WWLTV.com

The New Orleans East landfill that sparked enormous outrage and repeated protest by a small nearby Vietnamese community will be shut down, Mayor Nagin announced Thursday.

WWL-TV

Samples were taken on May 24 and May 27 for air and water contaminants, respectively. Additonal air samples were taken June 5.

Nagin said he would not renew or extend the executive order for construction and demolition debris disposal at the site on Chef Menteur Highway. He said the landfill would close on August 14.

The Reverend Vien Ngyuen, a Vietnamese pastor and leader of the Village de l’Est community, stated environmental factors and community recovery as major concerns regarding the landfill.

Testing by the DEQ showed the landfill was safe, but did little to subdue the dispute.

The landfill was opened to speed up cleanup from Hurricane Katrina.

Officials had stated that by keeping the landfill open, it would cut in half the three years it would take to clear all the debris from the region.

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Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.