Gulf Restoration Network

From the Air: GRN Surveys Pearl River and Offending Paper Mill Blog - Healthy Waters / Dead Zone Thursday, 18 August 2011 15:56

This morning, I had the opportunity, courtesy of South Wings, to fly up the Pearl River to get an aerial view of any remaining dead aquatic life, and of the plant that admitted fault for the fish kill, Temple-Inland.  The good news is that we didn’t see a ton of dead fish from the air (GRN’s Coastal Wetland Specialist is on a boat today to see what he can see from the surface of the Pearl).  There were clean-up crews collecting dead fish as we flew over them.

The most disgusting thing that we saw on the flight was the “treatment” pond that Temple-Inland uses for their waste.  Check out the slide show, some of the pics of their pond and disgusting, and it is unbelievable how the State of Louisiana allows this waste to be so close to a river as beautiful as the Pearl.

The Times-Picayune also has some compelling pictures which were taken when they accompanied us on our flight.

Also, if you haven’t done so yet, check out our other blogs on this disaster:

BREAKING –Dockside Discussion of Temple-Inland Versus the Pearl.

Massive Fish Kill in Pearl River