Agriculture Street Landfill Solar Park

The Agriculture Street Landfill in New Orleans served as a municipal waste disposal area from approximately 1909 through 1957 and reopened from 1965 to 1966 for emergency purposes after Hurricane Betsy. The Landfill is in the Desire Neighborhood and was developed during the 1970s and 1980s for residential purposes. In 1994, the Agriculture Street Landfill was designated a Superfund site by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA’s Region 6 completed remediation activities at the landfill in 2002. The remediation work included placing a protective geotextile fabric and 24 inches of clean soil over private property and a geotextile fabric and 18 inches of clean fill over areas not covered by sidewalks.

 

For more information about the Agriculture Street Superfund Site go to EPA’s website.

Consent Decree


A 2008 Consent Decree between the City of New Orleans and EPA requires the City to conduct semi-annual maintenance (mowing and fence repair) of the fenced portion of the Agriculture St. Landfill Superfund Site. In 2022, the City increased the mowing frequency of the undeveloped properties and repaired the fence as needed. The increased maintenance practices are ongoing.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gordon Plaza was one of the subdivisions developed on the former landfill. For many years, the residents of Gordon Plaza petitioned the City of New Orleans to buy their properties and pay for moving costs to homes outside of the Desire neighborhood. The Mayor’s Office established the Gordon Plaza Task Force for which meetings were convened by City Council of New Orleans. The forum provided members of the community with a voice in negotiations in the City-led voluntary buyout and relocation process. The residents' voices were heard, and buyouts began in summer 2023.

The subdivision has now been cleared of houses and is being prepared to become a commuity solar farm.


 

 

 

 

The community solar farm will increase the City’s power resilience, minimize greenhouse gas emissions, and provide residents and businesses with affordable energy as established in the City’s 2022 Climate Action Plan.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provided technical resources through the Superfund Program which funded the science and engineering work involved in developing a solar farm project Feasibility Study.

The Study estimates that with a minimum of 40-acres of property, building the solar farm would cost approximately $10M. The City has allocated bond funds towards developing the solar park project. EPA updated a site Reuse Assessment in Summer 2022 which identified several options for placement of the solar farm and placement of other future resources such as electric vehicle charging stations.

Frequently Asked Questions

General 

In 1994, the Agriculture Street Landfill was designated a Superfund site by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The major pollutants found were lead and arsenic although there are more than 140 hazardous materials present. EPA completed remediation of the landfill in 2002.The work included placing a protective geotextile fabric and 24 inches of clean soil over private property and a geotextile fabric and 18 inches of clean fill over areas not covered by sidewalks or driveways.

The City developed a Task Force and met with the Residents of Gordon Plaza, their representatives from the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic and the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, professional appraisers, Cantrell Administration Leadership as well as members of the City Council to negotiate acceptable prices for the Gordon Plaza properties including moving expenses. The average Gordon Plaza home was purchased by the city for $335,000. Residents renting Gordon Plaza properties at the time of the City’s purchase were also relocated at the City’s expense.

The Task Force spent a significant amount of time defining “fair market value” for residents. Ultimately, the City was able to offer purchase prices that considered the value of each home as though it were atop un-compromised land, similar to homes that were built at the same time as neighborhoods in Pontchartrain Park and Gentilly Woods.

The city is demolished the purchased Gordon Plaza properties. The foundations/slabs have been left on site and not removed. The demolition included removal of fences and detached buildings such as sheds. Driveways and sidewalks have been kept in place. 

The city plans to develop a community solar farm that will benefit nearby senior and low-income residents with a reduction in the cost of their electric bills. A 40-acres solar farm is estimated to generate 6.3MW of electricity, enough to power 140 homes.

The Agriculture Street Landfill has been designated as a Superfund site by the Environmental Protection Agency. The more than 140 contaminants on site limit the future possible uses of the site. Lead and arsenic are the most dangerous contaminants.

EPA funded a Reuse Study for the Agriculture Street Landfill in 2022. In addition to a solar park, the site could be used as a pollinator farm or electric vehicle charging station, warehouse storage or a bus barn.

 

Demolition and Clearing

After removing the houses, the contractor filled, graded, sloped and planted grass on top of the cleared lots to prevent stormwater runoff. The contractor is responsible for watering the grass until it takes root.

Since the properties are located atop the Agriculture Street Landfill, soil underneath them was not replaced with clean soil so they may contain hazardous substances. By leaving the slabs in place, they function as a sediment cap.
The contractors will cut and cap the water, sewer and electrical hookups including cable tv and internet wiring.

The contractor will leave the immediate collection site clean and safe each day.

Temporary fencing is being installed to prevent people from going into the houses. Once construction of the solar park begins, a permanent iron fence will be installed.

About Community Solar

In general, Community Solar Farms provide residents the opportunity to buy into it by paying a small fee which will reduce the cost of electricity to their homes. For example, if you join for a $10.00 per month fee you may save $40 dollars a month on your electric bill. These numbers are just an example. The exact fees and savings have not been determined yet.

Preliminary estimates show design of the solar farm will take approximately 18 months and construction of the solar farm will take approximately 6 months.

There are no designs for the Community Solar Farm currently. Residents will be notified when a developer is chosen.

The potential impacts of this project on the surrounding community and environment are:

· Sounds – The solar panels do not generate sounds once they are installed. As a result, the presence of a solar array at this site would not introduce a new source of sounds to the area.

· Floodplains and Wetlands – The site is a disturbed land with no impacts to floodplains or wetlands.

· Air Quality – During construction of the solar facility, particulate matters can be generated (mainly dust from vehicular traffic); however, with the implementation of best management practices, the impact should be minimized.

· Radiation – Electric and magnetic fields together are called electromagnetic field or electromagnetic radiation. These electromagnetic fields are in the spectrum, with low frequency radiation on the low end (i.e., power lines) and high frequency radiation on the high end (i.e., x-rays). Low frequency radiation is less harmful than high frequency. The World Health Organization states that electricity from solar panels and power transmission grid emit extremely weak electromagnetics. Exposure to low level electromagnetic fields has been studied extensively and no evidence has been found that exposure is harmful to human health.

The city anticipates releasing a request for proposals for construction of the Community Solar Farm in late 2025. Residents will be notified of the construction schedule once there is a contract in place with a developer.

Residents will be notified when they can sign up to be a part of the community solar farm.

Most solar panels are largely made of glass and aluminum frames, along with other commonly used plastics and wires. Furthermore, the cells on the solar panels that are used to capture sunlight are made of silicon, which is a naturally occurring element.