River Log section: Birdsfoot Delta
Birdsfoot Delta
70.25 RBD - Oakville Oakville, a small African-American community founded by slaves newly freed from area plantations, lies on the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish. in the 1980s the Industrial Pipe landfill was opened adjacent to the community to dispose of construction debris. Over time the landfill obtained permits
Birdsfoot Delta
87.5 LBD - East Chalmette The neighborhoods on the east side of the City of Chalmette abut the Valero Petroleum Refinery and the Murphy Oil petroleum storage facility which share a large industrial footprint. Residents had become accustomed to the odors and noise of the facilities. Then during Hurricane
Birdsfoot Delta
89.6 LBD - Former Kaiser Aluminum Site In 1951 Kaser Aluminum built an aluminum smelting plant in Chalmette, La. taking advantage of inexpensive natural gas, government incentives and a high demand for aluminum from the U.S. government stockpile. Alumina (aluminum oxide), made from bauxite at the Kaiser plant
Birdsfoot Delta
121 LBD - Old Pan American Southern Oil Refinery The Pan American Southern Refinery was built on Destrehan Plantation in the early 1900's and produced tar, heating oil, gasoline, lubricating oil, asphalt, and other petroleum products until it was closed in 1958. New Orleans: Gert Town The neighborhood
Birdsfoot Delta
124.6 LBD - New Sarpy Just on the other side of the sprawling facility from Norco, New Sarpy is located adjacent to the Valero oil refinery. After lightning ignited a poorly maintained gasoline tank that resulted in a 13 hour fire, residents of New Sarpy protested and demanded relocation.
Birdsfoot Delta
126 LBD - Bayou Trepagnier Bayou Trepagnier runs from the petrochemical complex next to Norco through the LaBranch wetlands and into Bayou LaBranch just before it enters Lake Pontchartrain. The Shell oil refinery (now Motiva) dumped wastewater into the bayou for approximately 80 years from the 1930's to
Birdsfoot Delta
126.1 LBD - Diamond and Norco These two communities are sandwiched between a Shell chemical plant on the east and a sprawling facility including another Shell Chemical plant and two oil refineries on the west. After a series of frightening explosions and accidents at the Shell Chemical facility, the
Birdsfoot Delta
127.8 - Taft Taft began as a sugarcane plantation and slowly grew to include a post office, store, and the Holy Rosary Catholic Church (established in 1877). In 1966, Union Carbide (now Dow Chemical Corporation) bought the Holy Rosary property and moved the church to Hahnville. The Holy Rosary
Birdsfoot Delta
141.25 LBD - Garyville & 139.75 LBD - Lions The Marathon refinery is located between Lions, a community founded by former slaves, and Garyville, a racially mixed community on the upstream side. Refinery operations and multiple accidents contributed to an unhealthy and noxious environment; residents from both towns
Birdsfoot Delta
160 RBD - Chatman Town & 159.5 RBD - Burton Lane Two African-American communities in close proximity to each other that were once surrounded by sugar cane fields but are now surrounded by giant petroleum storage tanks and a petroleum train loading and unloading facility. There is only one
Birdsfoot Delta
182 LBD - Old Inger Oil Refinery Superfund Site The Old Inger site was a former oil refinery and waste oil reclamation facility that began operation in 1967. The facility was purchased by Old Inger Oil Refinery in 1976 and operated until March 1978. When the site was active, waste
Birdsfoot Delta
185 LBD - Industrial Complex including Borden Chemicals, Westlake Chemicals, and Momentive Specialty Chemicals Borden Chemicals originally operated a chemical facility here producing vinyl chloride monomer, ammonia, and PVC. After an explosion and chemical release brought attention from Federal regulators in 1997 the U.S. Government filed a civil action