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=