disaster: race, class and the impact on children in the aftermath of Katrina." Heather Johnson, assistant professor of sociology, can discuss structural inequality, and issues of race and class and how they played out in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. She can also discuss the potential impact this disaster can have on children.

       - "The unraveling of the social network/Government's role in protecting citizens." Edward P. Morgan, professor of political science, can discuss the changing concept of government and the social fallout from a move toward the concept of privatization.

       - "The Media and Katrina." Jack Lule, professor of journalism and author of the critically acclaimed "Daily News, Eternal Stories," can discuss media coverage of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, including the role the media played in portraying the plight of the hurricane victims and renewed embrace of their watchdog role.

       - "Impact on infrastructure, supply chain and gas/oil prices." Robert J. Trent, associate professor of management at Lehigh University, can discuss infrastructure and supply chain challenges, the economic impact of major disasters, and the potential short- and long-term impact on gas and oil prices.

Link to site: Early Water Sampling Indicates Contamination

Return to: watercenter.org

By Traci Watson and Tom Kenworthy, USA TODAY

Federal officials warned rescue workers and the public Wednesday not to touch New Orleans floodwaters because of sewage contamination and said four people have died from contact with bacteria-infested seawater.

Infections with Vibrio vulnificus, a bacterium naturally found in salt water, have killed an evacuee in Texas and three people in Mississippi, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spokesman Tom Skinner. He said the numbers came from state and local health officials.

Healthy people infected with the bacterium usually suffer nothing worse than diarrhea, but the bug can be lethal to those with weak immune systems. Humans are infected by swallowing infested water, through exposed wounds or by eating infected shellfish. The bug does not spread between people.

Environmental Protection Agency chief Stephen Johnson said samples of the water that Hurricane Katrina sent rampaging through New Orleans contain at least 10 times the acceptable levels of bacterial strains common in sewage. The tests can't detect higher levels.

The water also contains enough lead, perhaps from paint or pipes, to make it unsafe to drink. The EPA found low levels of roughly 100 other chemicals, including pesticides and solvents.

"Contact ... should be avoided as much as possible," Johnson said.

"This water is still a very important threat," CDC Director Julie Gerberding said. "For the evacuees who haven't left the city yet, you must do so. This water is not going away any time soon."

Gerberding said the germs in sewage can cause a variety of gastrointestinal illnesses, some through skin contact alone.

CDC spokesman Skinner said an outbreak of norvovirus, a type of virus that causes stomach symptoms such as vomiting and that has erupted on cruise ships, has struck evacuees living in Houston's Astrodome. The virus is usually not life-threatening.

Johnson and Gerberding emphasized that water sampling is far from complete. The results made public Wednesday are based on water samples from less than two dozen sites. Most of the samples were from flooded residential neighborhoods, and many were taken close to the breached levees.

The EPA also found slightly elevated levels of eight pesticides and toxic metals in the water. The levels did not violate health standards. Testing by the state confirmed the EPA results, finding a "bacterial soup" in the floodwaters but no high levels of chemicals, said Darin Mann of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.

Link to site: Unknowns in the floodwater

Return to: watercenter.org

Lauran Neergaard,  Associated Press
September 8, 2005

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Floodwaters in New Orleans contain levels of sewage-related bacteria that are at least 10 times higher than acceptable safety limits, endangering rescue workers and remaining residents who so much as walk in it, federal officials said Wednesday.

Results of the first round of testing by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were no surprise, and they reinforced warnings that everyone still in the city take precautions to avoid getting the water on their skin -- especially into cuts or other open wounds -- much less in their mouths. "Human contact with the floodwater should be avoided as much as possible," EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson said.

Health hazards from that water make it imperative that remaining residents comply with evacuation orders, added Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "If you haven't left the city yet, you must do so," she said.

State and local officials had reported three deaths in Mississippi and one in Texas from exposure to Vibro vulnificus, a waterborne pathogen common in the Gulf of Mexico, the CDC said. A fifth case was under investigation, spokesman Tom Skinner said.

Gerberding said it is not an outbreak. "We see it from time to time along the coast," she said.
Also found were elevated levels of brain-harming lead, a risk if people, particularly children, were to drink the water.

The first tests for more than 100 chemicals and other pollutants so far turned up elevated levels of E. coli and other coliform bacteria -- markers for sewage contamination -- and lead. "We don't know what else is contained in that water," Johnson warned. The first testing was done on samples from residential neighborhoods, not industrial sites where more toxic contaminants may lurk. Moreover, oil is in the water, and it's likely that chemicals such as asbestos will be in debris from older buildings, he said. Officials are focusing on immediate health threats, he said, but soon will assess the long-term environmental risks.

Link to site: CDC - Water may not be safe to drink, clean with, or bathe in

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Water may not be safe to drink, clean with, or bathe in after an emergency such as a hurricane or flood. During and after a disaster, water can become contaminated with microorganisms, such as bacteria, sewage, agricultural or industrial waste, chemicals, and other substances that can cause illness or death. This fact sheet offers the following guidance to help you make sure water is safe to use:

* Listen to and follow public announcements. Local authorities will tell you if tap water is safe to drink or to use for cooking or bathing. If the water is not safe to use, follow local instructions to use bottled water or to boil or disinfect water for cooking, cleaning, or bathing.
* Use only bottled, boiled, or treated water for drinking (however, see guidance in the Food section for infants), cooking or preparing food, washing dishes, cleaning, brushing your teeth, washing your hands, making ice, and bathing until your water supply is tested and found safe. If your water supply is limited, you can use alcohol-based hand sanitizer for washing your hands.
* If you use bottled water, be sure it came from a safe source. If you do not know that the water came from a safe source, you should boil or treat it before you use it.
* Boiling water, when practical, is the preferred way to kill harmful bacteria and parasites. Bringing water to a rolling boil for 1 minute will kill most organisms. Boiling will not remove chemical contaminants. If you suspect or are informed that water is contaminated with chemicals, seek another source of water, such as bottled water.
* If you can't boil water, you can treat water with chlorine tablets, iodine tablets, or unscented household chlorine bleach (5.25% sodium hypochlorite). If you use chlorine tablets or iodine tablets, follow the directions that come with the tablets. If you use household chlorine bleach, add 1/8 teaspoon (~0.75 milliliter [mL]) of bleach per gallon of water if the water is clear. For cloudy water, add 1/4 teaspoon (~1.50 mL) of bleach per gallon. Mix the solution thoroughly and let it stand for about 30 minutes before using it. Treating water with chlorine tablets, iodine tablets, or liquid bleach will not kill many parasitic organisms. Boiling is the best way to kill these organisms.
* Do not rely on water disinfection methods or devices that have not been recommended or approved by local health authorities. Contact your local health department for advice about water treatment products that are being advertised.
* Use water storage tanks and other types of containers with caution. For example, fire truck storage tanks and previously used cans or bottles may be contaminated with microbes or chemicals. Water containers should be thoroughly cleaned, then rinsed with a bleach solution before use.
o Clean surfaces thoroughly with soap and water, then rinse.
o For gallon- or liter-sized containers, add approximately 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) household bleach (5.25%) with 1 cup (240 mL) water to make a bleach solution.
o Cover the container and agitate the bleach solution thoroughly, allowing it to contact all inside surfaces. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes, then rinse with potable water.
* Flooded, private water wells will need to be tested and disinfected after flood waters recede. If you suspect that your well may be contaminated, contact your local or state health department or agriculture extension agent for specific advice. See Disinfecting Wells After an Emergency for general instructions.
* Practice basic hygiene. Wash your hands with soap and bottled water or water that has been boiled or disinfected. Wash your hands before preparing food or eating, after toilet use, after participating in clean-up activities, and after handling articles contaminated with floodwater or sewage. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to wash your hands if you have a limited supply of clean water.

Link to site: CDC suggests Disinfect Water Wells

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

If you suspect that your well may be contaminated, contact your local or state health department for specific advice. If you do not get your water from a well, see Keep Food and Water Safe for information on disinfecting your water.

IMPORTANT: Fuel and other chemical releases and spills are common during flood events. If your water smells like fuel or has a chemical odor, contact your local or state health department to request a chemical analysis of your water before using it. Until you know the water is safe, use bottled water or some other safe supply of water.

Safety Precautions

You will need to clear hazards away from wells before cleaning and disinfecting wells after floods and other natural disasters. The following precautions will help you do that safely:

1. Before beginning any action, carefully inspect the area around the well for electrical and physical hazards. Those may include broken power lines on the ground or in the water; sharp metal, glass, or wood debris; open holes; and slippery conditions.
2. Wear thick rubber-soled shoes or boots to protect against electrical shock.
3. Turn off all power to the well area before clearing debris. Inspect all electrical connections for breaks in insulation and for moisture. Turn power back on only if all connections appear unbroken and dry with no opportunity for shock.
4. Do not turn on any electrical equipment if there is a persistent smell of fuel such as gasoline coming from the well head. Allow the well to vent. If the smell persists, contact your local or state health department. Do not continue with disinfection of the well until the contamination in the well has been removed
5. Before beginning work on the well, clear debris away from it to avoid inadvertently moving debris into the well.
6. When clearing debris from large-diameter wells (36 inches [approximately 90 centimeters (cm)] or greater), use grappling hooks, nets, and long-handled scoops to remove debris. Do not enter the well pit. Gases and vapors can build up in well pits, creating a hazardous environment.


Follow these additional precautions as you prepare to disinfect the wells:

* Chlorine solutions can cause chemical burns. Use rubber gloves, protective eye wear, and waterproof aprons or rain gear when working with chlorine solutions.
* When mixing and handling chlorine solutions, work in well ventilated areas and avoid breathing vapors. When working in closed spaces, use electrical fans to provide fresh air.
* Warn users not to drink or bathe in water until all the well disinfection steps have been completed and the well has been thoroughly flushed.

Here are some general instructions for disinfecting wells that may have become contaminated by harmful microorganisms in floods or other natural disasters.

Steps to Disinfect Drilled, Bored, or Dug Wells

Chlorination is a process of flushing your well water system with a chlorine solution to kill bacteria and other microorganisms. This process is recommended after floods and when a well has tested positive for bacteria. It is an effective method to eliminate germ contamination, but if problems exist with faulty well construction or groundwater contamination, chlorination is only a temporary solution. If contamination persists, further investigation may be needed to determine the problem.

The disinfection process can take from a few hours to a few days to complete. Make sure you store enough water to meet your household needs before you start this process.

Read the safety precaution section before starting the disinfection procedure.
Disinfection Procedure

Step 1.

Scrub or hose off foreign material from the well curbing or casing. If the well cover was not properly sealed and flooding has occurred, sand and silt may have deposited in the well, requiring more cleaning.

Drilled and bored wells: Remove the well cover and thoroughly clean the well to remove all debris. Special tools or pumps may be required to remove silt and sand. Heavy deposits of silt and sand may damage well pumps if not removed before the pump is started. If sand and silt are present, remove the pump and clean it thoroughly before using.

Dug wells: Remove the well cover and thoroughly clean the well to remove all floating debris. If the well is lined, scrub the sides of the well with a brush and a strong solution of chlorine and water. Empty polluted water and debris from the well using buckets or pumps. If sand and silt are present, remove the pump and clean it thoroughly before using. Rinse well walls by pouring water along the edges. Empty polluted rinse water from the well again, then allow it to refill.

Caution: In areas without electrical power, a portable generator may be needed to operate pumps and equipment. Read the safety instructions before turning on a generator, pumps, or any electrical equipment.

Step 2.

Pump or bail water out of the well until the water is clear. If you have a low-yield well, empty at a slower rate. If available, use outside faucets to drain water from the well. Do not pump contaminated water into any existing pressure tank. Instead, disconnect piping between the pressure tank and pump to allow contaminated water to flow away from the well and tank.

Step 3.

Using the table below, calculate the amount of bleach granules or unscented liquid to use. To determine the exact amount, find the corresponding well diameter in the left column. Then match the amount of bleach needed for the amount of time the concentration will remain in the well. Multiply the amount of bleach needed by every 10 feet of water in the well.

For example, a well 8 inches in diameter requires 3½ fluid ounces of unscented bleach (for a retention time of 8 hours at 50 parts per million [ppm]) per 10 feet of water. If the water in the well is 30 feet deep, multiply 3½ fluid ounces by 3 to determine the amount of bleach required (3½ x 3 = 11.5 fluid ounces). In a clean bucket, add this total amount of bleach to about 5 gallons of water (or mix this in 5 gallons of water).

If you are unsure about the depth of your well, check the well head and casing to see if a tag indicates the well depth. If a tag is not available, contact neighbors to see if they know the depths of their wells. Well depths are usually similar in neighborhoods. If you are still unable to determine the depth of your well, make your best educated guess, then increase the suggested amounts of chlorine by 50%.

Système International d'Unités (metric): A well 20.0 cm (8 inches) in diameter requires roughly 103.5 milliliters (mL) of unscented bleach per 3 meters of water. If the water in the well is approximately 9.1 meters deep, multiply 103.5 mL by 3 to determine the amount of bleach required (103.5 x 3 = 310.5 mL). In a clean bucket, add this total amount of bleach to about 19 liters of water.

Step 4.

Pour the chlorine solution in the well in a circular pattern to ensure contact with all sides of the casing or lining of the well. If bored and dugs wells have no casing or lining, pour the solution down the center of the well hole. If possible, recirculate the water by connecting a garden hose to an outside faucet and place the other end in the well. Allow water to run for approximately 15 minutes to ensure the chlorine solution is mixed in the well.

Step 5.

For wells connected to a plumbing system, open all inside and outside faucets and pump water until you notice a strong odor of chlorine at each faucet. If you do not smell chlorine after running all faucets for 15 minutes, increase the amount of chlorine by one-half of the original amount used and repeat the procedures.

Stop the pump and allow the chlorine solution to remain in the well and plumbing system. Refer to the table in the “Sampling After Disinfection” section to match amounts of chlorine solution and disinfection times. It is preferable for the solution to remain in the well for 8 hours or overnight, if possible. Do not leave chlorine in wells more than 24 hours because it may affect some pump parts.

Step 6.

After the disinfectant has set in the well for the recommended period, turn on the pump, attach a hose to an outside faucet, and direct the water to a designated area away from the well. The water in the well contains high concentrations of chlorine that can be harmful to plants, septic tanks, and streams. Empty the water in an area where plants or streams will not be harmed. Continue running the water until the chlorine odor disappears, then drain the remainder of bleach in the plumbing system from the inside faucets. With low-yield wells, empty plumbing at a slower rate to avoid over pumping. Some wells may require that you stop for periods to allow the well to refill. Depending on the depth and size of the well, this process may take hours to a day or longer.

Water from wells with no plumbing system can simply be pumped or removed in buckets until the chlorine odor disappears.

More... Disinfect water wells

Link to site: Wash your hands to avoid illness

Return to: watercenter.org

CDC
After an emergency, it can be difficult to find running water. However, it is still important to wash your hands to avoid illness. It is best to wash your hands with soap and water but when water isn’t available, you can use alcohol-based products made for washing hands. Below are some tips for washing your hands with soap and water and with alcohol-based products.

When should you wash your hands?
1. Before preparing or eating food.
2. After going to the bathroom.
3. After cleaning up a child who has gone to the bathroom.
4. Tending to someone who is sick.
5. After handling uncooked foods, particularly raw meat, poultry, or fish.
6. After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
7. After handling an animal or animal waste.
8. After handling garbage.
9. Treating a cut or wound.

Techniques for Hand Washing with Alcohol-Based Products

When hands are visibly dirty, they should be washed with soap and water when available.

However, if soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based product for washing your hands. When using an alcohol-based handrub, apply product to palm of one hand and rub hands together, covering all surfaces of hands and fingers, until hands are dry. Note that the volume needed to reduce the number of bacteria on hands varies by product.

Alcohol-based handrubs significantly reduce the number of germs on skin, are fast acting.
Techniques for Hand Washing with Soap and Water:

Proper techniques to use when washing your hands with soap and water:

1. Place your hands together under water (warm water if possible).
2. Rub your hands together for at least 10 seconds (with soap if possible). Wash all surfaces well, including wrists, palms, backs of hands, fingers, and under the fingernails.
3. Clean the dirt from under your fingernails.
4. Rinse the soap from your hands.
5. Dry your hands completely with a clean towel if possible (this helps remove the germs). However, if towels are not available it is okay to air dry your hands.
6. Pat your skin rather than rubbing to avoid chapping and cracking.
7. If you use a disposable towel, throw it in the trash.

Link to site: Muck from flood

Return to: watercenter.org

By LEE BOWMAN
Scripps Howard News Service
September 07, 2005

- As the floodwaters are gradually pumped out of New Orleans, much of the mixture of waste and chemicals suspended in them will be left behind either in sensitive wetlands or in the soil of the city itself, raising new health and environmental concerns.

Failures to levees after Hurricane Katrina's assault left about 80 percent of the city flooded with water up to 20 feet deep, water that quickly became fouled with chemicals, pesticides, oil, garbage, human waste and human and animal remains.

Bacterial activity in the water was so high that researchers from Louisiana State University found virtually no oxygen left in samples they took around the city last weekend.

State environmental officials say that more than 500 sewage-treatment plants were knocked out by the storm. The flood submerged more than 6,000 facilities with underground fuel storage tanks, some 160,000 homes and tens of thousands of vehicles.

"Just think that every household has a certain amount of Mr. Yuk stuff stashed under the kitchen sink or in the garage, and all that material is presumably mixed into the water to some extent," said Thomas Miller, a water-quality specialist at the University of Maryland who studies contamination problems after floods and other disasters.

"Either all that material is going to be pumped out with the water into Lake Pontchartrain, or it's going to settle into the muck, the silt that's left behind everywhere after a flood," Miller said.

Mike McDaniel, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, told reporters that sampling of the water is ongoing, and that there appear to be large numbers of contaminants, but officials feel there is no choice but to pump the floodwater into the lake and the Mississippi River. "We have to get the water out of the city or the nightmare gets worse," he said.

Lake Pontchartrain, the second-largest saltwater lake in the United States behind the Great Salt Lake in Utah, drains through narrow straits that lead into the Gulf of Mexico.

While environmental advocates expect the southern end of the lake will sustain some damage, no one can foretell how much or for how long. "The wonderful thing about nature is its resilience," McDaniel said.

Miller agreed that "nature is pretty good about self-recovery, but a lot depends on what man does to hinder or assist in that recovery. The nice thing about wetlands is that they can cleanse and filter water as it moves through, but too much contamination can overwhelm this natural filtering system and destroy it."

Within the city, officials for days have been warning everyone to stay out of the filthy water, but thousands of residents still wade or float through the streets. Anyone who ingests any of the stuff, or has open sores or wounds that get wet, risks illness or infection, and hundreds have been treated for festering wounds and skin rashes.

Disease experts say the biggest microbial-related health threats from the water are common staph and strep infections, particularly strains that are resistant to many antibiotics.

Exotic diseases like cholera or typhus are not considered a threat, because they're not present in the population. "In the city of New Orleans, cholera has not been present for years," said Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And despite the psychological impact, public health experts said the submerged bodies of storm victims don't pose a disease threat, either. Most viruses and bacteria that cause disease can't survive more than a few hours in a dead body, and while recovery workers do need to decontaminate them before they're prepared for burial, studies show that the bacteria involved in decomposition don't cause serious diseases.

"Survivors are much more likely to be a source of disease outbreaks," said Jean-Luc Poncelet, head of emergency preparedness and disaster relief for the Pan American Health Organization.

Lingering floodwater may eventually increase the risk for mosquito-borne illnesses in the region, too, health officials said. But historically, extreme weather actually washes out populations of the pests for a few weeks, but then new generations begin to hatch, so spraying is high on the agenda for public health workers in the next month.

Less clear is how the lingering sludge from the flooding will be handled. Lt. Gen. Carl Strock, head of the Army Corps of Engineers, told reporters that "we will look for hot spots as we draw the water down, and if we get an area that is particularly toxic, we will try to control that instead of dumping it back into the lake."

Still, contaminated mud inches and perhaps several feet deep will be one of Katrina's longest-lasting legacies in the city. What's not removed promptly will move into storm drains every time it rains, or raise the risk of respiratory illness as it dries out on walls and floors of buildings.

"With the soil so saturated down in the bowl, you have to wonder how long it might take to really dry things out and clean up enough to start any rebuilding," Maryland's Miller said.

On the Net: http://www.cdc.gov

Epa.gov

Link to site: Katrina legacy: Pollution

Return to: watercenter.org

Mike Hasten and Ellyn Ferguson Gannett News Service
September 7, 2005

BATON ROUGE, La. - The waters that flooded New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina contain a wide variety of bacterial and chemical pollutants whose long-term effects on human health are unknown. Oil, diesel fuel, gasoline, fertilizers, residential cleaning fluids, sewage plant overflow, sludge and bacteria from corpses are all mixing in the floodwaters.

"It's almost unimaginable the things we have to plan and deal with," said Mike McDaniel, secretary of the state Department of Environmental Quality.

Environmental quality inspectors have found that practically every submerged vehicle and boat leaked oil and fuel and some of the estimated 6,000 underground fuel storage tanks leaked.

McDaniel anticipates major fish kills in Lake Pontchartrain from the wastewater being pumped out of Orleans and Jefferson parishes. But he added Tuesday, "We have no choice but to pump it out. We have to get the water out of the city or the nightmare gets worse." Once the water is pumped out of New Orleans, McDaniel and other officials could face big environmental challenges in trying to rebuild the city.

The Environmental Protection Agency is asking experts to review its plan for determining where toxins may have settled in the 350-square-mile city.

More... Katrina legacy: Pollution

Link to site: Canada.com Health

Return to: watercenter.org

Canadian Press September 7, 2005

WASHINGTON (AP) - Floodwaters in New Orleans contain bacteria associated with sewage that are at least 10 times higher than acceptable safety levels, making direct contact by rescue workers and remaining residents dangerous, the first government tests confirmed Wednesday.

"Human contact with the flood water should be avoided as much as possible," said Environmental Protection Agency administrator Stephen Johnson. Also found in the first round of testing were elevated lead levels, a risk if people, particularly children, were to drink the water.

Residents have been told since hurricane Katrina to avoid drinking the water.

But EPA's first tests - which tracked levels of E. coli and other coliform bacteria that are a marker for sewage contamination - emphasize a risk from skin contact as well. The bacteria can cause infections if people have cuts or other open wounds, or if the water is splashed into their mouths, noses or eyes.

The EPA didn't test how much sewage was in the water, but quit when analyses hit the 10-fold mark.

The first round of tests searched for more than 100 chemicals and other pollutants, but only coliform and lead so far exceeded EPA safety levels, the agency said.

But this was just a first test, of water in some residential neighbourhoods, not industrial areas - and didn't include tests for petroleum products because oil in the water is obvious, Johnson said.

"We don't know what else is contained in that water," he stressed, saying that daily samples from different parts of the city were being taken - and that chemicals such as asbestos are likely to be in debris from older homes and businesses.

The health hazards from this water make it imperative that remaining residents comply with evacuation orders, said Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"If you haven't left the city yet, you must do so," she said.

Link to site: Clinical Window Journal

Return to: watercenter.org

The US Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are cautioning the public and all responders about the potential hazards associated with flood waters. Every effort should be made to limit contact with flood water due to potentially elevated levels of contamination associated with raw sewage and other hazardous substances. EPA has collected and sent New Orleans flood water samples to labs in Lafayette, LA and Houston, TX for analysis. Daily sampling is ongoing, and test results are expected later this week.

Recovery - EPA search and rescue operations continue. Food and water were distributed and an additional 120 people were rescued. Approximately, 770 rescues have been made by EPA in LA. Sixty-five EPA watercraft are currently available for rescue efforts.

Public Advisory - On 9/4, EPA issued an advisory to the public urging caution when disposing of household hazardous waste and asbestos-containing debris from storm-damaged homes and other buildings. The advisory was issued as a press release from EPA headquarters and regions 4 and 6.

Water Assessment - EPA estimates the number of water systems affected by the hurricane is now 73 in AL , 555 in MS and 469 in LA. In AL , many water systems were disabled or impaired by loss of electrical power. Eight systems in AL currently have boil water advisories. EPA is continuing its assessment of damage to local drinking water systems in MS, and providing technical assistance to help restore safe drinking water to those systems. Boil water notices have been issued to 404 water systems in MS. Samples from these systems will be analyzed for total fecal coliform bacteria before the systems restore service. EPA is assisting the LA Department of Health and Hospitals in assessing drinking water and will deploy 30 more EPA personnel to LA during this week. There are approximately 378 drinking water systems that are not in operation in LA with another 48 systems on a boil water notice.

Wastewater Treatment Facilities - EPA continues to assess wastewater treatment facilities in LA, MS and AL. EPA estimates the number of wastewater treatment facilities affected is now 13 in AL , 114 in LA and 85 in MS.

Air Surveillance - EPA's environmental surveillance aircraft (ASPECT) is being used to assess spills and chemical releases. On 9/4, a large oil spill was surveyed in Chalmette , LA (Murphy Oil). A 250,000 barrel tank containing 85,000 barrels of oil released beyond secondary containment and extended into a residential area. The company and its contractors are working with EPA and the Coast Guard to repair the storage tank, contain the oil and begin cleanup. EPA and state officials continue to collect air quality information from daily aerial helicopter inspections of facilities. On-the-ground inspections of these facilities will provide additional information in the coming weeks. Air assessments of spills and chemicals releases in New Orleans and surrounding area continued via helicopter on 9/5.

More.... Clinical Window Journal

Link to site: CNN.com International

Return to: watercenter.org

CNN Wednesday, September 7, 2005 Posted: 1122 GMT

Polluted New Orleans water could be major health hazard
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Despite reporting five deaths from a bacteria-caused illness, public health officials said Tuesday they are more concerned about the possibility of toxic chemicals in the water covering New Orleans than they are about a cholera outbreak.

Dr. Julie Gerberding, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that more than a week after Hurricane Katrina hit the region health officials still don't know if the water contains toxic chemicals.

"We don't know if chemical and petroleum industries in the region have survived," she said during a conference call that included Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt and Surgeon General Richard Carmona. "We have a comprehensive environmental health team there. We're just putting together a picture now."

Gerberding downplayed the risk of cholera, saying it has not been found in the region for years, and is not likely to emerge now as a threat.

Instead, public health officials are preparing for possible outbreaks of infectious disease. They are focusing on E. coli and other diseases that can cause diarrhea, including Norwalk viruses, which have caused outbreaks on cruise ships.

Floodwater in New Orleans is contaminated with E. coli bacteria, a mayor's office employee who declined to be identified told CNN. Drinking E. coli-contaminated water can lead to serious illness and death.

Laboratory tests of water samples in New Orleans found it loaded with fecal material.

CNN gave three samples to Analytical and Environmental Testing Inc., in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which found 20,000 fecal coliform colonies per 100 milliliters of water, the highest the lab could count. That's 100 times the normal count found in water runoff from storms, the company said.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services warned of the hazards associated with flood waters: "Every effort should be made to limit contact with flood water due to potentially elevated levels of contamination associated with raw sewage and other hazardous substances."

The CDC said that five people who survived Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans died after becoming infected with Vibrio vulnificus, caused by a form of the bacteria that also causes cholera. One of the deaths occurred in Texas; the other four were in Mississippi, CDC spokesman Tom Skinner said.

"These were all either elderly or had chronic, underlying health conditions," people considered most at risk for suffering complications from such infections, he said.

The bacteria are in the same family as the bacteria that cause cholera, and the victims apparently became infected through open cuts on their skin.

Officials said they are taking steps to limit the outbreak of disease in the crowded shelters, whose residents could prove susceptible.

Authorities also are watching for respiratory illnesses, such as the common cold, influenza and tuberculosis.

Gerberding credited some shelters for taking steps to minimize those risks, citing one that had set up a long line of portable sinks for evacuees to wash in and others that gave evacuees alcohol-soaked hand wipes.

Within the crowded compounds of various shelters, health officials are working to make sure children's immunizations of measles and rubella are up to date, she said.

For adults, the focus is on tetanus, and flu vaccines, when they become available.

Gerberding reiterated what she has said in prior disasters: Bodies, while perhaps horrifying to see, pose little threat of infectious disease. The only concern would be if there was direct blood contact with a body hosting a blood disease, she said.
Reports of diarrhea, tuberculosis investigated

Reports of diarrhea and tuberculosis have emerged in Texas, though it was not clear whether the cases were more widespread than they would have been among a normal population, she said.

The reports of tuberculosis are being investigated, as some evacuees were diagnosed with the disease before to the hurricane, and were being treated for it. Ensuring they get put back on their medications is a priority, Gerberding said.

An evacuee at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, was taken to a hospital after he began coughing up blood, Skinner said. The case has not been confirmed to be tuberculosis, he noted.

The CDC has deployed more than 140 people, and eight more teams are prepared to augment shelter staffs.

A joint task force has been set up at Kindred Hospital in New Orleans to monitor the public health situation in the city and to determine when the area might be safe to reinhabit, Leavitt said. That also will be the location for the HHS field command and the city of New Orleans public health department.

Still, meeting the immediate needs has stressed the nation's public health system, particularly in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which has seen its population rise from 500,000 to 850,000 since last week, Leavitt said. "The hospitals are under significant pressure."

There is reason to hope that a major health problem can be averted. Last December, after a tsunami inundated much of South Asia, health officials predicted that "any number of infectious diseases" would emerge, Gerberding said.

But efforts proved successful in warding off "what could have been a second wave of infectious disease," she said. "That's exactly what we're working to do here in this country."

Surgeon General Richard Carmona said hospitals are more prepared now than they would have been before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Hospitals are now required to have "bona fide disaster plans" to obtain certification, he said.

Link to site: Traces of E. coli indicator bacteria

Return to: watercenter.org

Christina Ficara - All Headline News Staff Reporter
September 6, 2005 10:00 p.m. EST

New Orleans city official says traces of E. coli bacteria have been discovered in the contaminated floodwater left behind by Hurricane Katrina.

E. coli originates from human and animal waste and can be found in untreated sewage. Drinking water contaminated with E. coli can lead to serious illness and death if not properly treated.

Failures of the levee system after Hurricane Katrina have left about 80-percent of the city flooded with water up to 20 feet deep. The water has quickly become a toxic mix of chemicals, garbage, corpses and human waste. Authorities warn it will take weeks to drain the toxic water covering a majority of the city.

Link to site: Dallas Morning News

Return to: watercenter.org

Retreating floodwaters unveil oil tank leak.
Cleanup of spill in New Orleans suburb could take three months
MICHAEL GRABELL / The Dallas Morning News
Tuesday, September 6, 2005
CHALMETTE, La. – Tons and tons of thick sludge. Homes swamped, streets slickened and medians dyed a shiny black. That was the scene as the floodwaters receded in this eastern New Orleans suburb Tuesday, revealing for the first time the damage wrought by a major leak in a 250,000-barrel refinery tank that was about a third full.

"It is almost unimaginable the things we will have to deal with," Mike McDaniel, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality secretary, said Tuesday.
That echoed Sunday's assessment by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff: "We're going to have to clean probably the greatest environmental mess we've ever seen in this country," he said on NBC's Meet the Press.
Bill Turnage, safety manager for the Murphy Oil USA refinery, which provides gas for Wal-Mart, said he expected about 20,000 barrels – enough to fill a hundred tanker trucks – seeped into the northwest part of Chalmette.

But cleanup workers said supervisors told them the spill could be four times as much. And with more than a dozen refineries in the affected area, the environmental effect is only starting to emerge.
"We suspect when a tidal surge came in and the water level just pushed the wall in, the wall of the tank caved in," Mr. Turnage said. "Seeping oil can pollute waters and cause skin irritation," he said, but because nearly everyone has evacuated Chalmette, the company has received no reports that anyone was contaminated.

Meanwhile, doctors warned of disease outbreaks from contact with contaminated floodwaters. Environmental officials struggling to get drinking-water systems operating urged everyone to boil water until their water is declared safe.

Late Tuesday, officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they will recommend that everyone exposed to floodwaters be vaccinated for hepatitis. Among the concerns: bacteria, heavy metals and hazardous building materials in the floodwaters.
Murphy USA discovered the spill on Saturday, Mr. Turnage said. An Environmental Protection Agency plane with pollution-detecting equipment surveyed the spill on Sunday. But the extent of the damage showed for the first time on Tuesday.
The reeking petroleum odor hung in the hot air. Dogs trudged along, their paws and ears covered in oil.

Vacuuming oil
Cleanup crews began vacuuming the oil along Judge Perez Drive, the main east-west road through St. Bernard Parish, one of the areas hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina.
"It's bad, real bad," said David Toups, who wore a white protective suit and maneuvered a giant hose along the mud-caked curb in front of Lou's Sports Bar.
"It's bad for the environment," he said. "It kills plants, and it kills animals. It's bad for your health."
ES&H Consulting of Houma, La., where Mr. Toups works, had about 25 two-person teams trying to suck up the oil. A boat called the Goo-Gobbler floated in a drainage ditch to absorb the oil-water mix into its 25-barrel tank. Mr. Toups said it could take two to three months to clean up the spill. The tank is still underwater, and crews have not been able to inspect the damage.

EPA officials said about 378 drinking-water systems in Louisiana were still shut down Tuesday, and another 48 were providing water that wasn't confirmed as safe. People using those systems were being urged to boil water before drinking it. The EPA said nine systems were approved to resume operations in St. Tammany Parish, just north of Lake Pontchartrain. But in an indication that the process was going slowly, the agency said it would send 30 more people to Louisiana this week.

Environmental police will be dealing with a long list of potential problems, including:
•6,600 facilities, mostly gasoline stations, that average three underground storage tanks each
•Hundreds of industrial facilities that could have leaks or operational problems, releasing air and water pollution
•The wreckage of old houses that have hazardous building materials
•The disposal of 60 million to 90 million tons of debris
•525 damaged sewerage disposal facilities, including 25 major treatment plants.
Challenges for workers
The Murphy Oil tank was about one-third full when the hurricane hit, Mr. Turnage said. Over the weekend, the company used about 400 sandbags to plug a hole in the barrier intended to contain such spills. But the damage was already done, he said. Mr. Turnage explained that it has been difficult for the refinery in neighboring Meraux to fix the problem. Every refinery vehicle was destroyed in the hurricane. Many employees were left homeless. And 12 workers are still unaccounted for, he said. "We're doing everything humanly possible to get the mess squared away," he said.

In addition, the neighborhood north of Judge Perez Drive remains flooded, making it tough to get vehicles in to clean the spill. "There's oil and water and mud and gunk everywhere," said a cleanup worker whose house was many flooded with oil. The employee, who declined to be named, said he expected that his house, and much of the neighborhood, would have to be bulldozed. Further down the road, Preston Williams, 39, and Wesley Jenkins, 19, vacuumed a large oil puddle across the street from the boarded up "Today's Ketch Seafood" as an oil-slicked dog that resembled a Shih Tzu hung around. Despite the amount of oil on the dog's light-brown fur, Mr. Jenkins kneeled down and found a clean spot on the back of her head. "She'd be a good little house dog," Mr. Williams said. "Hopefully the little guy will make it. I may even take her home myself."

Staff writer Randy Loftis and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Link to site: Satellite Photos of Katrina along Gulf Coast

Return to: watercenter.org

Link to site: Posted by Dr. Gordon Snyder

Link to site: Water Accumulation in Your Home

Return to: watercenter.org

Important Flood Clean-Up Tips
If you have experienced any water accumulation in your home, it is important to remember that not all water damage is visible. Since flood water may contain bacteria that can cause serious illnesses, it is vital to clean and disinfect everything that may have been contaminated.

To ensure that your home and personal belongings are as clean and safe as possible, please follow these simple, but important, cleaning tips:
* Act quickly to avoid mildew and odor.
* Remove all loose dirt and debris.
* Use a chlorine bleach disinfecting solution (3/4 cup of household liquid bleach to 1 gallon of water) to wash any walls, floors, or other surfaces touched by flood waters.
* Keep area wet for 2 minutes (2 to 10 minutes for exterior areas), then rinse thoroughly and dry.

Be sure to clean and disinfect all contaminated surfaces, both interior and exterior.
* Interior: walls, counters and floors.
* Exterior: outdoor furniture, patios, decks and playground equipment.
* Kitchen Items: dishes, glassware and utensils.

Don't forget about clothing. You can also remove mildew and germs from clothing by washing them with chlorine bleach.
* Check clothing labels to make sure they are machine washable and colorfast.
* For a standard-size washing machine, use one cup chlorine bleach per load to disinfect clothing and remove odors.

When using a disinfecting solution to clean up after a flood, ALWAYS remember to:
* Wear gloves and protective clothing. Do not touch your face or eyes.
* Change the disinfecting solution often and whenever it is cloudy.
* Be thorough. Wash and dry everything well.
* Only use regular chlorine bleach for sanitation; do not use scented or color safe bleach.

Link to site: EPA - Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

EPA
In times of extreme crisis, local health departments may urge consumers to use more caution or to follow additional measures. If local public health department information differs from this advice, the local information should prevail.

When the home water supply is interrupted by natural or other forms of disaster, you can obtain limited amounts of water by draining your hot water tank or melting ice cubes. In most cases, well water is the preferred source of drinking water. If it is not available and river or lake water must be used, avoid sources containing floating material and water with a dark color or an odor.

When emergency disinfection is necessary, examine the physical condition of the water. Disinfectants are less effective in cloudy water. Filter murky or colored water through clean cloths or allow it to settle, and draw off the clean water for disinfection. Water prepared for disinfection should be stored only in clean, tightly covered, containers, not subject to corrosion.

There are two general methods by which small quantities of water can be effectively disinfected. One method is boiling. It is the most positive method by which water can be made bacterially safe to drink. Another method is chemical treatment. If applied with care, certain chemicals will make most water free from harmful or pathogenic organisms.

METHODS OF EMERGENCY DISINFECTION

Boiling: Vigorous boiling for one minute will kill any disease-causing microorganisms present in water (at altitudes above one mile, boil for three minutes). The flat taste of boiled water can be improved by pouring it back and forth from one container to another (called aeration), by allowing it to stand for a few hours, or by adding a small pinch of salt for each quart of water boiled.

Chemical treatment: When boiling is not practical, chemical disinfection should be used. The two chemicals commonly used are chlorine and iodine. Chlorine and iodine are somewhat effective in protecting against exposure to Giardia, but may not be effective in controlling Cryptosporidium. Therefore, use iodine or chlorine only to disinfect well water (as opposed to surface water sources such as rivers, lakes, and springs), because well water is unlikely to contain these disease causing organisms. Chlorine is generally more effective than iodine in controlling Giardia, and both disinfectants work much better in warmer water.

CHLORINE METHODS

Chlorine Bleach: When boiling is not practical, chemical disinfection should be used. Common household bleach contains a chlorine compound that will disinfect water. The procedure to be followed is usually written on the label. When the necessary procedure is not given, find the percentage of available chlorine on the label and use the information in the following tabulation as a guide.
      Available Chlorine       Drops per Quart of Clear Water
            1%                               10

            4-6%                            2

            7-10%                         1


(If strength is unknown, add ten drops per quart of water. Double amount of chlorine for cloudy or colored water or water that is extremely cold.)

The treated water should be mixed thoroughly and allowed to stand, preferably covered, for 30 minutes. The water should have a slight chlorine odor; if not, repeat the dosage and allow the water to stand for an additional 15 minutes. If the treated water has too strong a chlorine taste, it can be made more pleasing by allowing the water to stand exposed to the air for a few hours or by pouring it from one clean container to another several times.

Granular Calcium Hypochlorite. Add and dissolve one heaping teaspoon of high-test granular calcium hypochlorite (approximately 1/4 ounce) for each two gallons of water. The mixture will produce a stock chlorine solution of approximately 500 mg/L, since the calcium hypochlorite has an available chlorine equal to 70 percent of its weight. To disinfect water, add the chlorine solution in the ratio of one part of chlorine solution to each 100 parts of water to be treated. This is roughly equal to adding 1 pint (16 oz.) of stock chlorine to each 12.5 gallons of water to be disinfected. To remove any objectionable chlorine odor, aerate the water as described above.

Chlorine Tablets.Chlorine tablets containing the necessary dosage for drinking water disinfection can be purchased in a commercially prepared form. These tablets are available from drug and sporting goods stores and should be used as stated in the instructions. When instructions are not available, use one tablet for each quart of water to be purified.

TINCTURE OF IODINE

Common household iodine from the medicine chest or first aid kit may be used to disinfect water. Add five drops of 2 percent United States Pharmacopeia (U.S.P.) Tincture of iodine to each quart of clear water. For cloudy water add ten drops and let the solution stand for at least 30 minutes.

IODINE TABLETS

Commercially prepared iodine tablets containing the necessary dosage for drinking water disinfection can be purchased at drug and sporting goods stores. They should be used as stated. When instructions are not available, use one tablet for each quart of water to be purified.

WATER TO BE USED FOR DRINKING, COOKING, MAKING ANY PREPARED DRINK, OR BRUSHING THE TEETH SHOULD BE PROPERLY DISINFECTED.

Link to site: Drinking Water Storage

Return to: watercenter.org

Store at least one gallon of water per person, per day in a cool, dark place.

The average individual must drink at least two quarts of water every day. Children, nursing mothers, the elderly and people in warmer climates need more. Additional water should be reserved for personal hygiene and food preparation. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security encourages individuals to store enough water to last a minimum of three days - bearing in mind that water is needed for drinking as well as for personal hygiene. Water should be collected on days when it appears free of sediment or color. On certain days, particularly after a hard rain or heavy snowmelt, some tap water may have a brownish color and contain sediment.

Choose appropriate containers for water storage; disinfect before use.

Clear food-grade plastic containers, such as soft drink bottles, are ideal. Other options include fiberglass or enamel-lined metal containers. Never use a container that has previously held toxic substances. Containers for water should be rinsed with a diluted chlorine bleach solution (one part bleach to ten parts water) before use.  

If necessary, treat water with a chlorine bleach solution prior to storage to prevent buildup of harmful bacteria or pathogens. Replace water every six months.

If your water is treated commercially by a water utility, it is not necessary to treat water before storing it. If you have a well or public water that has not been treated, disinfect the water prior to storage using liquid household bleach containing 5.25 percent sodium hypochlorite. Do not use scented or color-safe bleaches or bleaches containing soaps. The American Red Cross and the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency recommend the following procedure for treating water for storage:

* Add six drops (1/8 teaspoon) of unscented bleach per gallon of water.
* Stir and let stand for 30 minutes.
* If the water does not taste and smell of chlorine after 30 minutes, add another dose of 1/8 teaspoon and let stand another 15 minutes.
* Seal the containers and label with contents and date of preparation.

Identify additional sources of water.

In addition to stored water, other sources include melted ice cubes, water drained from the water heater faucet (if the water heater has not been damaged), water dipped from the flush tanks (not the bowls) of home toilets, and liquids from canned goods such as fruit and vegetable juices. Unsafe water sources include radiators, hot water boilers, waterbeds, and swimming pools and spas.

These tips are based on information provided by emergency preparedness experts from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross.

Link to site: MSNBC News

Return to: watercenter.org

BATON ROUGE, La. - The brew of chemicals and human waste in the New Orleans floodwaters will have to be pumped into the Mississippi River or Lake Pontchartrain, raising the specter of an environmental disaster on the heels of Hurricane Katrina, experts say.

The dire need to rid the drowned city of water could trigger fish kills and poison the delicate wetlands near New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico at the mouth of the Mississippi.

State and federal agencies have just begun water-quality testing but environmental experts say the vile, stagnant chemical soup that sits in the streets of the city known as The Big Easy will contain traces of everything imaginable.

“Go home and identify all the chemicals in your house. It’s a very long list,” said Ivor van Heerden, head of a Louisiana State University center that studies the public health impacts of hurricanes.

“And that’s just in a home. Imagine what’s in an industrial plant,” he said. “Or a sewage plant.”

Gasoline, diesel, anti-freeze, bleach, human waste, acids, alcohols and a host of other substances must be washed out of homes, factories, refineries, hospitals and other buildings.

“There is a disease risk," Mike McDaniel, head of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, told reporters Tuesday. He added, though, that it was premature to call the floodwaters toxic, and that better data should be available Thursday.

“Initial indications are that they are showing large numbers of contaminants,” McDaniel said. “We are taking samples ... We expect you're going to see quantities of fuel and gasoline. There are sheens wherever you look.”

Rupture dangers
In Metairie, east of New Orleans, the floodwater is tea-colored, murky and smells of burnt sulfur. A thin film of oil is visible in the water.

Those who have waded into it say they could see only about 1 to 2 inches into the depths and that there was significant debris on and below the surface.

Experts said the longer water sat in the streets, the greater the chance gasoline and chemical tanks — as well as common containers holding anything from bleach to shampoo — would rupture.

Officials have said it may take up to 80 days to clear the water from New Orleans and surrounding parishes.

Van Heerden and Rodney Mallett, communications director for the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, say there do not appear to be any choices other than to pump the water into Lake Pontchartrain or the Mississippi River, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico, a key maritime spawning ground.

“I don’t see how we could treat all that water,” Mallett said.

The result could be an second wave of disaster for southern Louisiana, said Harold Zeliger, a Florida-based chemical toxicologist and water quality consultant.

“In effect, it’s going to kill everything in those waters,” he said.

How much water New Orleans holds is open to question.

Van Heerden estimates it is billions of gallons. LSU researchers will use satellite imagery and computer modeling to get a better fix on the quantity.

Rush to get it out
Bio-remediation — cleaning up the water — would require the time and expense of constructing huge storage facilities, considered an impossibility, especially with the public clamor to get the water out quickly.

Mallett said the Department of Environmental Quality was in the unfortunate position of being responsible for protecting the environment in a situation where that did not seem possible.

“We’re not happy about it. But for the sake of civilization and lives, probably the best thing to do is pump the water out,” he said.

The water will leave behind more trouble — a city filled with mold, some of it toxic, the experts said. After other floods, researchers found many buildings had to be stripped back to concrete, or razed.

“If you have a building half full of water, everything above the water is growing mold. When it dries out, the rest grows mold,” Zeliger said. “Most of the buildings will have to be destroyed.”
Copyright 2005 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.

Link to site: Alertnet.org - the News

Return to: watercenter.org

Reuters Sept 5
WASHINGTON Some 1,223 drinking water systems in three states have been affected by Hurricane Katrina, and some systems need more fuel to run generators to stay operating, the Environmental Protection Agency said on Monday.

The agency has issued boil-water notices to many of the systems. Louisiana has 683 drinking water systems affected, with 468 in Mississippi and 72 in Alabama, according to the EPA.

Separately, the agency on Monday conducted more sampling of flood waters in New Orleans.

The agency also said it granted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers a waiver from water discharge permits to help pump the hurricane flood waters from the city.