Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the levee system put the very existence of New Orleans in question. New Orleans was viewed by many as unsustainable and unworthy of being rebuilt, and some people actually verbalized a willingness to sacrifice the city.  Arsenic and lead were discovered in soils and sediments after the flood, but instead of initiating clean up the contaminiation was ignored and residents were told it was safe to return.  Keeping people out of their homes is not a solution, nor is repopulating contaminated neighborhoods. Our survival in the city and in the Gulf Coast region depends on a paradigm shift. Environmental remediation in New Orleans must be viewed within the broader, integrating principles of sustainable development. Cleaning up soil that is still contaminated with lead and arsenic, especially at child care sites, schools, and playgrounds where children are most likely to be exposed, is one key part of providing a safer future for the city.
 
After Katrina, there was a major effort to incorporate environmental remediation and hazard mitigation into the city's rebuilding and recovery process. An infrastructure and environment unit was launched in February 2007 as part of the Recovery Office.  This unit prepared the city's GreeNOLA Strategy for a Sustainable New Orleans, which identified soil remediation as an important recovery goal.
 
In 2007, the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) approved the use of Disaster Community Development Block Grants to fund New Orleans' "Long-Term Community Recovery Plan".  The approved document set aside $3.5 million specifically for Soil Assessment and Remediation out of a total allocation of $411 million for the New Orleans recovery. On June 21, 2007, the New Orleans City Council passed a motion (No. M-07-271) adopting the plan and requesting the release of funds. Certified copies of the Motion were sent to the LRA and the Governor's Office of Community Development. The City is still waiting for the State to release the funds.
 
Meanwhile, funding (and time) is running out at the city level. The only city staff with expertise to oversee the Soil Assessment and Remediation program will be laid off within the next month if additional funding is not allocated for this important work. It is urgent that the State of Louisiana release the $3.5 million of recovery funding so that clean-up can occur at contaminated childcare facilities and New Orleans can recover and prepare a safe future for the next generation.