New Orleans C&D Landfill to Close for Testing

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has agreed to close down a construction and demolition debris landfill in the eastern part of the city for 72 hours to allow environmental and community groups to test the material to determine if it is hazardous to residents or the nearby Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge, according to a report in the Times-Picayune (New Orleans).

Nagin has also promised that if the testing shows the material to be harmful, the Chef Menteur landfill will be closed down.

The 72-hour period includes only the landfill’s hours of operations, so although the temporary shut down began on May 10, it will likely extend into next week, according to the report.