New Orleans floodwater is not “toxic soup” ; Corps finishes pumping out New Orleans

ACS Environmental Science and Technology ^ | 10/11/2005 | American Chemical Society

[AFPhys]

Also, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers declared victory Tuesday in New Orleans, reporting that it had pumped all the water -- 224 billion gallons -- out of the city. http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/12874738.htm

NEW ORLEANS - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Tuesday that it has finished pumping out the New Orleans metropolitan area, which was flooded by Hurricane Katrina six weeks ago and then swamped again by Hurricane Rita.

The initial flooding during Katrina was caused by water surging over some levees and breaking through others. At one point, 80 percent of New Orleans was under water.

Some puddles remain in areas of the city that had the deepest water, but "you can drive anywhere," said Col. Duane Gapinski, the engineer leading the task force assigned to pump the city dry.

Much of the water had been pumped out from Katrina when Rita caused tidal surges that pushed more water into the city.

Engineers were able to lower the water level by about 6 inches a day using temporary pumps along with the city's permanent pumps, some of which didn't always work, Gapinski said.

He said temporary repairs to the levees along the 17th Street and London Avenue canals, responsible for flooding in the downtown, are nearly complete.

Another task force has begun rebuilding the levees to their pre-Katrina condition. That work is scheduled to be finished by the time the next hurricane season begins June 1.

For now, there are no plans to rebuild the levees stronger than before. The Corps would have to get Congress' approval for such work.

[AFPhys]

I guess the Old Media FRAUDcasters were wrong yet again.

[Miss Marple]

Weren't tere reports of police whose legs had swollen from being in the water? What was that all about...did they just report some rumor? Honestly, I don't think television news is reliable for anything, anymore. Unless I see it actually happening live, I am not believing it.

[mystery-ak]

That's nice to know..since my hubby has had to have several blood test and two Hep B shots....(s)

[HiTech RedNeck]

Could the oil eating bacteria be brought out to help purify the sludge left in the sediment?

[chemicalman]

Word of ear here is that Lake Ponchatrain is full of shimp and specks now.

I'm going fishing!

[WasDougsLamb]

Shortly after Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Louisiana coast, flooding the city of New Orleans, journalists began reporting on a “toxic soup” of chemicals and dangerous microbes bathing the city.

----Didn't their own Mayor say there was dead bodies and animals, rotting garbage , gasoline, etc in the flood waters? Yes blame the media/journalists, but also blame the liar that fed them some of the garbage.

[AFPhys]

There is entirely too much speculation being reported as fact.

I keep wondering about the whole news "profession" nowadays. I recall that when I was in college (late 60s-early 70s) that one of the least strenuous majors was journalism, and that it was a favored major of those who did not want to work very hard, as well being favored by "social activists". The turkeys seem to have come home to roost now, with those people now managing the "news rooms" as well as teaching others to do the same.

Possibly, a downward spiral with no bottom.

[AFPhys]

I was going to post a USA Today article about the same subject, but it turns out that FR bans posting from that rag.

It was easy for me to go the the actual source that they wrote their story from instead.

[Loyal Buckeye]

The media was also wetting their pants about "toxic mold" being throughout New Orleans. It was obvious they had no idea what they were talking about, but it was their story and they were sticking to it.

[wolfcreek]

Safe this and toxic that...... wouldn't catch me swimming in any of it. It only takes one amoeba to make for a bad day.

[Adder]

"Pardue raises similar concerns. “People are absolutely crazy to be going back into their homes,” he says. Because mold is an increasing problem in the houses left standing and sediments are still essentially unexamined, Pardue says that he is not certain the city is safe to inhabit."

IOW, "I can't prove my hypothesis about the water but I'm sure I am right about this..."

I'll wait for the movie, thanks...

[Wonder Warthog]

"The media was also wetting their pants about "toxic mold" being throughout New Orleans. It was obvious they had no idea what they were talking about, but it was their story and they were sticking to it."

Well, in this case, they're right. Any time you have a flooding incident in a warm/hot climate, molds WILL grow, and many of those ARE toxic.

Personal anecdote--I had to move out of South Louisiana due to mold allergies.

[Ditter]

I am sure there was all kinds of nasty junk in the water that caused skin problems. When I was a child in the 40's the drainage ditch in front of our house filled up after a heavy rain and flooded our yard. I played in it and that night I awoke with a terrible itching all over my body, I was covered with hives. We lived in a semi rural area on the west side of Houston and there was no industry or oil production that would have drained into that ditch. In New Orleans the run off would have been much worse, but I think the term "toxic soup" has just made people think it was much much worse than it was.

Thank you MSM!

[Loyal Buckeye]

Mold is everywhere where there is moisture. Take away the water/moisture in many of the houses in New Orleans, use plenty of bleach, do some remodeling/rehabbing, and reuse the structures.

The media's drumbeat was for "toxic molds", which was just another topic they were cooking up to make news.

[mtbopfuyn]

But, but what about those 10,000 rotting dead bodies floating around???

/s

[Smokin' Joe]

Didn't their own Mayor say there was dead bodies and animals, rotting garbage , gasoline, etc in the flood waters? Yes blame the media/journalists, but also blame the liar that fed them some of the garbage.

Awwww c'mon. He's just doing his job--pimping for Federal Funds.

[Ditter]

I heard a doctor on TV state that "dead bodies do not spread disease". ??

[zzen01]

Dead bodies and animals, rotting garbage , gasoline sound's like New Orleans before Katrina/Rita.

[Ditter]

Stachi botrus *is* toxic to those of us who are allergic to it. I don't know about the rest of you.