ROSELAND - Nearly five months after the explosion at Smitty's Supply, concerns continue over clean-up efforts at the site.

Residents say a dam built to keep Smitty's run-off out of the Tangipahoa River is no longer there.

"My understanding is that the dam went up sometime in October, and that was supposed to contain. I want to say there are four ponds back there, and pond four was the last line of defense between the river and the ponds, that dam," Roseland resident Jody Hart said.

Hart says he lives about a half a mile from Smitty's Supply. He says that after the most recent rain event, he decided to go and fly his drone over the river.

"And realized the dam is gone," he said.

Wynne Klima says that with the way the Tangipahoa River floods, she knew when the dam was constructed that it was not going to cover it.

"If I'm losing bank that is 75 feet up with trees on it, with roots. You're going to tell me that river is going to be held back by what? A two-three-foot little gravel dam that they built with some sand?" Kilma said.

Now, residents are concerned about the contamination in the Tangipahoa River, as well as Lake Ponchartrain.

"Worst case scenario, it hits the southshore, makes it all the way to New Orleans, and you have contamination through the whole lake," Hart said.

Which, Hart says, could have a huge impact on seafood, like oysters and shrimp. Ultimately, Hart says they would like to see the dam rebuilt.

"So, I'm staying on top of it, because the community needs a voice and it doesn't feel like anybody is listening," he said.

Matthew Allen, founder and executive director of Northshore Riverwatch, says in a statement:

Northshore Riverwatch is alarmed by ongoing discharges from the Smitty’s Supply site and the flooding of the final containment pond used to hold pollutants prior to entering the river during a minor flood event. Contaminated water is leaving the site, flowing into adjacent ponds that were not designed or permitted for pollution capture, and ultimately reaching the Tangipahoa River.

It is unconscionable that contaminated water is apparently being allowed to discharge from this site without valid permits or effective containment, particularly within a flood-prone watershed of a designated Scenic River. To the best of our knowledge, these releases continue despite prior findings that the facility could not meet discharge limits.

Northshore Riverwatch urges immediate enforcement action to halt all discharges, require full containment and remediation, and ensure regulatory accountability. Continued inaction places the Tangipahoa River and downstream communities at unnecessary and avoidable risk.

We reached out to the Environmental Protection Agency and Tangipahoa Parish Government, asking what is being done to keep contaminants out of the Tangipahoa River. We have not heard back yet.