WASHINGTON – 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. “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 flow into the Gulf of Mexico, Johnson said. “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 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 definitive assessment on the makeup of the hazardous brew shortly.
So far, the EPA tests have focused on residential areas and the French Quarter, not the industrial areas where the floodwaters are likely to be more heavily laced with toxic substances, Johnson said.
The 630-square-mile Lake Pontchartrain was 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.
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