Oakville

Oakville, a small African-American community lies on the west bank of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish just south of Belle Chase. In the 1980s the Industrial Pipe landfill was opened adjacent to the community to dispose of construction debris. Over time the landfill obtained permits to accept municipal solid waste and expanded closer to the adjacent Oakville neighbors. 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. Residents have complained of health problems, noxious odors and decreased property values for many years, but they have received little assistance from Government agencies. 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 300ft of the community.