rates of cancer became common (though the ATSDR found, in September 1997, that statistically higher breast cancer rates in the area were not related to the site). People in the area petitioned for retesting in 1993, and the site was placed on the National Priorities List as a cleanup site the following year. Investigations showed that the actual amount of soil placed over the landfill before redevelopment was much thinner than had been claimed. Remedial work EPA supervised cleanup included closing Moton Elementary, and on residential land removing two feet of soil, putting down a geotextile barrier, then topping it with two feet of new clean soil. In April 2001 it was announced to be 99% complete. Many area homeowners and residents have petitioned for being moved elsewhere, with the backing of Congressman Bill Jefferson, but they have not succeeded in getting funds provided. After Hurricane Katrina Flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina disrupted this area (see: Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans), with storm surge funneled by the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet Canal flooding into this neighborhood in 2005. There are concerns that the flooding has released additional toxins in the area. "Press Park", a 56 townhouse housing complex in the area, has been found contaminated with benzopyrene at levels some 50 times EPA health screening level, and remains fenced off as of April 2010. In March 2018, the Orleans Parish School Board was ordered by civil district judge Tiffany Chase to pay a $12 million dollar judgment to 1,433 former students of Moton Elementary School. This was the equivalent of $1,000 per year each student spent at the school, plus interest. See also List of Superfund sites in Louisiana Landfill in the United States References External links Agriculture Street Landfill on The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) site Agriculture Street Landfill on UMich.edu History of New Orleans Neighborhoods in New Orleans Superfund sites in Louisiana Landfills in the United States Waste disposal incidents in the United States