EE&G was retained by Phillips & Jordan, to provide Demolition and Debris removal Program Management, environmental risk management, and health and safety consulting services for the United States Army Corps of Engineers during the Hurricane Katrina debris cleanup project in Orleans Parish, New Orleans. EE&G’s responsibilities included.
- Environmental Site Assessments –EE&G conducted limited Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments of proposed debris reduction sites. The purpose of the assessments was to develop a baseline of soil, groundwater, sediment and surface water quality at the sites.
- Residual Solids Assessment and Remediation –EE&G developed a work-plan to remove an estimated 700,000 to 1,000,000 cubic yards of impacted sediments left in residential neighborhoods from a combination of levee breaches and the fallout from flood-waters. Sediments contain arsenic, TPH, and other constituents above Louisiana soil criteria for residential exposure.
- Curbside Segregation of Special Wastes –EE&G was responsible for segregation of special wastes from the debris stream to be disposed at a landfill. Special wastes include suspect friable Asbestos Containing Materials, transit, household hazardous wastes, bulb/ballasts, electronics, compressed gas cylinders, tires, batteries, un-used ammunition, etc. These items are separated from large debris piles at curbside using EE&G skilled labor.
- White Goods Management & Decontamination – EE&G is managing the processing of white goods for Orleans Parish. At its peak, the facility received 2,000 to 3,000 white goods per day that need to be environmentally decommissioned and crushed for recycling.
Hurrricane Katrina was an extremely destructive and deadly Category 5 hurricane that struck the Gulf Coast of the United States in August 2005, causing catastrophic damage from central Florida to eastern Texas. Subsequent flooding, caused largely as a result of fatal engineering flaws in the flood protection system. around the city of New Orleans, precipitated most of the loss of lives. The storm was the third major hurricane of the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, as well as the fourth-most intense tropical cyclone on record to make landfall in the United States, behind only the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, Hurricane Camille in 1969, and Hurricane Michael in 2018.