July 19, 2024
The Trustees have finalized a Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (PDF, 62 pages) for the Bayou d’Inde hazardous waste site, and are proposing to proceed with restoration activities.
On June 20, 2023, a Draft RP/EA (PDF, 56 pages) was released that describes injuries to natural resources attributed to hazardous substances released into the environment and proposed restoration projects. After carefully considering and evaluating comments received during the review period, the Trustees have finalized the RP/EA and selected the restoration activities summarized below.
Summary of Restoration to be Implemented
- The Sabine National Wildlife Refuge marsh terracing: this project will benefit bottom-dwelling (benthic) organisms, fish, birds, and other wildlife species by enhancing approximately 760 acres of coastal marsh habitat. This will entail construction of approximately 128,500 linear feet of marsh terraces within Trapper Shack Lake and Rita Lake in Sabine National Wildlife Refuge in southern Cameron Parish, approximately 24 miles south of Lake Charles, Louisiana. Fill for the terraces will be sourced from the site, using excavators to dig for materials for terrace construction. Performance monitoring will be conducted for five years to provide an assessment of project progress and help guide corrective actions, if any, to meet the project’s goals and objectives
- Mitigation bank acreage purchase: the Trustees will purchase 30-40 acres of bottomland hardwood forest, coastal prairie, and fresh-intermediate marsh habitats within the South Fork Coastal Mitigation Bank and Moss Lake Mitigation Bank to compensate for injuries to vegetated wetland and riverbank habitats at the site
- Recreational fishing opportunities: the Trustees will use settlement funds to compensate for lost recreational fishing opportunities by creating or enhancing infrastructure, access, and use opportunities. A specific restoration project to address this injury has not yet been identified. The Trustees will give notice and an opportunity for public comment when a suitable project or projects are identified
The Trustees for the Bayou d’Inde case are the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service acting on behalf of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Case BackgroundThe banks of western Louisiana’s Bayou d’Inde have been industrialized since oil and natural gas deposits were discovered nearby in the 1920s. For decades, chemical manufacturing and petroleum refining facilities have released toxins—including PCBs, dioxins, lead, and mercury—into the bayou and surrounding areas.
Natural resource injuries resulting from the contaminated water were found in:
- Surface water and sediment
- Groundwater
- Soils
- Bottom-dwelling invertebrates, fish, birds, and mammals
- Recreational resources and local anglers were also impacted
In October 2018, the Trustees reached a settlement with Citgo and other potentially responsible parties to address injuries from toxic waste releases into Bayou d’Inde. Per this settlement, the companies provided $7,954,954 to fund natural resource restoration actions.
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