GONZALES - The state has approved the partial closure plan submitted by Ascension Parish and LALumina, and work has begun to cap a red dust issue that's plagued residents in the area for several years.

While Ascension Parish does not take ownership or responsibility for the partial closure of the facility, it is working to help address the issue affecting its residents.

It's been almost eight months since Ascension Parish entered into a cooperative agreement with LALumina and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to work together and put and end to the red dust that's been flying around Gonzales and other parts of the parish for years.

The dust is a waste product from a closed aluminum plant, which many people have complained about to 2 On Your Side.

The agreement was signed on August 19, 2024, and in November, Ascension Parish submitted an initial plan to the LDEQ. In December, the parish followed up with a very detailed plan of what is to happen, including a cost breakdown and timeline. Now in April, the parish is working toward testing that plan on a four-acre site, close to Pelican Crossing.

A year ago, 2 On Your Side visited with Armando Keller and his neighbors about the efforts and nuisance they go through constantly to avoid the dust.

"Every day that stuff comes out it's highly corrosive, it's high in alkaline, it's bad for the environment, it's bad for people's health," Keller said.

A solution can't come fast enough. That plan includes bringing in six inches of dirt/fill across approximately 100 acres of the LALumina bauxite solid waste site and cover it with seed for grass. It'll cost about $5.3 million, which is nearly the entire budget LALumina has available for the project.

The material will come from various public and private construction projects, which have offered the dirt and fill free of charge. To get the job done, a team of people will need to be hired, heavy machinery will need to be purchased, along with fuel, materials, supplies, and PPE. The plan estimates 6,725 truckloads of dirt is needed for the job, which would be completed one acre at a time.

Next to the red dust site is Pelican Crossing, where new homes are still being built. People in the neighborhood continue to submit complaints to LDEQ about the damage done to their properties. One person says they have repainted their home several times, others repeatedly pressure wash to keep the red hue from seeping in.

It's stained the sidewalks, the street lights, and settled into pools.

Paul Nizzo is the Pelican Crossing HOA President and gets an earful from residents.

"It's definitely causing some problems," Nizzo said.

When Nizzo moved into Pelican Crossing in 2011, the plant had closed but the dust was still being kept wet. Several years later, 2 On Your Side learned the sprinklers had stopped working.

"I hope DEQ realizes what we're dealing with," Nizzo said.

Trucks on top of the red dust site Tuesday could be a sight that things are changing.

"The parish gave us word in the subdivision that they started Monday doing work to cap a test site of four acres," Nizzo said.

The four acre site is an area closest to Hackett Canal Drive in Pelican Crossing. Once the area is covered with dirt and seed parties involved will evaluate and then clearance could be given to get to work on the rest of the waste area.

Once the green light is given by LDEQ, the plan will take three to four years to complete. While that's ongoing, the parish's plan includes dust mitigation with available resources like temporary and mobile spraying units. 

The plan does not include a complete closure of the site. LDEQ says ultimately a plan for full closure of the LALumina site must be submitted by or on behalf of the company. This has not been done and there's no word on where funding for that portion of the project will come from.

LDEQ provided 2 On Your Side with the following statement Tuesday:

LDEQ approved the partial closure plan submitted by L’Alumina in collaboration with Ascension Parish. This milestone was reached within a year of LDEQ establishing a Tiger Team — a dedicated group of expert employees — to work alongside L’Alumina and the Parish to identify economical and viable closure solutions. The Tiger Team has invested more than 1,000 man hours into addressing the issue, which has plagued the surrounding community for over a decade. Now, with the plan approved, L’Alumina and the Parish will move forward with initial closure activities at the site.

“This marks a critical step forward in our efforts to protect our residents and begin the process to mitigate this area,” Parish President Clint Cointment said in a statement. “Our administration has been relentlessly pushing for action, and I’m proud of our progress in partnership with the State of Louisiana and LDEQ. We are committed to seeing this project through
until we bring lasting relief to the communities affected.”