Link to Reference: Larry Wheeler, GANNETT NEWS SERVICE, January 29, 2006

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Highlights:
- More disasters of Hurricane Katrina-proportions are certain because the United States has no policy to control growth in danger zones at the water's edge.
- A slow-moving crisis has developed as land along the nation's fragile coasts has been gobbled up, concentrating wealth at the shore and putting at risk millions of people and property valued in the billions.
- Pew Oceans Commission that concluded many coastal watersheds may trip from healthy to damaged over the next two decades unless coast communities adopt growth policies that slow land consumption and minimize polluted runoff from impervious surfaces.

More disasters of Hurricane Katrina-proportions are certain because the United States has no policy to control growth in danger zones at the water's edge.

In a single generation, a slow-moving crisis has developed as land along the nation's fragile coasts has been gobbled up, concentrating wealth at the shore and putting at risk millions of people and property valued in the billions.

Dense development

The number of Americans living near the shore increased by 23.6 million between 1980 and 2005, according to a Gannett News Service analysis of population trends in counties nearest the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes. From the air, the footprint of coastal sprawl is unmistakable -- vast tracts of newly built houses stretch for miles. Ribbons of asphalt are crowded with shopping centers, gas stations, restaurants and other buildings.

If runaway land consumption and relentless growth in automobile use continue, many healthy shore communities could face sharp declines over the next 25 years, says Dana Beach, director of the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League and an authority on coastal sprawl. He is especially concerned about developing and paving over land that drains into nearby bodies of water.

Beach authored a report for the Pew Oceans Commission that concluded many coastal watersheds may trip from healthy to damaged over the next two decades unless coast communities adopt growth policies that slow land consumption and minimize polluted runoff from impervious surfaces.

"Part of the dilemma is that there is vast ignorance across the country about ecology," Beach said. "When we modify watersheds (with roads and buildings), we are changing the physical attributes, the biological attributes of the water bodies embedded in those watersheds."

Concerns about Charleston's rapid pace of growth brought more than 100 local residents to a town council meeting one November evening in nearby Mount Pleasant.

Many spoke passionately against a town annexation proposal that could have opened the door to new homes, roads and shopping centers at the entrance to the region's ecological crown jewel -- the Francis Marion National Forest.

"Money isn't everything," said Kathie Livingston, an eco-tourism operator who lives in a small community inside the forest boundaries. "Any more annexation will be detrimental to the environment."

In some coastal areas, especially the urbanized mid-Atlantic, the Northeast and the Rust Belt states bordering the Great Lakes, much waterfront land is covered with roads, parking lots and rooftops -- all impervious surfaces.

Once more than 10 percent of the acreage of a watershed is no longer porous, creeks, rivers, streams and other water bodies seriously degrade, said Beach.

Runoff from parking lots and roads harm coastal waters by adding silt and debris that smother plants, promote algae growth and alter the habitat so it can no longer support fish, crabs and other creatures.

Coastal sprawl is consuming land far faster than the underlying rate of population growth, Beach said.

"It should be a warning sign," he said. "It ought to inspire us to do something."

For the most part, local governments control land-use decisions and are constantly forced to choose between the rights of property owners who want maximum value for their land and other community voices calling for restraint.

Paul Riddick, a funeral home owner and city councilman, said growth has been good for Norfolk, Va., a historic Navy town.

"Norfolk is going through its second phase of urban renewal," said Riddick, a lifelong resident of the city and former president of the Norfolk Branch of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. "We have so many condos being built that you can't imagine it."

Indeed, gritty bars and cheap garden apartments are rapidly giving way to award-winning seaside developments with big-city price tags.

Change carries a price. "We're seeing a lot of whites coming into certain communities that once were white, changed to black and now they are changing back again," said Riddick, who was the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against the city school board to prevent the return of segregated elementary schools.

Norfolk officials say they plan to spearhead construction of low-cost homes for working-class families.

Damaging estuaries

Most coastal communities recognize their bays and estuaries are in severe decline after decades of growth have eliminated sensitive wetlands and polluted the waters.

The 3,000-square-mile Gulf of Mexico "dead zone" off the Texas-Louisiana coast is well-known. Aquatic life there has perished. Spawning has halted.

Texas officials are trying to prevent further loss of habitat by limiting development along the 367-mile coast, through state and federal coastal and wetland protection programs, according to the state's Center for Policy Studies and Environmental Defense.

In the mid-Atlantic, the Chesapeake Bay has been plagued by problems.

In November, regional leaders agreed to pursue state and federal regulations that would require farmers to handle their animal feed and waste in a more environmentally sensitive way.

"This year has been a turning point for the Chesapeake Bay," said Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell. He also is the chairman of the Chesapeake Executive Council.

The group's goal: to get the Environmental Protection Agency to remove the Chesapeake and its tributaries from the agency's list of impaired waters by 2010.

Hazardous bacterial contamination caused more than 20,000 closings and health advisory days at beaches across the country in 2004, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council's most recent report.

That's the most since the environmental group began tracking the problem 15 years ago, said Nancy Stoner, director of the council's Clean Water Project, although some of the increase is due to greater monitoring.

Patchwork of programs

The federal government has a patchwork of regulations and agencies that focus on pollution, flood control, the environment and growth patterns.

Some federal efforts like the National Flood Insurance Program and beach restoration projects run by the Army Corps of Engineers contribute to the growth of waterfront communities.

The value of property covered by the flood program is $555 billion, more than five times what it was 25 years ago. It generates approximately $2 billion in annual revenues, mostly from premium payments.

Hurricane Katrina demonstrated how a single disaster can overwhelm the flood program.

The federal government's lead agency on ocean and coastal issues now offers programs to help shore communities learn about the natural disasters that threaten them so they can make smarter decisions about future growth.

However, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's budget has remained relatively flat since 2000, limiting the reach of its small teams of coastal specialists. The agency's budget for the current year is $3.86 billion, down 4 percent from 2005.

Nevertheless, NOAA has teamed up with experts at the Environmental Protection Agency to address the problem.

Natives displaced

Many beach communities have evolved into playgrounds for the wealthy, creating a new underclass of workers who can't afford to live in the areas.

Karen Krafft, a single mother with two children, is typical.

She can barely make ends meet living in Nags Head, N.C. She works as a credit counselor. Her annual salary is $25,000. On summer weekends she cleans vacation homes for extra money.

"Unfortunately, I don't have a positive outlook on the Outer Banks because it is such a struggle," Krafft said. "It's beautiful here and I'm fortunate to live near my family. But I work seven days a week."

Krafft's story is not unusual, said Charles Colgan, chief economist for NOAA's National Ocean Economics Program.

Colgan has traced the roots of America's love affair with the coast to the economic boom the nation enjoyed following World War II.

"The bulk of the growth in coastal areas came about as a result of a wealthier society that has a very high taste for the ocean," Colgan said.

Solutions await action

In its final report, the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy made more than 200 recommendations to highlight coastal issues and coordinate 11 Cabinet-level departments and four independent agencies that oversee some portion of the nation's ocean and coastal policy.

The ambitious agenda has received little attention from the White House or Congress.

President Bush partially followed one recommendation and formed a Cabinet-level Committee on Ocean Policy, which mostly serves as a clearinghouse for information on existing programs.

"The jury is still out," said the commission's Watkins, who has formed an interest group to continue pressuring Congress and the administration.

"The oceans are no longer the eternal cesspool for mankind. They can't handle it anymore."

Link to Reference: NOAA Magazine || NOAA Home Page, Commerce Dept. NOAA News Tue, 24 Jan 2006

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Highlights:
- NOAA announced today that analyses of the second and third round of toxicology survey results from Gulf water, marine species and sediment samples show no elevated toxins of bacteria from recent hurricanes.
- The samples were tested for toxins that might have been released into the marine ecosystem after hurricane flooding, such as PCBs, pesticides, and fire retardants. All samples show the levels of these compounds are well below federal guidelines for safe seafood consumption.
- The survey results are consistent with similar findings recently announced by the FDA, the EPA, and the States of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama, which concluded Gulf seafood was deemed safe for human consumption.

Jan. 19, 2006 — NOAA announced today that analyses of the second and third round of toxicology survey results from Gulf water, marine species and sediment samples show no elevated toxins of bacteria from recent hurricanes. Agency scientists have been collecting samples since two weeks after Katrina made landfall. The initial samples contained no elevated toxins or bacteria. The latest analyses also found no cause for concern. (Click NOAA image for larger view of the destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in Gulf Port, Miss., as seen from the NOAA Ship NANCY FOSTER on Sept. 10, 2005. Click here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”)

The samples were tested for toxins that might have been released into the marine ecosystem after hurricane flooding, such as PCBs, pesticides, and fire retardants. All samples show the levels of these compounds are well below federal guidelines for safe seafood consumption.

The samples also were tested for potential bacteria such as E. coli, which is associated with human fecal contamination. None of the samples harbored the bacteria, although other vibrio bacteria that normally inhabit the marine environment were found.

Steven Murawski, director of scientific programs at the NOAA Fisheries Service, said that the presence of vibrio bacteria is expected, and the FDA recommends that fish, crab and shrimp be thoroughly cooked prior to consumption.

The survey results are consistent with similar findings recently announced by the FDA, the EPA, and the States of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama, which concluded Gulf seafood was deemed safe for human consumption. NOAA continues its sampling program in the Gulf of Mexico to detect potential trends or changes that might occur over time. (Click NOAA image for larger view of the areas where the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster collected samples as of Sept. 12-16, 2005. Click here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”)

Also, a just completed NOAA survey also shows that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita did not cause a reduction in fish and shrimp populations in offshore areas of the Gulf of Mexico.

NOAA's annual survey of shrimp and bottomfish—completed in November 2005—shows some species, such as the commercially valuable and overfished red snapper, had a higher population in 2005 than in 2004. The survey found that the Atlantic croaker population doubled in 2005.

"Marine life in the Gulf of Mexico is resilient and well-adapted to the natural environment," said Bill Hogarth, director of the NOAA Fisheries Service. "We had some concerns about the possible impacts of the Gulf hurricanes on fish and shrimp populations in the region, particularly in wetlands and nursery areas, but we've found that the fish stocks withstood the country's most devastating natural disaster."

Hogarth noted that there have not been any reported fish die-offs in the Gulf due to the hurricanes. He also said that the reduction in fishing activities in the Gulf of Mexico since the hurricanes could be a contributing factor to the population up tick for some of the shorter-lived species. The agency will continue to monitor potential population changes due to damaged habitats, nursery areas and wetlands.

Overall abundance of shrimp and bottom fish increased by about 30 percent from 2004 levels, with increases in Atlantic croaker, white shrimp and red snapper contributing much of the change. Agency scientists have conducted the survey, known as SEAMAP, every year since 1972. Information from the annual survey is compared to survey results in previous years and the data are used in fish stock assessments. Fish and shellfish populations are designated each year as either overfished or not overfished based on these assessments.

NOAA Fisheries Service is dedicated to protecting and preserving the nation's living marine resources and their habitat through scientific research, management and enforcement. The NOAA Fisheries Service provides effective stewardship of these resources for the benefit of the nation, supporting coastal communities that depend upon them, and helping to provide safe and healthy seafood to consumers and recreational opportunities for the American public.

NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation's coastal and marine resources.

Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners and nearly 60 countries to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA Hurricane Katrina Environmental Impacts

NOAA Fisheries Service

Media Contact:
Susan Buchanan, NOAA Fisheries Service, (301) 713-2370

Link to Reference: John Pope, Staff writer, January 23, 2006

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Highlights:
- Even though the insects breed in water, the storms flushed out the stagnant areas they like for breeding, killed adult mosquitoes, washed away larvae and killed or dispersed the birds that carry West Nile after mosquitoes bite them, state epidemiologist Raoult Ratard said.
- To keep from being bitten by infected mosquitoes, health officials recommend staying inside around dusk and dawn, when the insects swarm; covering arms and legs; getting rid of standing water; and using repellent with DEET.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita pounded southern Louisiana last year, but the water they dumped on the state did not lead to a surge in West Nile virus infections, according to the state health department's year-end report on the mosquito-borne disease.

Even though the insects breed in water, the storms flushed out the stagnant areas they like for breeding, killed adult mosquitoes, washed away larvae and killed or dispersed the birds that carry West Nile after mosquitoes bite them, state epidemiologist Raoult Ratard said.

According to the summary, which was released Friday, 177 Louisianians were infected with West Nile last year and 10 people died from its complications, which can include inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.

The last case count represented an increase of 22 infections since the previous report in mid-November.

There were only scattered reports of infections last year in the New Orleans area, where Katrina struck, and southwest Louisiana, where Rita roared ashore, Ratard said.

The most cases last year were in Caddo Parish, in Louisiana's northwest corner, which logged 24 cases, and East Baton Rouge Parish, where 23 infections were reported. In the seven-parish New Orleans area, there were 26 infections and one death, which occurred in Orleans Parish in July.

The statewide case total was the highest since 2002, when West Nile infections were first reported in Louisiana. In that year, there were 329 cases and 25 deaths.

In 2003, there were 122 cases and seven West Nile-related deaths, according to the Department of Health and Hospitals, and in 2004, 114 infections and seven deaths were reported.

Other mosquito-borne infections found in Louisiana last year included a case of St. Louis encephalitis in Orleans Parish, a diagnosis of eastern equine encephalitis in St. John the Baptist Parish and one LaCrosse virus infection in St. Tammany Parish.

The viruses are in the same family as West Nile, health department spokesman Kristen Meyer said, and they all start with the same flulike symptoms.

Sometimes the differences between the illnesses can be so difficult to detect that a laboratory test may be required to make a diagnosis, she said.

To keep from being bitten by infected mosquitoes, health officials recommend staying inside around dusk and dawn, when the insects swarm; covering arms and legs; getting rid of standing water; and using repellent with DEET.

Link to Reference: Causal Analysis/Diagnosis Decision Information System (CADDIS)

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Highlights:
- Before an appropriate management action can be formulated, the cause of the biological impairment must be determined. Defensible causal analyses require knowledge of the mechanisms, symptoms, and stressor-response relationships for various specific stressors as well as the ability to use that knowledge to draw appropriate conclusions.
- CADDIS is an online application that helps scientists and engineers in the Regions, States and Tribes find, access, organize, use and share information to conduct causal evaluations in aquatic systems.

Over a thousand water bodies in the United States are listed by states as biologically impaired. For many of these, the cause of the impairment is also reported as "unknown". Before an appropriate management action can be formulated, the cause of the biological impairment must be determined. Defensible causal analyses require knowledge of the mechanisms, symptoms, and stressor-response relationships for various specific stressors as well as the ability to use that knowledge to draw appropriate conclusions.

CADDIS is an online application that helps scientists and engineers in the Regions, States and Tribes find, access, organize, use and share information to conduct causal evaluations in aquatic systems. It is based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Stressor Identification process which is a formal method for identifying causes of impairments in aquatic systems. Current features of this site include:
• The Step-by-Step Guide to conducting a causal analysis,
• Example worksheets
, a library of conceptual models, and
• Information sources including related links, glossary and acronyms, and a reference section.

Future plans include modules on deriving empirical stressor-response relationships, stressor-specific tolerance values, and databases and syntheses of relevant literature on sediments and toxic metals. Future versions will be developed incrementally and iteratively (updates to this site can be found on our recent additions page), and your input and feedback will be essential to the system's success.

Link to Reference: Pam Radtke Russell, Business writer, January 20, 2006

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Highlights:
- Hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed 115 oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico
- 418 "minor pollution incidents" occurred within a four-week period in August and September. The agency defines a minor incident as a spill of 500 barrels of oil or less that does not reach the coastline. A spokeswoman could not provide the cumulative amount of oil that was spilled.
- The agency estimates that 3,050 of the Gulf's 4,000 platforms and 22,000 of the 33,000 miles of pipelines were in the direct path of the hurricanes. Most of the destroyed platforms were older and in shallower waters

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed 115 oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico in the worst natural disaster to hit the oil and natural gas industry in the Gulf, the Minerals Management Service said Thursday.

The most recent assessment from the federal agency showed that in addition to the destroyed platforms, 52 platforms and 183 pipelines were damaged, and 418 "minor pollution incidents" occurred within a four-week period in August and September. The agency defines a minor incident as a spill of 500 barrels of oil or less that does not reach the coastline. A spokeswoman could not provide the cumulative amount of oil that was spilled.

About 25 percent of the oil production in the Gulf remains down because of the damage. That amount isn't expected to significantly change until the second half of this year.

The agency estimates that 3,050 of the Gulf's 4,000 platforms and 22,000 of the 33,000 miles of pipelines were in the direct path of the hurricanes. Most of the destroyed platforms were older and in shallower waters, said MMS spokeswoman Caryl Fagot, and all but one was a fixed platform.

BP alone lost 10 platforms in Hurricane Katrina. Seven of BP's platforms were toppled, and three of them were listing after the storm, said company spokeswoman Ayana McIntosh-Lee. But many of the shallow-water facilities were not producing, and those that were producing generated only about the equivalent of 2,500 barrels of oil per day.

BP produces about 400,000 barrels per day in the Gulf of Mexico, Lee said. The company is assessing the damage to the platforms and deciding what to do with them.

The Minerals Management Service plans to award six contracts to further assess and study the hurricanes and the damage they caused, including the response of waves and currents in the Gulf of Mexico.

After Hurricane Ivan in 2004, only seven platforms were destroyed, said MMS Regional Director Chris Oynes.

The assessment is not complete, Fagot said. The amount of damage could change as companies survey their Gulf facilities.

Oynes said the assessments have been delayed because of "overwhelmed support resources, such as diving equipment, support vessels, and remotely operated vehicles."

The most significant damage occurred at Royal Dutch Shell's Mars platform, which each day was producing 130,000 barrels of oil and 150 million cubic feet of gas before Katrina. Repairs are expected to be complete in the second half of the year.

The information released in the report was self-reported by the oil and gas companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico.

Link to Reference: Claudia Copeland, Specialist in Resources and Environmental Policy, Resources, Science, and Industry Division. October 19, 2005

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Highlights:
- Throughout the Gulf Coast region, Hurricane Katrina’s high winds and water
damaged a wide range of public service facilities, including drinking water supply and
treatment and sewage treatment plants, and restoring those facilities is part of the overall
cleanup and restoration process.
- Damages at many water infrastructure facilities as a result of Hurricane Katrina
included loss of electric power to pump, process, and treat raw water supply and
wastewater.
-
Summary
Throughout the Gulf Coast region, Hurricane Katrina’s high winds and water
damaged a wide range of public service facilities, including drinking water supply and
treatment and sewage treatment plants, and restoring those facilities is part of the overall
cleanup and restoration process. This report describes information that has been
gathered about impacts of the August 29 hurricane on drinking water and wastewater
treatment facilities and on ongoing efforts to assess damages and needs to repair and
reconstruct damaged systems. Facility restorations may take many months, and costs
of needed repairs are unknown for now. To meet those needs, affected communities are
likely to rely heavily on federal assistance in emergency appropriations acts, as well as
traditional water infrastructure programs, principally those administered by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The
Senate has passed a bill intended to streamline delivery of funds through existing EPA
programs to repair storm-damaged sewage treatment and drinking water plants (S.
1709). Also, legislation has been introduced that would provide hurricane assistance to
Louisiana, including $5 billion for water infrastructure projects (S. 1765/S. 1766, H.R.
3958). This report will be updated as events warrant.

Water Infrastructure Facilities Affected by Hurricane Katrina
Damages at many water infrastructure facilities as a result of Hurricane Katrina
included loss of electric power to pump, process, and treat raw water supply and
wastewater. Initially following the storm, some plants were able to operate temporarily
on backup generators, so long as fuel was available. In addition, flooding disabled
services in a number of locations, including New Orleans. Overall, a large number of
systems were affected. For example, within a few days after the hurricane, the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated that more than 1,220 drinking water
systems (many of them very small, in terms of customers served) and more than 200
wastewater treatment facilities in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama had been affected.
CRS-2
1 Detailed information, updated often, is available on EPA’s Web site at:
[http://www.epa.gov/katrina/activities.html].
As electric power was restored, many of the affected systems have been able to
restore needed services (especially facilities in Alabama, which was not in the center of
the storm’s path). Two weeks after Hurricane Katrina, EPA reported that about 30% of
the affected drinking water and 40% of the affected wastewater facilities were again
operating. However, many of the inoperable drinking water and wastewater plants serve
large numbers of customers. In Biloxi, for example, officials were unable to re-pressurize
the drinking water system because of broken and inaccessible water mains and valves.
One-third of the sewage treatment facilities in Harrison County, Mississippi (serving
Biloxi, Gulfport, Long Beach, and Pass Christian) were destroyed or very severely
damaged. Similarly, drinking water and sewage service for more than a million customers
in New Orleans (discussed below) was severely disrupted.
EPA reported that by October 10 — and following a second hurricane, Hurricane
Rita, that hit Texas and parts of Louisiana on September 24 — more than 85% of drinking
water and 95% of wastewater treatment facilities in the region were operational.1
However, as of that date, 131 drinking water systems (67 in Louisiana and 64 in
Mississippi) were operating on a boil water notice pending test results to ensure that the
water has been restored to standards safe for public consumption, and 175 others (142 in
Louisiana and 33 in Mississippi) serving about 200,000 consumers were either inoperable
or their status was unknown. All drinking water facilities in Alabama were reported to
be operational. In Texas, 45% of drinking water facilities were operational two weeks
after Hurricane Rita, and the remainder were operating on a boil water notice, were not
operating, or were still being investigated.
Also as of October 10, 22 sewage treatment plants in Louisiana serving more than
half a million customers were not operational or were reported to be experiencing
operational difficulties. Wastewater plants in Mississippi and Alabama were operational.
In Texas, 84% of wastewater treatment plants were operational. Staff of EPA’s Water
Program are preparing to assess all drinking water and wastewater plants in the region,
including more than 900 facilities in Louisiana and Mississippi that are located in areas
that were unaffected by Hurricane Katrina.
For damaged facilities, steps involved in restoring service include drying out and
cleaning engines and pumps; testing and repairing waterlogged electrical systems; testing
for toxic chemicals and harmful bacteria that may have infiltrated pipes and plants;
restoring pressure (drinking water distribution systems); activating disinfection units;
restoring bacteria needed to treat wastes (wastewater plants); and cleaning, repairing, and
flushing distribution and sewer lines.
Impacts of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans’s water system were particularly
severe. Some parts of the city did not experience interrupted service, while other parts
where water was available were advised that it should only be used for flushing toilets and
fighting fires. But in the central portion of the city, in addition to electric power
impairments, extensive damage occurred to the water infrastructure from flooding of
treatment plants, drinking water distribution lines, collector and interceptor sewers, and
CRS-3
2 Much of the New Orleans water infrastructure was built more than 75 years ago. Even before
the hurricane, the Sewerage and Water Board, which is responsible for providing drinking water,
sewage treatment, and drainage services to more than one million customers, had a $1 billion
capital improvement program to address long-term maintenance and repair needs, including
compliance with a 1998 court-ordered sewer system consent decree
3 Section 502(6) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-296, codified predominantly
at 6 U.S.C. §§101-557 ) authorized the Secretary of Homeland Security to consolidate federal
government emergency response plans into a single, coordinated National Response Plan (NRP),
the framework to coordinate activities of the federal government with those of state, local, and
tribal governments and the private sector. It is organized by 15 Emergency Support Functions,
such as public works and engineering, public health, and oil and hazardous materials response,
each with a designated coordinator, primary agencies, and support agencies. The text of the NRP
is available at: [http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/NRPbaseplan.pdf].
the water system’s powerplant.2 Even after restoration of electricity, cleanup and recovery
at flooded water and sewage treatment plants is likely to take considerable time. The
largest of the city’s two drinking water plants, located where the worst flooding took
place, was completely underwater for nearly two weeks. It was repaired sufficiently to
provide flow (i.e., for fire fighting), but may not be providing potable water for weeks,
officials say.
For flooded areas, sewage treatment often is the last thing back on line, because
plants are at the lowest point of the city and thus under the deepest water. New Orleans’s
two wastewater treatment plants were damaged: the larger facility, which serves 1.2
million customers, was flooded; the smaller facility, located on the west bank of the
Mississippi River, experienced extensive wind damage. The city’s public works officials
reportedly believe that much of the sewer system has probably been damaged, and cracks
will need to be fixed by tearing up roads (although road repairs already may be required,
as part of the overall cleanup effort), a potentially lengthy repair process.
Damage and Needs Assessments
Under authority of the National Response Plan,3 EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers staff are conducting assessments of water infrastructure systems, assisting state
and local government personnel to evaluate damages. Efforts to assess facilities continue
throughout the region to determine their operating status, including needs to repair or
rebuild.
EPA cautions that evaluations are ongoing, and the status of many facilities is
unclear (especially small systems), even more than six weeks after Hurricane Katrina.
Facilities determined to be operational may not be providing the required level of
treatment (for example, some wastewater treatment plants in Alabama and Mississippi are
operating at limited capacity or are providing only primary treatment of sewage, not full
secondary or better, as required by law and to meet water quality standards). Many of
these facilities may still require repair or reconstruction. Facility restorations, full or
partial, may take many months, and costs of needed repairs are unknown. On September
23, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) issued a very preliminary estimate
that $2.25 billion will be needed to repair or replace drinking water infrastructure at
public water systems that were damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The estimated total is
CRS-4
4 American Water Works Association. “Restoring Public Water Supply Systems in the Aftermath
of Hurricane Katrina: A Preliminary Cost Estimate.” Sept. 23, 2005.
5 Daily Environment Report. “Louisiana Estimates Environmental Cleanup for Katrina Damage
Could Cost $61.5 Billion.” No. 178, Sept. 15, 2005, p. A-13.
6 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Clean Watersheds Needs Survey 2000 Report to
Congress. August 2003. EPA 832-03-001; Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and
Assessment, Third Report to Congress. June 2005. EPA 816-R-04-001. For additional
information, see CRS Report RL31116, Water Infrastructure Needs and Investment: Review and
Analysis of Key Issues, by Claudia Copeland and Mary Tiemann.
comprised of $650 million for 885 systems serving fewer than 10,000 persons and mostly
using groundwater for their supply, plus $1.6 billion for 47 systems serving more than
10,000 persons. The estimates were presented with significant caveats, however, because
of the limited information available on the extent of actual damage. The incomplete
information necessitated AWWA’s analysts having to make a large number of
assumptions about the severity of damage and repair and replacement needs.4
Estimates of needs for reconstructing sewage treatment facilities throughout the
region have not been issued. Early in September, Louisiana officials reportedly developed
some very preliminary assessments of funding needs and said in a draft report that the
state will need $35 billion to restore the wastewater treatment infrastructure, based on a
broad assumption that 50% of the existing treatment plants and 20% of the existing
sewage collection systems will need to be rebuilt.5
Meeting Needs for Repair and Reconstruction
As previously noted, assessments of needed water infrastructure repairs and
associated cost estimates are incomplete for now, but could be substantial for systems that
were directly affected. How those communities will pay for repairs represents a challenge
to public officials at all levels of government. The 109th Congress has begun to consider
how to assist their activities.
At the same time, repairing storm-damaged facilities is the most recent, but not the
only, funding needed by water infrastructure systems in the Gulf Coast and elsewhere.
Throughout the United States, wastewater and drinking water utilities face significant
investment needs to meet the treatment and performance requirements of the Clean Water
Act (CWA) and the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). According to the most recent
estimates by EPA and states, the nation’s public water and wastewater treatment systems
need more than $460 billion over the next 20 years to construct and upgrade facilities in
order to comply with those laws and to provide safe and healthy water.6 The federal
government is unlikely to provide 100% of that amount, and policymakers already are
debating how to meet those existing needs, which of course do not reflect additional costs
to reconstruct hurricane-damaged structures.
Over the years, Congress has authorized a number of programs to assist local
communities in addressing water supply, drinking water, and wastewater treatment
problems. These programs generally are intended to aid communities in constructing
facilities to comply with federal drinking water regulations and clean water rules to
prevent the discharge of harmful levels of sewage wastes into surface waters. They have
CRS-5
7 For additional information, see CRS Report RL30478, Federally Supported Water Supply and
Wastewater Treatment Programs.
8 For a review of federal emergency assistance programs, see CRS Report RS22248, Federal
Disaster and Emergency Assistance for Water Infrastructure Facilities and Supplies, by Claudia
Copeland, Mary Tiemann, and Nicole T. Carter.
9 U.S. Congress. Senate Budget Committee. “Informed Budgeteer, No. 5.” Sept. 12, 2005.
different types of financing mechanisms (some provide grants, others authorize loans),
various administering agencies, and other differences, such as eligible community size.7
These programs comprise the traditional sources of federal assistance that communities
use to meet their water infrastructure needs.
Congress also has authorized a number of programs that can provide emergency
assistance to repair and restore drinking water, wastewater, and related water
infrastructure systems and facilities. These include programs administered by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), EPA, the Corps of Engineers, and the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.8 Responding to the 2005 hurricane disasters, the 109th
Congress has already provided more than $62 billion in emergency assistance in P.L. 109-
61 and P.L. 109-62. Approximately $7.8 billion of that amount is targeted for
infrastructure repair, but it is not limited to drinking water and wastewater facilities.9
Congress additionally may consider other legislation to specifically aid in repairing
and rebuilding storm-damaged structures. For example, S. 1765/S. 1766 and H.R. 3958,
the Louisiana Katrina Reconstruction Act, seeks $1.035 billion in appropriations for EPA
to provide infrastructure assistance in Louisiana, plus $4 billion directly to the state of
Louisiana for repair, reconstruction, and improvement of storm-affected wastewater and
drinking water infrastructure systems. If no additional targeted appropriations are
provided for facilities in the Gulf Coast states, as proposed in that legislation, the affected
communities are likely to rely heavily on combined resources of federal emergency
appropriations and funding under the traditional water infrastructure aid programs,
especially those administered nationally by the Department of Agriculture (loan and grant
programs for water and waste disposal projects in communities of less than 10,000
persons) and by EPA. Under EPA’s programs, authorized in the CWA and the SDWA,
federal grants of appropriated funds are used to capitalize state revolving fund (SRF)
programs. States, in turn, make loans from the SRFs to local communities for needed
drinking water and wastewater projects.
Other legislation introduced in response to Hurricane Katrina includes changes to
EPA-administered funding programs, but not additional appropriations. On September
27, the Senate passed S. 1709, the Gulf Coast Emergency Water Infrastructure Assistance
Act. It would modify the revolving loan provisions of the Clean Water Act to provide
favorable treatment (such as forgiveness of loan principal and extended repayment) for
sewage treatment repair or rebuilding projects in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
The Safe Drinking Water Act already includes similar provisions that are not restricted
to emergency conditions. S. 1709 would permit those states for two years to provide
assistance for wastewater and drinking water projects not included on a state’s Intended
Use Plan, since many of the systems affected by Hurricane Katrina are believed to not be
included in the plans which generally are required before a project can be funded under
either the CWA or SDWA. It also would authorize EPA to test private drinking water
CRS-6
wells affected by Hurricane Katrina for contamination. Privately owned wells that
provide drinking water are regulated by states, not EPA, and in most states, owners of
private wells are responsible for testing.
In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and subsequently after Hurricane
Rita, much attention has been focused on assistance for individual victims and
management of the overall response effort. As that effort proceeds and assessments of
impacts and needs are refined, Congress may consider other policy options and issues,
including with regard to water infrastructure systems.

Link to Reference: Stephen Palkot, January 19, 2006

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- A manufacturing company that will be moving from Louisiana to Sugar Land this year will bring at least 100 jobs.
- Meco, had been located in New Orleans, but the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the breach of levies within the city wrought complete destruction on the company's manufacturing plant there.
- Manufacturing components used to purify water.

A manufacturing company that will be moving from Louisiana to Sugar Land this year will bring at least 100 jobs.

The company, Meco, had been located in New Orleans, but the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the breach of levies within the city wrought complete destruction on the company's manufacturing plant there.

This year, Meco will be building a light industrial plant at the Sugar Land Business Park, and 35 employees will be transferring with the company. Another 65 employees will be hired for the facility, which will be manufacturing components used to purify water.

The company's executive vice president and CFO, Reano Siragusa, appeared before Thursday's meeting of the Fort Bend Economic Development Council, where he explained that his company's products are used largely by the pharmaceutical industry, the oil industry and the U.S. military.

Founded in the 1920's, the company became incorporated in the 1940's, and today is the North American leader of the industry, said Siragusa.

The pharmaceutical industry uses the company's products to process water that is used in IV injections as well as water that is used in medications.

The oil and gas industry uses the equipment on offshore rigs, in order to convert salt water to drinking water.

For the past three years, said Siragusa, the company has been working with the military to develop a light weight water purifer, which can be transported by two people and can purify just about any water in any condition.

The company will spend $13 million for its facilities, and may be hiring 100 more people in 2007, said Barkley Peschel of the EDC.

Link to Reference: ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS SERVICE, Washington DC, February 23, 2006 (ENS)

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- 1,400 barrels of toxic liquids and gases are sinking into the coastal wetlands of the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge as a result of Hurricane Rita, which smashed southwestern Louisiana last September.
- 115,000 to 350,000 gallons of everything from oil and bleach to propane are contained within those barrels.
- "An additional unknown number [of barrels] are undetected or not visible," the report says. "It is likely that, without the address of these issues, Sabine National Wildlife Refuge will be at significant risk of chemical and physical damages for decades."


Government consultants report that more than 1,400 barrels of toxic liquids and gases are sinking into the coastal wetlands of the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge as a result of Hurricane Rita, which smashed southwestern Louisiana last September.

A report prepared for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and just released to the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE) finds that 115,000 to 350,000 gallons of everything from oil and bleach to propane are contained within those barrels.

Four containers of chlorine gas, which kills immediately upon exposure, were found, and two entire 18 wheelers were identified during the debris survey of the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge on which the report is based. Their contents is unknown.

"An additional unknown number [of barrels] are undetected or not visible," the report says. "It is likely that, without the address of these issues, Sabine National Wildlife Refuge will be at significant risk of chemical and physical damages for decades."

Debris dumped by Hurricane Rita still lies scattered across the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo credit unknown)
The refuge, on the coast near the Louisiana and Texas border, lacks the funding to begin removing the 1,400 barrels of toxics, which are strewn across the refuge.

The barrels are part of a six mile long debris field which can be seen from space and is thought to be the longest in the state. Much of the debris was created when nearby oil and gas facilities were ripped apart by the hurricane. More than 70 platforms and drilling rigs completely destroyed and more than 40 were damaged.

"This is really a simple question – do we want to clean this up now, while the impacts and costs are relatively manageable, or do we want to wait until this becomes a massive Superfund cleanup project?" said Evan Hirsche, chair of the Cooperative Alliance For Refuge Enhancement, a group of 21 nonprofit organizations committed to protecting wildlife refuges.

Neither the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency nor the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been granted authority to work on the refuge lands, says Hirsche. The Department of the Interior lacks the funding to act, and current proposals before congressional appropriators appear too small to make any real difference, he says.

The destruction at Sabine has been devastating to its wildlife, Hirsche says. Dead animals alligators, small mammals and fish are scattered throughout the refuge.

The main trail through the refuge is closed, crippling the local ecotourism economy, which can bring in as much as $1.5 million daily. The toxic stew is seeping into the groundwater, putting local people at risk.

Written by Zach Nixon and Jacqueline Michel of Research Planning, Inc. based in Columbia, South Carolina, the report is based on ground and aerial surveys and remote sensing data.

In this aerial photo of the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, debris is seen scattered across the mud. (Photo courtesy Nixon and Michel)
In addition to the hazardous debris, the researchers identified thousands of non-toxic debris items such as pieces of vinyl or aluminum siding, insulation, plywood, corrugated metal, lumber and white goods such as refrigerators and water heaters that may contain small amounts of toxics.

Nixon and Michel estimate that there are 2,900 separate debris piles within the boundaries of the refuge, covering more than 1,730 acres or about 1.5 percent of its total area.

There are more than seven million cubic meters of debris in the refuge, and "the piles themselves represent a significant physical and ecological modification to the landscape" of the refuge, they report.

"It is likely that there are significant numbers of HAZMAT debris items buried in the debris piles and not currently visible," the report states.

In their report, Nixon and Michel offer three recommendations.

First, they recommend development of a detailed plan for removal of the identified items of hazardous materials (HAZMAT). Much has already been learned during HAZMAT removal actions in Louisiana and Mississippi following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, they say.

As of January 30, they write, responders in coastal Louisiana are still working on removal of HAZMAT items from Hurricanes Rita and Katrina outside of federal lands, many located in remote and sensitive wetland areas. Responders are developing technologies and tracking costs for their removal, and their experiences can be used to evaluate cost effective technologies that will not further damage marsh habitats, Nixon and Michel suggest.

In southeast Louisiana, costs as of mid-January 2006 have been estimated to $800 per drum and $1,600 per larger container. "These costs are based on the difficult working conditions in St. Bernard Parish, where crews are getting only about four hours of actual work per day. The response team expects to increase their efficiency over time and cut these costs in half," they report.

Cost estimates for removal of large items with heavy lift helicopters are $4 million for 240 large items where the liquids have mostly been removed already, Nixon and Michel write.

This six mile long debris field was left by Hurricane Rita which made landfall on September 24, 2005. (Photo credit unknown)
Second, they suggest that surveys be conducted to identify buried debris items. Thermal surveys appear to be most promising and least expensive method, they recommend.

Finally, they say it will be important to continue monitoring the debris piles that remain after removal actions are finished

"The large amount of non-vegetative material in the debris piles poses significant risks to the habitat and use of the refuge," write Nixon and Michel. "Monitoring is necessary to track the rate of decay of the vegetative and woody material and track the behavior and fate of the persistent materials.

Hirsche of the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement warns that the situation in Sabine is a public health issue. "A national wildlife refuge could be declared a Superfund site," he told ENS in an interview. "We've got a severe situation with ramifications for groundwater, wildlife and people that depend on it for their well being."

Hirsche supports a request for emergency supplemental funding sent to Congress by President George W. Bush. It includes $132 million for cleanup of the 61 wildlife refuges in the Gulf Coast hurricane-stricken region, in addition to the $30 million approved by Congress two months ago.

But Hirsche says his group is concerned that funding for habitat restoration is not included in the budget requests made to date. Saltwater incursion has claimed miles of the coastal area, he says, suggesting that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service needs $75 million for habitat restoration.

Refuges in the Gulf coast states are havens for migratory songbirds, waterfowl, herons, egrets, spoonbills, and they are habitats that support a whole range of species.

"Even with all of this seemingly bad news, there is still a glimmer of hope," said Hirsche. "If we can convince our federal and state officials that this is important enough to focus on immediately, we can save future generations a dollar tomorrow for what we can spend a dime on today."