Remediation

Welcome to Remediation

The Remediation Division is responsible for cleaning up contaminated sites and restoring land so that it can be safely and productively used again. Its mission is to maintain and enhance the state’s environment in order to promote and protect the health, safety, and welfare of the people of Louisiana by remediating contamination and environmental impacts in a consistent, efficient, and accountable manner.

The Remediation Division incorporates a number of different programs and initiatives that work together under a unified approach, including Louisiana’s Risk Evaluation/Corrective Action Program (RECAP), Brownfields Program, Voluntary Remediation Program (VRP), Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Program, Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Fund (HWSCF) Program, and the Federal Superfund Program. Through these programs, the Division fulfills its mission, by establishing cleanup standards; conducting and overseeing site investigations and evaluations; implementing and monitoring corrective actions; performing field verification; maintaining clear communication and documentation; and supporting training and research. Collectively, these efforts help reduce environmental and health risks, streamline the remediation process, improve responsiveness to the public and regulated community, and return contaminated areas to safe and beneficial use.

Risk Evaluation / Corrective Action Program

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) has developed a Risk Evaluation/Corrective Action Program (RECAP) to address risks to human health and the environment posed by the release of chemical constituents to the environment. This is LDEQ’s primary statutory mandate for remediation activities. RECAP provides a framework that allows both site evaluation and corrective action to be tailored to site conditions. Without the RECAP regulation, risk evaluation would not be performed consistently in Louisiana.

Did
You
Know?

Brownfields Program

Brownfield sites are properties where the presence or possible presence of pollution makes it harder to reuse the land. These places are often old industrial areas, abandoned gas stations, closed factories, or vacant lots where chemicals or waste may have been left behind. Even though they may be contaminated, Brownfield sites have strong potential for redevelopment once they are properly assessed and cleaned up. The Brownfields Program helps communities investigate these sites, remove environmental risks, and turn unused or unsafe land into places that can support new businesses, housing, parks, or other community needs.
Brownfields Home Page

Voluntary Remediation Program

LDEQ’s Voluntary Remediation Program (VRP) facilitates the redevelopment of properties with environmental issues by providing applicants the ability to receive a Certificate of Completion (COC) after the successful remediation of environmental contamination at a site. Through the Voluntary Remediation Program, LDEQ provides administrative, technical, and legal incentives to encourage the redevelopment and reuse of vacant properties that would otherwise remain abandoned.

Superfund Program

The Superfund program focuses on cleaning up the most serious hazardous waste sites in the country—places where contamination poses a significant risk to people or the environment. These sites often involve old industrial areas, abandoned facilities, or locations where dangerous chemicals were released into the soil or groundwater. Through investigation, cleanup planning, and long‑term monitoring, the Superfund program works to remove or contain pollution and make the area safe again. This effort helps protect communities, restore damaged land, and prevent future exposure to harmful substances.

Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Fund

The Hazardous Waste Site Program and the Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Fund (HWSCF) provide the resources to address and remediate sites that have no viable responsible parties. Funds from the HWSCF are first allocated to the contractual obligations of the Superfund, which requires states to provide 10% matching funds for site cleanups financed with Superfund monies. Remaining funds are then dispersed to non-funded sites. Sites that qualify for this program are ranked based on the environmental hazards they present, considering the types of contamination, the site's locale, the populations nearby, and the surface or groundwater resources in the vicinity of each site. Sites are then addressed based on these rankings.

In addition to the full-scale remedial actions, the Remediation Division uses HWSCF funding to complete assessments of sites on the Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Fund Prioritization List, as well as Potential Sites using a Site Investigation Contract (A Potential Site is a site at which a discharge or disposal of a hazardous substance is suspected but not yet confirmed by the LDEQ). A limited Removal/Remedial Contract also allows the Remediation Division to perform interim corrective actions at priority sites. HWSCF funding also allows the Remediation Division to pay for its operating expenses.

Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA)

Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) is a process, guided by state and federal regulations, to restore the environment and make the public whole for injuries to natural resources and services resulting from an oil spill or chemical release. This is accomplished by returning the injured resources to baseline conditions and/or providing compensation for interim losses from the date of the oil spill or chemical release until resources are recovered. LDEQ works with other state and federal natural resource trustees on a variety of natural resource assessments and subsequent restoration efforts. Natural resource trustees not only include representatives from state and federal agencies, but Indian Tribes may also be a trustee if a release has impacted their trust resources.

More information regarding the NRDA process may be found on the following websites managed by LDEQ’s NRDA co-trustees:

https://denr.louisiana.gov/page/natural-resource-damage-assessment-nrda

https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/oil-spill-response

https://coastal.la.gov/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-content/oil-spill-overview/dwh-nrda/

https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/environmental-restoration/natural-resource-damage-assessment.html

https://www.fws.gov/nrdar

Remediation Administrator

Gary A. Fulton Jr. P.G.

Remediation Division

P.O. Box 4314

Baton Rouge, LA 70821-43144

 

 

 

Division contact information:

Phone: (225) 219-3386

FAX: (225) 219-3398 

Additional Remediation Resources

LDEQ Secretary Courtney J. Burdette
Powered by Cicero Government