Devil's Swamp Lake

Overview

Devil's Swamp Lake is a 64-acre man-made lake in Scotlandville, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, about 10 miles north of Baton Rouge. Industrial facilities have discharged waste to the swamp since the 1960s. The EPA proposed the site for the National Priorities List (NPL) in 2004. About 1,598 people live within two miles of the site.

The main contaminants are polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), found in both sediment and fish tissue, and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), found in fish tissue. These were identified through a two-tiered remedial investigation completed in 2015. State agencies have advised the public not to eat fish or crawfish from the lake and not to swim there. Human exposure is classified as having insufficient data, meaning conclusions cannot be drawn about whether exposures are currently controlled.

The EPA completed a Feasibility Study in June 2018 and issued a Proposed Plan in July 2019. A public meeting was held on October 17, 2019, at the Alsen Recreation Center in Baton Rouge. A 30-day public comment period ran from September 30 through October 29, 2019, and was extended an additional 30 days to November 28, 2019 based on public request. The EPA signed a Record of Decision on August 6, 2020, selecting a cleanup approach that includes capping a drainage ditch, enhanced monitored natural recovery in high-PCB areas, sediment and fish tissue monitoring, and institutional controls to limit future site use.

A Consent Decree with the responsible party was finalized on November 18, 2024. Remedial design work began in July 2024. Construction of the cleanup is estimated to start between October and December 2026. The site is divided into two operable units, one covering the sitewide area and one focused on Devil's Swamp Lake itself. The cleanup remains in the design phase, and the site is not yet ready for anticipated use.

Community members can review key documents at the Scotlandville Branch of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library at 7373 Scenic Highway in Baton Rouge, or through the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality's Electronic Document Management System. For questions, contact the EPA Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager. For state-related questions, contact the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.