On August 29, 2005, Bayou La Batre was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, which produced the largest storm surge ever recorded in the area, reaching nearly 16 feet high, and pushing many local ships onto shore.  Our friends in the area told us that the current sewage treatment facility, located on Shell Belt Road in Bayou la Batre, was pretty much wiped out that fateful August 29th.  The City of Bayou La Batre wants to build a new sewage treatment facility off of Railroad Street, located .6 miles from the current facility that was battered by the storm surge during Hurricane Katrina.

The planned location of the proposed new plant is Mobile Baykeeper’s main concern. The proposed site is located parallel to Railroad Street in Bayou La Batre roughly 1500 feet off of Portersville Bay, which is within the 100 year flood plain, while the lift station (the current wastewater treatment facility) is located within the coastal high hazard area. Additionally, the plan for the site apparently involves elevating the land from approximately 10 feet to 16 feet above sea level on which the new treatment facility would be located as flood protection. Mobile Baykeeper contends that this will provide insufficient flood control and both structures would continue to be vulnerable to storm surges and resulting sewer overflows, further endangering the health and safety of the public.

There are viable alternatives other than the current proposed location for the new facility. One alternative is construction on a site further north of the current site which would be far less likely to be as severely impacted in a hurricane. Through very simple research, we learned that there are large parcels of land available only a short distance north of the proposed site. This would only require a longer line from the old facility turned lift station to a new site. That cost would be made up because of the ability to build a plant on the ground rather than on an man-made elevated berm. There are also areas further north within Bayou La Batre’s city limits that would also allow the plant to remain in the hands of the Bayou La Batre Utilities Board.

Unfortunately, Mobile Baykeeper is greatly concerned that a new facility will be subject to the same issues and problems as the old facility due to the management track record of the Utilities Board.  The citizens of Bayou La Batre and surrounding communities have seen sewage spills and permit violations for as long as there has been a sewage treatment facility in the area.  Bayou la Batre, Portersville Bay, and Mississippi Sound - utilized locally for swimming, fishing, and shellfish harvesting grounds- have been on the ADEM 303(d) list of impaired waterways for a decade because of pathogens, too little oxygen in the water, and high organic concentrations. The most recent Impaired Waters Report cites urban runoff, storm sewers, and specifically mentions Bayou la Batre Utilities’ outfall line and as the culprits for contamination of Portersville Bay.  Mobile Baykeeper has filed a lawsuit against the Utilities Board to ensure that they meet the minimum standard required by the permits already in place for current facilities or face meaningful penalties.  

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