Cleanup after Hurricane Katrina: Environmental Considerations

Publication Date: October 2005

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Environment

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Abstract:

Local, state, and federal responders face numerous cleanup challenges associated with Hurricane Katrina. In Mississippi and Alabama, the focus is on restoring infrastructure and managing debris and waste. In New Orleans, where most damage was due to floodwaters, the immediate tasks have been "unwatering," monitoring, and evaluation of potential risks from contaminated water, sediment, and air. As floodwaters receded, and debris management and infrastructure repair began, monitoring and analysis has continued to inform decisions about whether neighborhoods would be safe for returning residents. Finally, local authorities worked to determine how and where disaster-related wastes would be gathered, separated, and disposed. This report provides an overview of the immediate and intermediate cleanup tasks and the federal role supporting these tasks.

State, county, and local municipalities have jurisdiction with regard to cleanup after any natural catastrophe. However, because, at the governors' requests, the President issued a major disaster declaration under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act in response to Hurricane Katrina, federal agencies have been broadly authorized to provide assistance. Federal cleanup assistance efforts are being coordinated by the Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps), the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Corps is coordinating non-hazardous debris removal, assessment and repair of water and wastewater systems, and unwatering of New Orleans, in conjunction with other emergency response activities, such as filling levee breaches. EPA and the U.S. Coast Guard have primary responsibility for assessing and managing releases of oil and other hazardous substances. Many other federal agencies are also contributing various expertise and assistance to the cleanup effort.

In New Orleans, Katrina-generated waste was expected to be highly contaminated, making the potential for toxic chemical exposure of returning residents highly uncertain. Unwatering New Orleans was the critical first step in the public health response, because tests of the floodwaters showed high concentrations of fecal bacteria. Sampling results of residue sediments and air, whenever the floodwaters receded, have indicated some sediment contamination with bacteria and fuel oils, and possible health risks from contact with deposited sediment or with contaminants in dust as the sediments dry. Mold is also an issue of concern.

Throughout the Katrina-affected region, drinking water and sewage treatment plants were damaged and must be restored. Many are operating again now that electric power has been restored, but some drinking water facilities have issued notices advising that water be boiled prior to use. The status of many facilities is unclear (especially small systems). Disposal of debris and waste continues to be a major concern. The affected states have stated that they would prefer diverting disaster debris from the waste stream, but there also will be a need for landfilling and contained burning. The unique issues associated with the volume and diversity of debris and waste may lead to innovative/creative approaches for disposing of these materials. This report will be updated as events warrant.