"In 1915, the
creosote plant burned to the ground killing 55 workers and 3 firefighters.The plant was rebuilt on Bayou Lane, closer to a water source and closer to a fire station. Eventually, creosote polluted the bayou which was a source of drinking water for many of Slidell's residents. The creosote plant was abandoned in 1986 and then became an
EPA Superfund site. The canal was dredged and waste incinerated until completion of the cleanup in 1996. At that time a boat launch was built and Heritage Park was constructed on the former site."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slidell_(LA)
Sounds lovely.
"In 2005, Slidell suffered extensive damage from the effects of
Hurricane Katrina as the storm made final landfall in
St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana and Hancock County, Mississippi on the morning of August 29. The municipal area is located about 2 miles (3.2 km) inland and parts of the city experienced a storm surge in excess of 10 feet (3.0 m). The unincorporated areas of
St. Tammany Parish, to the south and east, often commonly referred to as Slidell, experienced a storm surge of 13–16 feet (4.0–4.9 m)"
Not bad, you can dive just by standing in the street. In CA we actually have to drive to the ocean, it doesn't come to us.