February 1, 2019
Over 100 people attended the LA Department of Natural Resources public meeting last night in St. Landry Parish, with each speaker opposing the proposed hazardous waste injection well Eagle Oil, LLC, proposes to construct in the parish.
Sierra Club Delta Chapter urges its members to click this link to send a public comment to LA DNR telling them not to approve this permit. This permit is riddled with errors and oversights, including the following:
- Within a one mile radius of Eagle Oil’s proposed commercial facility, there are seventy-three homes. Many of these properties, both residences and farm property, are multi-generational family owned property. The property owners value their family property and wish to maintain their family legacy. This facility threatens these family legacies, the aesthetic and ecological value of the land, including wetlands on and adjacent to the site, as well as a wetland restoration conservation project adjacent to the site.
- Further demonstrating the ecological and environmental value of the area, Thistlethwaite Wildlife Management Area covers over 11,000 acres just over one mile from the proposed facility site.
- The local people don't want it either - the property owners’ objections are wholly supported by St. Landry Parish Council, and the Parish Council, via resolution, requests that Eagle Oil’s application be denied (Resolution No. 001-2018, adopted January 24, 2018). The Town of Washington, and the St. Landry Parish Solid Waste Board of Commissioners also support denial of Eagle Oil’s permit application.
- Despite the fact that the St. Landry Parish Landfill is located about a half mile from the proposed commercial facility, Eagle Oil does not recommend groundwater monitoring at the proposed facility site in its permit application. In order to protect our drinking water in light of the variable depth of the Chicot Aquifer and potential recharge area as indicated in the application, groundwater monitoring by an independent professional consultant should be required. Otherwise, potential USDW contamination and its source will not be identifiable.
- Eagle Oil does not acknowledge that it will be required to obtain a Section 404 permit prior to any construction on the site for the wetland area and for the non-wetland water area within the proposed facility location. Eagle Oil does not address the impact to wetlands, drainage, and flooding from the onsite road construction.
(Aerial imagery of the proposed site location taken on December 27, 2018, shows extensive flooding conditions on the property at approximately 5:00 p.m. after a 1.7 inch morning rain.)
- Eagle Oil’s application contains no discussion of the adverse impact of greatly increased truck traffic through the area. The application estimates an additional maximum of 144 trucks a day (average of 75-90 trucks) on part of the same route the landfill truck traffic travels. The application does not examine the increased burden to infrastructure and nearby residents from the increased truck traffic, nor does the application discuss the risks of spills associated with vehicular transport of wastes comprised of hazardous substances. Instead, the application categorically and summarily concludes there will be no adverse impacts to public roads, but there is no submission of documentary evidence of actual, current road conditions. Eagle Oil did not consult with local residents or St. Landry Parish regarding conditions or minimizing road impact and spill risks.
(This photograph is taken on Highway 10 just before truck traffic would turn onto Highway 182.)
Let your voice be heard! Join local residents and tell LA DNR to deny this permit!
Read further news coverage here.