Bayou Sorrel

Overview

The Bayou Sorrel site is a 265-acre former hazardous waste landfill in Iberville Parish, Louisiana, about 20 miles southwest of Baton Rouge. It operated from 1977 to 1979, accepting waste into sludge pits, liquid waste ponds, drum burial cells, and a landfarm area covering roughly 50 of those acres. Louisiana state authorities closed the facility in 1979 and began consolidating and capping pond contents at that time.

Hazardous chemicals contaminated soil, sludges, surface water, and groundwater across the site. EPA identified both inorganic and organic contaminants of concern. The cleanup protects an underlying aquifer that supplies drinking water to thousands of Iberville Parish residents, and it safeguards sensitive environmental areas nearby. About 100 year-round residents live within 5 miles of the site.

EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List in 1984. Remedial investigation began in 1983, the final cleanup plan was selected in November 1986, and construction started in July 1988. Workers contained more than one million cubic feet of waste beneath a slurry-walled, multi-layered clay cap system. The work also included regrading for runoff control, installing topsoil and geomembrane covers, adding a sand and geofabric porewater drainage system, and installing a slurry wall. Construction finished in May 1992. EPA deleted the site from the National Priorities List in 1997 after confirming cleanup was complete. The site reached sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status in September 2007.

Human exposure is under control across the entire site, and contaminated groundwater is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The site remains in an operation and maintenance phase. Annual groundwater monitoring and annual cap inspections continue under EPA oversight. The most recent Five-Year Review, completed in June 2023, confirmed the remedy still protects human health and the environment. The next review is estimated between June and August 2028. Unauthorized access is restricted because the clay cap system makes the site unsuitable for general reuse.

Community members with questions can contact the EPA Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager. Site records are also available for public review at the Iberville Parish Library at 24605 J. Gerald Boulevard in Plaquemine, Louisiana, reachable at (225) 687-4397. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality handles state-level concerns, and a Bayou Sorrel Steering Committee, chaired by a representative from Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC, is involved in site oversight.