[StBernard] St. Bernard Dumping Causes Big Stink

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Dumping Causes Big Stink
Residents Say Parish Not Responding To Complaints

POSTED: 10:41 pm CDT May 27, 2009
UPDATED: 10:21 am CDT May 28, 2009


VIOLET, La. -- St. Bernard Parish residents said someone has been dumping
sewerage in their neighborhood and their complaints to the parish have gone
unreturned.

The sewerage treatment plant in Violent has been inoperable since Hurricane
Katrina, but neighbors said someone didn't get the memo.

"He backs up here and he dumps," said Henry, who lives in Violet. "It's very
smelly. I try to ask him what it was. He says it's just sewage."

Neighbors along Guerra Road said an unmarked truck shows up about once a
week to unload what they believe is sewerage. Neighbors said it's raw, it's
rank and it's ruining their quality of life.

"We have to live here; we have to breathe this; bacteria's gonna breed in
this," said Violet resident, Michael England. "My wife is a cancer patient.
She don't need to be inhaling it."

Neighbors said the dumping has been going on for months and they have been
complaining for weeks. Some said the parish could be part of the problem.

"The driver of the truck claims that he is not going to lose no sleep
because the parish told him to dump it there," Henry said.

St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro said that's absolutely not true.

"There has been no authorization for anyone to come and dump anything out
here, especially on the ground," Taffaro said.

He said the first he learned of the dumping was when NewsChannel 6 called
Wednesday afternoon. He went to check it out.

"We have notified the (Department of Environmental Quality) with a potential
issue that we may have had some dumping on the grounds," Taffaro said.

The gate to the property has been chained, though a person can still fit
through. Taffaro said he is committed to get to the bottom of the issue, but
neighbors are skeptical.

"They don't give a damn," England said. "They don't care about us."

Taffaro is also asking neighbors if they see the truck again or anyone who
appears to be unauthorized on the property to contact the St. Bernard
Sheriff's Department. He has also asked deputies to increase patrols in the
area to keep this from happening again.