A massive rust-colored plume recently spilled from Atlantic Alumina’s River Parishes refinery into the Mississippi River, underscoring persistent environmental and compliance issues at the nation’s only bauxite refinery, Louisiana Illuminator writes.
State records show the runoff was highly caustic—reaching a pH of 13.4, far above federal safety limits—and that the facility, also known as Atalco, exceeded discharge standards in 25 of the past 27 months. Louisiana regulators have issued a potential penalty order and requested financial disclosures to determine whether Atalco profited from the violations.
Environmental groups are calling for steeper fines, citing long-standing problems with toxic waste ponds and previous air and water contamination.
The refinery, located near Gramercy, has not commented on the latest spill as it faces renewed scrutiny from regulators and investors over its environmental performance.
