Gov. John Bel Edwards sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the final step required to classify the heavily contaminated Capitol Lakes as a Superfund site, thereby making them eligible for federal cleanup, oversight and funding.
“The lakes are a wonderful asset for our state, but we have known for quite some time that they have been plagued by pollution,” said Gov. Edwards. “We now have a tremendous opportunity to breathe new life into the lakes that will make them a healthier environment for wildlife that inhabit them and the many people who would use them recreationally. The process will take some time, which is why we must move forward with getting things started. This is an investment in the future of the lakes and everyone who enjoys them now and for years to come.”
Contamination from polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) has been an issue in the lakes on the north side of the Capitol Complex since 1983 when the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) investigated a report of PCB-laden oil entering the lakes. Since then, signs posted around the lakes by LDEQ, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and Louisiana Department of Health have warned against any consumption of fish from the lakes or any contact with the waters or sediments. The original contamination was encapsulated by silt, and LDEQ scientists were hopeful that natural attenuation would isolate the PCBs from the food chain. However, in 2017, fish tissue sampling conducted by LDEQ at the site showed the contamination was still present in the water column.
Following those findings in 2017, LDEQ began investigating possible remediation options, but the state’s resources were not adequate to achieve a full restoration. The agency sought help from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“It’s an involved process, and there haven’t been financial assets and political will to get it done before now. Gov. John Bel Edwards has refused to let those challenges stop the remediation of this valuable resource. We are now on the way to removing the impairments to recreational and fishing uses on the Capitol Lakes,” said LDEQ Secretary Dr. Chuck Carr Brown.
“This investment will transform the Capitol Lakes area into a place that is healthy and safe for both wildlife and residents,” said Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome. “Local leaders and citizens have long advocated for improving the quality of the lakes because they are an enormous cultural asset for our community. When the process is complete, we will have another place in the heart of Baton Rouge where families and individuals can enjoy our environment.”
The EPA conducted its own assessment of the site and, in August 2022, notified LDEQ that the preliminary Hazard Ranking System (HRS) Score for the Capitol Lakes site was enough to qualify it for inclusion on the National Priorities List (NPL). The state’s letter of concurrence, signed by Gov. Edwards, will allow the proposed listing to be published in the Federal Register in the spring and a comment period will commence with that publication.
Once the comment period closes and all comments are addressed, sometime in 2023, the process can move forward to determine a cleanup remedy and acquire funding for that work. It could be anywhere from 3 to 5 years before the actual remediation work begins.
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