GONZALES — The Ascension Parish government has ended its cooperative agreement with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and LAlumina, handing full oversight of the former LAlumina facility's long-term closure to LDEQ following reports of red dust in Ascension Parish around the plant.

The parish voluntarily entered the interim agreement to provide immediate relief to nearby residents while a permanent remediation strategy for the site was being finalized.

"Our priority has always been to do everything we can to protect the families who live near this site," Ascension Parish President Clint Cointment said. "We weren't willing to sit around while our residents continued dealing with red dust blowing onto their homes, vehicles and property."

On Your Side's Brittany Weiss previously reported on the red dust issue several times.

Parish crews covered more than 40 acres across Ponds 4 and 5, the areas closest to nearby homes and the main source of airborne bauxite residue during dry, windy conditions. To do that, the parish government provided personnel, heavy equipment, project coordination and suitable soil taken directly from parish drainage projects.

"Our commitment extended beyond the work on the site," Cointment said. "We regularly attended neighborhood association meetings to keep residents informed, answer questions and hear directly from the families living with this issue."

Under Louisiana's environmental regulatory framework, industrial facility owners are required to establish approved closure plans and set aside funds for full site remediation at the end of operations. LDEQ serves as the regulatory authority overseeing that work, while LAlumina is directly responsible for carrying it out.

"I'm incredibly proud of our crews and staff, who covered more than 40 acres across the portions of the site closest to the surrounding neighborhoods where red dust has historically blown onto nearby homes and properties during dry, windy conditions," Cointment said. "Their work has significantly reduced the exposed areas that allow dust to become airborne and has made a real difference for the families living closest to the site."

LAlumina is expected to begin implementing the full, permanent closure plan under LDEQ oversight in the coming weeks.

Although the parish's formal role under the interim agreement has ended, the parish says it will continue making suitable soil from drainage maintenance available on an as-needed basis.