A small alligator swims through an oily sheen in the Tangipahoa River near its mouth at Lake Pontchartrain. Residents in the area have reported seeing oil gather along the shore since the Aug. 22, 2025, explosion at Smitty’s Supply in Roseland, some 40 miles upstream. (Reader submitted photo)
State officials announced Friday they have begun testing seafood from the Tangipahoa River and Lake Pontchartrain to look for potential contamination after the explosion and fire at the Smitty’s Supply Inc. facility last month.
The joint effort from the Wildlife and Fisheries, Health and Environmental Quality departments began Thursday, according to a LDEQ news release. Officials are collecting samples from various locations and analyzing them for heavy metals – such as arsenic, chromium, barium and lead – and petroleum-related hydrocarbons. Control samples of the same species will also be collected from Bayou Lacombe, an unaffected waterway.
Results from Thursday’s testing are expected to take about two weeks, the agency said. A second round will follow in 60 days, with more testing planned if required to confirm whether the fish, shrimp and crabs are accumulating any toxins.
The health department and partner agencies will use the results to assess any potential public health risks and determine if seafood consumption advisories are warranted.
Cleanup and decontamination efforts continue in Tangipahoa Parish nearly a month after petrochemical storage tanks exploded at the Smitty’s Supply facility in Roseland and caused a fire that burned for about two weeks. The company processes and sells oils, lubricants, fluids and acids for various industrial and automotive applications.
The explosion dispersed an oily residue onto neighboring homes, businesses and a nearby elementary school, while petrochemicals spilled into area waterways. An oil slick was visible on the surface of the Tangipahoa River, stretching roughly 45 miles south of the facility, LDEQ documents show.