DeLisle Wins Gulf Guardian Award

December 21, 2006 - A cooperative project between DuPont DeLisle, the West Harrison Water and Sewer District (WHWSD), the Harrison County Board of Supervisors, state representative Diane Peranich and Brown & Mitchell Engineering was recently honored with a Gulf Guardian Award for the development of a sewage and water treatment facility that services an area of the county without such a system.

The ceremony was held December 13 in New Orleans where Terry Finch and Duane Wilson from the DeLisle Plant and Eugene Niolet, Connie Borne and Robert Jones from the WHWSD were on hand to accept the award.

Through removing septic tanks and allowing households to tap into public water systems, the $3.3 million project has reduced the fecal coliform load on the Bay of St. Louis, which is listed as an impaired body of water.

This project involved the cooperation of several different organizations. The groups involved included the West Harrison Water and Sewer Commission, the Harrison County Board of Supervisors, our local State Representative, Brown and Mitchell Engineering and DuPont. The Commission provided the vision for the project, while the roles of the Board of Supervisors and our State Representative included assisting the Commission in funding through Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), the Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) and the State revolving loan program. DuPont contributed financially while Brown and Mitchell provided the engineering for the project.

The Gulf of Mexico Program’s mission is to facilitate the protection and restoration of the coastal marine waters of the Gulf of Mexico and its coastal natural habitats; to sustain living resources; to protect human health and the food supply; and to ensure the recreational use of Gulf shores, beaches, and waters in ways consistent with the economic well-being of the region, through a network of citizens and institutions.

Congratulations to all those involved in this worthwhile project.