In a stride toward environmental responsibility, the Jefferson Parish Department of Environmental Affairs was honored with the prestigious 2024 Environmental Leadership Program's Municipality Achievement Award in Pollution Prevention, as reported by official parish communications. The award, recognizing the department's extensive efforts in pollution prevention, was handed to them at a ceremony in Baton Rouge on April 9, 2025.
Steering local change, the department earned praise for spreading knowledge about stormwater management and the virtues of urban gardening; they capitalized on community outreach and cultivated practices for the benefit of stormwater and gardening—efforts that included household tips for using chemicals wisely in gardening, pushing for water and energy conservation, mitigating food deserts, pest control, and composting strategies. This project was bolstered by a sub-grant from the University of New Orleans Research and Technology Foundation, according to the Jefferson Parish announcement.
Sami Khalil, Storm Water Management Supervisor for the department, told Jefferson Parish News, "Jefferson Parish continues to launch stormwater outreach programs to educate the public and businesses about what they can do to prevent pollution and keep our local waterways clean," highlighting the innovative thrust of these award-winning programs as a variety of outreach efforts aimed at raising public awareness of the environmental impacts tied to stormwater pollution.
With over 1,400 miles of drainpipes and more than 300 miles of open canals and ditches, the Jefferson Parish Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) plays a vital role in managing stormwater runoff. Without the department's proactive measures, this runoff could carry harmful substances and pollutants—such as oil, grease, litter, hazardous waste, and sediment—posing a threat to water bodies like Lake Pontchartrain. Fortunately, the Environmental Affairs team diligently handles hundreds of complaints about illegal discharges annually, which is crucial for keeping the water clean, as detailed in the statement from Jefferson Parish.
The Environmental Leadership Program, established in 1995, encourages a collaborative effort between the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and local industries to espouse pollution prevention and environmental excellence. The recent ceremony honored members of the program for their voluntary efforts toward environmental betterment going beyond regulatory compliance.
