The recent discovery of diesel in our community's canals should give us all pause to consider how fuel and motor oil and other chemicals migrate into the surrounding wetlands, not only from industrial facilities but also from our residential driveways. Rain waters carry chemicals from facilities and driveways alike into the wetlands via storm water canals. The canals are discharged into the sensitive estuaries of the central wetlands, including Bayou Bienvenue.
According to LDEQ, just one gallon of motor oil from the change of a vehicle will pollute a million gallons of water. Let's all do our part to be part of the solution and not dump wastes into municipal storm drains and canals. Additionally, storage tanks should comply with the clean water act and have a surrounding containment area capable of containing the full contents of the tank. Spills and leaks should be promptly reported to prevent human health risks. Mitigation and clean-up should begin as soon as the incident is known. Spill and leak prevention, including routine inspections and other countermeasures should already be in place to keep our wetlands from contamination.
The recent discovery of diesel in our community's canals also highlights how ill prepared nearby facilities, including our own drainage pumps and waste water treatment plant, may be for hurricanes, tropical rain storms, and other rain events. Crude oil, diesel, and other chemicals stored in tanks are subject to EPA's spill prevention, control, and countermeasure regulations [SPCC] (40 CFR Part 112). Owners and operators of a SPCC qualified facility are required to ensure there is adequate secondary containment to prevent oil and chemical leaks and spills from reaching waterways.
Many residents fish or kayak and otherwise enjoy the 40 arpent canal or the canal's bicycle and walking paths, and the district councilmember has requested SBPG place temporary signs to alert the public of the ongoing fuel discharge incident and to not fish these waters until further notice.
On the June 2022 diesel spill/leak incident, the silence from LDEQ and other protection agencies is deafening. It's hurricane season, are the refineries ready? In 2005, a nearby tank farm had more than one tank with serious issues known long before the storms. Lessons learned should be implemented and not ignored, swept under the rug, or allowed to wash out into the sea. We all have the right to clean air, clean water, and uncontaminated soil. Let's all do our part to be part of the solution.
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