Water News Archives

Cedyco Corporation ordered to cease all operations in Louisiana and divest itself of its Hydrocarbon business interests in the state. A Delaware company was fined $557,000 for negligently discharging oil into the bayous of Jefferson Parish, La., the Department of Justice announced. Cedyco Corporation, headquartered in Houston, was sentenced today in federal court in the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Readings from monitoring equipment indicated there were no detectable levels for naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) on the surface of a slurry hole in Assumption Parish. Scientists from the Department of Environmental Quality began executing a sampling plan today.

Scientists from the Department of Environmental Quality will be in and around a slurry hole near Bayou Corne in Assumption Parish today to sample for naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM). Because the location of the slurry hole is in the proximity of areas that had been previously used for oil and gas exploration, there is the possibility for low levels of NORM to be present. The location of the sampling is remote and not in a populated area. However, out of an abundance of caution, and to gather more information, DEQ Secretary Peggy Hatch is requiring certified scientists to develop and execute a sampling plan that includes soil and water samples for NORM to verify there are no health risks.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality is offering training for permittees on the use of the NetDMR online application for the submission of discharge monitoring reports. A discharge monitoring report, known as a DMR, is a self-reporting document that is generated by permittees that have a Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. The DMR contains information pertaining to water discharges into waters of the state.

Accredited and in-house laboratories that submit data to DEQ will be required to adhere to new U.S, Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. EPA recently updated its "Guidelines Establishing Test Procedures for the Analysis of Pollutants Under the Clean Water Act; Analysis and Sampling Procedures", also known as the "Method Update Rule." The new rule was published on May 18, 2012 and will take effect on June 18, 2012.

Yesterday, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and the city of Zachary celebrated a loan closure in the amount of $9,300,000 for use on the rehabilitation and replacement of sewer collection lines and pump stations in areas throughout the city.