Is the water pumped into Lake Pontchartrain being tested?
Water is being sampled and tested by various groups, including the USACE, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LADEQ) and EPA Region 6 at several locations around the City of New Orleans. Samples are being taken of the remaining flood waters, in the canals and in Lake Pontchartrain. The water is being sampled for bacteria and chemicals. Sampling results are available on EPA’s Web site once data has been validated. The USACE and EPA are working cooperatively to evaluate additional feasible treatment options to further reduce pollutant loadings to the Lake and to mitigate water quality and environmental impacts. In addition, EPA Region 4 staffs are working with agency staff from Alabama and Mississippi to develop a sampling plan for the coastal waters in the Mississippi Sound and waters adjacent to the coast. Both ambient water quality and fish tissue samples are being collected and analyzed. EPA will continue to work with state officials and other federal agencies regarding pr
