Oakville
Oakville, a small African-American community lies on the west bank of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish just south of Belle Chase. Formerly enslaved people from plantations along the Mississippi River founded the community in the 1860s (Tulane University 2012).
In the 1980s the Industrial Pipe Landfill, which took in massive amounts of construction debris, was opened right next to the community. However, the land was not zoned by the Parish for industrial use. In 1985, Industrial Pipeline began to expand and accept municipal solid waste without a permit until 2004, and landfill was operating within fifty feet of homes and community amenities. Some of the residents of Oakville who share a property line with the landfill now have a hill of waste that starts just beyond their fence (Tulane University 2012).
In 2011, Industrial Pipe Inc. applied to expand the landfill by approximately 8.3 acres. This application had to be submitted to the Plaquemines Parish Local Coastal Management Program because the expansion involved destroying wetlands. Residents worried that this new application could create even more health and environmental issues for the community (Times-Picayune 2011).
After decades of persistence by LEAN, represented by the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic, a legal settlement was recently reached in which the landfill agrees to no longer operate within 300 feet of the community (Tulane 2017).
