Water Quality Issues in New Orleans during Katrina Recovery Operations

Following the passage of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans was left with eighty percent of its land area flooded. Waters quickly became heavily polluted with petroleum products, industrial chemicals, raw sewage, dead animals etc. Pump out operations were a high priority to dry out the city and start recovery. A variety of approaches and technologies were evaluated to achieve treatment with minimal impact on pumping operations. Over 100 water quality sampling sites were setup to characterize water conditions. High risk areas were identified and registered in a GIS dynamically to assist decisions. Lake Pontchartrain continues to be monitored. Long term rehabilitation efforts will be predicated on water quality monitoring results. Lessons learned from a water quality perspective during this massive disaster are presented with the goal of assisting future recovery efforts. Key Words Hurricane Katrina recovery, New Orleans, water quality, sediment sampling, expedient pollution controls, dewatering operations