List of Superfund sites

Superfund sites

Superfund sites are polluted locations in the United States requiring a long-term response to clean up hazardous material contaminations. They were designated for federal funding to facilitate cleanup under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980. This act was enacted in response to the discovery of toxic waste dumps such as Love Canal and Times Beach in the 1970s, which had caused widespread environmental and health problems. The Superfund program is administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and aims to locate, investigate, and clean up the most hazardous sites nationwide.

Overview

Superfund sites can include manufacturing facilities, processing plants, landfills, and mining sites where hazardous waste was disposed of improperly. The EPA identifies potential sites and places them on the National Priorities List (NPL) for remediation, which is based on the site's score received through the Hazard Ranking System. This system evaluates the potential threat to human health and the environment. Once a site is listed on the NPL, it becomes eligible for federal funding for cleanup.

Process

The cleanup process involves several steps:

1. Preliminary Assessment/Site Inspection (PA/SI): Determines if a site poses enough risk to warrant further evaluation.
2. Hazard Ranking System (HRS): Scores the site based on the risk to human health and the environment.
3. National Priorities List (NPL): Sites with high enough scores are listed on the NPL.
4. Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS): Determines the nature and extent of the contamination and evaluates options for remediation.
5. Record of Decision (ROD): Documents the selected cleanup plan.
6. Remedial Design/Remedial Action (RD/RA): Implements the cleanup plan.
7. Construction Completion: Achieved when physical construction of the cleanup is finished.
8. Post-Construction Completion: Involves long-term monitoring and further site evaluations.
9. NPL Deletion: Sites can be deleted from the NPL once all response actions are complete and all cleanup goals have been achieved.

Funding

The Superfund program originally was funded by a tax on the chemical and petroleum industries, but since 1995, it has been funded primarily through general revenues of the federal government. There have been proposals to reinstate the tax to ensure steady funding for cleanup projects.

Controversy and Challenges

The Superfund program has faced criticism over its slow pace, high costs, and the technical challenges of cleaning up complex sites. Additionally, finding parties responsible for the pollution and compelling them to pay for cleanup efforts can be difficult. Despite these challenges, the program has made significant progress in cleaning up hazardous waste sites and reducing the risk to human health and the environment.

List of Notable Superfund Sites

- Love Canal, New York: One of the most famous Superfund sites, where toxic waste was discovered beneath a neighborhood, leading to widespread health issues and the evacuation of residents. - Valley of the Drums, Kentucky: A site filled with thousands of leaking barrels of chemical waste that was one of the first to receive attention under the Superfund program. - Hudson River, New York: Contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) due to decades of discharge from manufacturing facilities. - Tar Creek, Oklahoma: One of the largest and most problematic sites, contaminated with lead and zinc from mining operations.

See Also

• Environmental remediation
• Hazardous waste
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act