Stop IMTT from Polluting Lake Pontchartrain

DEADLINE TO COMMENT

Thursday, November 6, 2025 at 4:30 PM

Take Action Now - 3 Minutes to Protect Our Water

IMTT (International Matex Tank Terminals) wants permission to discharge industrial waste into Lake Pontchartrain with no limits on ammonia, nitrogen, or phosphorus. You can stop this.

Submit Comment Online Email Comment View Comment Template

Bottom Line

What's happening: IMTT wants to dump industrial chemicals into Lake Pontchartrain—the lake where families fish, swim, and earn their living—with no discharge limits on nutrients that cause toxic algae blooms and poison wildlife.

Why it matters: Lake Pontchartrain already has harmful algae blooms nearly every year. We just spent $88 million restoring wetlands here. This permit would undo that work and make waters unsafe for people and endangered species like sturgeon, manatees, and turtles.

The injustice: IMTT operates in Cancer Alley, where predominantly Black communities already bear the burden of industrial pollution. Now they want to pollute our shared waters too.

What you can do: Submit a comment opposing this permit by November 6. Request a public hearing. Every comment counts.

What IMTT Wants to Dump

IMTT's St. Rose Terminal stores and transfers petroleum products and chemicals. When it rains, contaminated stormwater collects these toxins and IMTT wants to flush it all into Lake Pontchartrain.

The permit says "report only"—which means IMTT can dump as much as they want with zero consequences.

Pollutants without limits:

• Ammonia - Burns fish gills, kills aquatic life. IMTT wants to dump 20 tons annually with no maximum limit.
• Nitrogen & Phosphorus - Cause toxic algae blooms that poison drinking water and kill fish. No limits at all.
• PFAS "forever chemicals" - From fire-fighting foam. Cancer-causing. Stays in your body forever. No testing required.
• Oil and grease - Coats fish gills, kills birds, destroys wetlands.
• Toxic metals - Lead, copper, zinc build up in fish people eat.

See the full discharge numbers

Current vs. Proposed Discharge Increases:

• Ammonia: From 0 to 20 tons per year (39,400 lbs) — NO LIMIT, report only
• Total Nitrogen: From 0 to unlimited — report only
• Total Phosphorus: From 0 to unlimited — report only
• Flow volume: From 17M gallons to 43M gallons per year (152% increase)

Additional toxics with no discharge limits:

• Total Suspended Solids
• Oil and Grease
• Lead, Copper, Zinc, Nickel
• Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylenes
• Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)
• Phenols

What We'll Lose

This isn't about abstract "water quality standards." It's about what happens to living things when pollution flows into their home.

Wildlife that will suffer:

• Endangered Atlantic Sturgeon - Ancient fish that survived the dinosaurs, now facing extinction. Ammonia burns their gills. They need clean water to spawn.
• West Indian Manatees - Gentle giants already listed as endangered. They feed in these waters. Toxic algae blooms poison them.
• Pallid Sturgeon - Fewer than 1,000 left in the wild. Every additional pollutant pushes them closer to extinction.
• Alligator Snapping Turtles & Pearl River Map Turtles - Native Louisiana species losing habitat. Contaminated water means contaminated food sources.

The LaBranche Wetlands: In November 2024, Louisiana completed a $88 million wetland restoration project—1,470 acres of marsh, habitat for fish and birds, natural water filtration for Lake Pontchartrain. IMTT's discharge pipe aims straight at this investment. What we spent a hundred million to restore, IMTT wants permission to pollute.

People who depend on this water:

• Commercial fishermen - Your livelihood depends on healthy fish in clean water
• Families who fish for food - Toxic chemicals build up in fish flesh
• Anyone who swims or boats - Harmful algal blooms force beach closures and cause skin rashes, respiratory problems
• Coastal communities - Wetlands protect you from hurricanes. Dying wetlands mean worse flooding

Lake Pontchartrain has had harmful algal blooms in 2011, 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2024. Health advisories tell people to stay out of the water. Adding 20 tons of ammonia and unlimited nitrogen will make this worse.

Why LDEQ Should Reject This Permit

Louisiana's Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) has the authority to deny permits that fail to protect water quality. This permit has serious legal and regulatory problems:

Clean Water Act concerns

• Discharging into impaired waters: Lake Pontchartrain Subsegment 041001 is officially listed as "impaired" for bacteria. Federal law prohibits new pollution to impaired waters without a cleanup plan (TMDL). No TMDL exists.
• Anti-backsliding: Permits can't get weaker. IMTT's current permit limits pollution. This new permit removes limits and allows more discharge—violating the anti-backsliding provision.
• Water quality standards: Report-only requirements can't ensure discharges meet water quality standards. Louisiana's own standards prohibit toxics that harm aquatic life.

Endangered Species Act concerns

• Five protected species live in these waters: Atlantic Sturgeon, West Indian Manatee, Pallid Sturgeon, Alligator Snapping Turtle, Pearl River Map Turtle
• The permit provides zero analysis of harm to endangered species
• Federal law requires consultation with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service—that consultation appears inadequate or missing
• Ammonia is especially toxic to fish. No discharge limit means no protection.

Louisiana state law concerns

• Antidegradation policy: Louisiana law requires protection of high-quality waters. Lake Pontchartrain supports recreation and aquatic life—LDEQ must prevent degradation.
• No TMDL: State law requires cleanup plans for impaired waters before authorizing new discharges. LDEQ appears to be ignoring this requirement.
• Best Available Technology: State regulations require modern treatment technology. Report-only isn't treatment.

PFAS contamination cover-up

IMTT has multiple documented fires at its St. Rose Terminal. Fire departments use PFAS-containing foam to fight chemical fires. PFAS are called "forever chemicals" because they never break down—they accumulate in human bodies and cause cancer, thyroid disease, immune problems.

The permit authorizes discharge of fire water containing PFAS but requires zero PFAS testing.

If you don't test for it, you can't prove it's there—which is exactly what IMTT wants. Louisiana finally adopted PFAS standards in 2024. This permit was drafted to avoid testing so IMTT can keep dumping PFAS with no accountability.

Environmental Racism in Cancer Alley

IMTT's St. Rose Terminal sits in Louisiana's Cancer Alley—the 85-mile stretch along the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to New Orleans where over 200 petrochemical facilities are concentrated.

This isn't random. These facilities are placed in predominantly Black, low-income communities because companies calculated that these communities have less political power to fight back.

The pattern: Industrial facilities pollute the air that fenceline residents breathe. Now IMTT wants to pollute the water that all Louisianans share. Communities of color breathe the pollution and everyone downstream—fishermen, families, tourists—will swim in it and eat fish contaminated by it.

The permit includes zero analysis of cumulative impacts. LDEQ looks at IMTT's discharge in isolation, ignoring:

• Dozens of other industrial facilities discharging into the same watershed
• Historical contamination already present
• The disproportionate burden on communities of color
• Climate change making these problems worse

Environmental justice means no community should be sacrificed for corporate profit. Yet that's exactly what this permit does—it sacrifices Lake Pontchartrain's health so IMTT can avoid paying for proper treatment technology.

How to Submit an Effective Comment

Your comment should be personal and specific. Explain why this matters to you. Here's a template to adapt:

Subject: Opposition to IMTT Water Discharge Permit - Request Public Hearing

RE: AI 4885, Permit LA0075833, Activity PER20240003

Dear LDEQ:

I oppose the proposed IMTT St. Rose Terminal water discharge permit and formally request a public hearing.

[Add your personal connection - pick what applies to you:]

□ I fish in Lake Pontchartrain and don't want toxic chemicals in fish my family eats
□ I swim and boat in these waters and deserve to know they're safe
□ I live in this region and don't want our wetlands polluted
□ I care about protecting endangered species
□ I'm tired of Cancer Alley communities being sacrificed for corporate profit

This permit should be rejected because:

1. No discharge limits: "Report only" means IMTT can dump unlimited ammonia, nitrogen, and phosphorus. That's not protection—that's permission to pollute.

2. Polluting already-impaired waters: Lake Pontchartrain Subsegment 041001 is officially impaired. Federal law prohibits new pollution to impaired waters without a cleanup plan. No plan exists.

3. Threatens $88M wetland restoration: The LaBranche Wetlands were restored in November 2024. This permit will undo that public investment.

4. Endangers protected species: Atlantic Sturgeon, West Indian Manatee, Pallid Sturgeon, and two turtle species need clean water. Zero analysis of harm to endangered species.

5. PFAS cover-up: Fire water discharges containing PFAS "forever chemicals" are authorized but no testing required despite IMTT's fire history.

6. Environmental injustice: No cumulative impact analysis for Cancer Alley communities already bearing disproportionate pollution burden.

I demand that LDEQ:

• DENY this permit
• HOLD a public hearing
• REQUIRE strict discharge limits
• MANDATE PFAS testing
• COMPLETE a cumulative impact assessment

Please add me to the mailing list for all notices regarding this permit.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Email]
[Your Phone]

Tips for stronger comments:

• Be personal: Explain how you use Lake Pontchartrain—fishing, swimming, your livelihood
• Be specific: Cite the points above that matter most to you
• Be brief: A few paragraphs with clear points is better than pages of text
• Request a hearing: If enough people request one, LDEQ must hold a public hearing

Every Comment Counts - Submit Now

LDEQ is required to consider all substantive comments. If they find significant public interest, they must hold a public hearing. Your voice matters. Use it.

Deadline: Thursday, November 6, 2025, 4:30 PM CST

Submit Comment Online Email Your Comment

Other submission options:

Mail: LDEQ Public Participation Group, P.O. Box 4313, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4313
Drop Box: 602 N. 5th St., Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Resources

• LDEQ Public Notices
• View Permit Documents