For Citizens Archives

Based on a recent review by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Water Permits Division of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality exceeded the EPA's Performance Partnership Grant goals for major, minor and priority permits in Federal Fiscal Year 2012, which ended on Sept. 30, 2012.

The Greater Baton Rouge Household Hazardous Materials Collection Day and Paint Swap will be held on Saturday, Oct. 6, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Memorial Stadium in Baton Rouge. East Baton Rouge residents can bring household hazardous materials and leftover paint to Memorial Stadium parking lot. Entrance to the drop off site is from Scenic Highway at Foss Street.

On Saturday, volunteers from the Department of Environmental Quality recycled 97 five-gallon buckets of paint that would have otherwise ended up in landfills or been disposed of improperly. The DEQ team was participating in the Greater Baton Rouge Household Hazardous Materials Collection Day and Paint Swap. East Baton Rouge residents brought household hazardous materials and leftover paint to Memorial Stadium parking lot. More than 762 residents dropped off recyclables.

On Sept. 18, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and the Assumption Parish Sheriff's Department began conducting indoor air monitoring within the Bayou Corne community as a result of the ongoing sinkhole investigation in Assumption Parish and because of concerns from local citizens. To date, eight homes have been monitored with no concerns noted. Additional homes will be monitored as the rights of passage are received and citizens are contacted to set up a date and approximate time for the assessment.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality encourages residents in Hurricane Isaac affected areas to report illegal dumping to local law enforcement and DEQ's Criminal Investigation Division. Illegal dumping is a serious crime and violators could be sentenced to up to one year in jail and a twenty-five thousand dollar fine.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality encourages residents in affected by Hurricane Isaac areas to collect trash and debris and place them curbside for proper disposal. Household chemicals can become hazardous in storm-damaged homes. Examples of materials that may need special disposal or recycling include electronics, batteries, computer hardware, paint, cleaning products, solvents, and lawn and garden products. Materials should be sorted curbside to help expedite cleanup efforts

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality is reminding people in the impacted area of Hurricane Isaac and the flooding aftermath to be cautious around orphaned containers and sheens on the water.

EPA analysis finds no evidence of detectable concentrations of natural gas or elevated radiation levels near sinkhole Louisiana Commissioner of Conservation James Welsh and Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Secretary Peggy Hatch today announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has returned a report on last week's aerial survey of the Bayou Corne area, with findings indicating no detectable concentrations of natural gas or other chemicals in the atmosphere and no elevated radiation levels related to cavern operations.