Hurricane Katrina Surface Water Monitoring Plan prepared
Modified Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality release
September 12, 2005 The Louisiana Office of Environmental
Assessment has prepared a "Hurricane Katrina Surface Water
Monitoring Plan" to determine the impact of Hurricane Katrina on
water quality in affected areas. The phased plan includes a
provision for interim measures while efforts are underway to re-
establish LDEQ's Early Warning Organic Chemicals Detection
System (EWOCDS) to help evaluate the quality of the Mississippi
River as the drinking water supply for New Orleans. Currently
there are six EWOCDS sites; two are fully operational - Exxon
Mobil at Baton Rouge and Dow at Plaquemine. Land uses in the
impacted watersheds/area (Lake Pontchartrain, Pearl River,
Terrebonne, and Barataria Basins) range from coastal marshes and
cypress tupelo forests to highly urbanized and agricultural
areas, with both natural and anthropogenic sources of
pollutants. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, pr