Louisiana DEQ Meeting

DEQ Question and Answer Session
Thursday November 10, 2011 @ 6pm
St. Bernard Parish Council Meeting Room
8201 West Judge Perez Drive, Chalmette, LA

RE: Valero (Murphy Oil) Water Discharges
plan for wastewater treatment malfunctions and
storm and hurricane preparedness plans

Whether you like to fish or canoe the 40 arpent canal or the Red Fish Cup Tournament from the Marina on Paris Road, your concerns for our water's quality needs to be heard. 

Aside from the overflow problem on the processing campus side that floods the adjacent neighborood and re-occurred as recently as July 18, 2011, (  a June 2009 overflow shown here around the 4:14 minute mark), most concerns focus on all the oil waste and other chemicals being washed through our neighborhood canals.  These local canals meandor through neighborhoods on their way to Bayou Bienvenue and Lake Bogrne. The proposed master landuse plan   under consideration by the SPBG HRQL includes added fishing and boat piers to these canals to encourage resident's use of our natural resources. Yet, the DEQ permit still allows the refinery to dump into our canals.

And this is totally avoidable.  Storm water containment through adequate storage capacity, adequate freeboard, berms and existing pipes to the river would bring this facility into compliance and protect our neighborhoods from chemical exposure; protect our waterways and fisheries.

The Louisiana DEQ will hold a Public Meeting in Question and Answer Format in the St. Bernard Parish Government Council Meeting Room in Chalmette on Thursday November 10, 2011 at 6pm regarding the (former Murphy Oil ) Valero Refining Water Discharges.

Immediately folllowing the Question and Answer Meeting, but no earlier than 7pm and no later than 7:30pm, the DEQ will conduct a formal Public Comment Hearing to enter any comments into the record. Written comments may also be submitted by Monday, November 14th to DEQ.PUBLICNOTICES@la.gov  Comments made in the Question and Answer Meeting are NOT entered into the record. All correspondence should specify AI #1238, Permit LA0003646, PER20090003.

The Draft permit is accessible at these links.

http://www.deq.louisiana.gov/apps/pubNotice/show.asp?qPostID=6490&SearchText=&startDate=1/1/2011&endDate=10/27/2011&category=

Hydrogen sulfide reporting

EPA Reinstates Reporting Requirements for Hydrogen Sulfide

refineries own the town?

Members of organizations around St. Bernard agree that both refineries deserve to own the local market because of their generous donations given to local businesses, but it should not denote health liberties of near-by residents.

Valero Murphy/Exxon Mobil ignore clean air
Editorial/Oct. 18, 2011
Two-Sided Explanatory/Argumentative
Never a blue sky in St. Bernard Parish

Never a blue sky in St. Bernard Parish

Refineries within the suburb still ignore health liberties

By DAVID FREESE

 

storm water canal pollution

STOP using our canals for industrial and commerical businesses

Federal Road Works Program polluting rain water canal which flows to Central Wetlands and Bayou Bienvenue.  Several times residents have ask the Parish and DEQ to address the issue of cement tools and materials being washed in the neighborhood canals by various commercial contracts and developments.

D Freese Editorial

Never a blue sky in St. Bernard Parish


Refineries within the suburb still ignore health liberties

By DAVID FREESE

http://davidfreese.net/2011/10/27/argumentative-editorial-st-bernard-parish/


Murphy/Exxon Mobil ignore clean air

Editorial/Oct. 18, 2011

Two-Sided Explanatory/Argumentative

land redistribution plan

The Louisiana Land Trust (LLT) will soon transfer to St. Bernard Parish Government over two thousand vacant lots, mostly residential-zoned, acquired in the Federal Road Home grant program.  SBPG has already distributed many other lots through the lot next door program. The Housing, Redevelopment, and Quality of Life Commission (HRQL) will soon begin to public notice a proposed redistribution plan for the remaining properties and hold community public hearings and meetings.  The DRAFT proposal by Waggoner and Ball was presented to the HRQL at the September 21, 2011 meeting, viewable here

http://sbpg.pegcentral.com/player.php?video=4e1976b66103288029ba453828399f17

UPDATE:   Waggoner and Ball also presented the DRAFT proposal of ideas for redevelopment and redistribution to the LLT Board in October 2011.  Presumably this is the same pdf / power point presentation shown to the HRQL.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/69265973/St-Bernard-Parish-Proposed-LLT-Property-redevelopment-ideas

Page 58 of above link notes fishing and boat piers and other improvements, so residents can enjoy the natural resources of the 40 arpent canal.

grateful song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pfBUUZNbFM

For all those who serve