Superfund Investigates Land Pollution from the Past…and Present
By Mathy Stanislaus
On September 7, 2016, we took steps to respond to states, tribes and citizens who asked for our help addressing contaminated sites. In response, we are adding 10 hazardous waste sites to the National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL is our list of more than 1,300 of the most contaminated sites in the country that we are addressing under the Superfund program. Superfund is one of the most important federal programs to improve the health, environment and economy of America’s communities.
As I’ve traveled across the country during my tenure as Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management, I’ve seen firsthand how the mismanagement of contamination and hazardous waste can threaten entire communities. According to census data, approximately 53 million people live within three miles of a Superfund site – roughly 17% of the U.S. population, including 18% of all children in the U.S. under the age of five. Some groups, such as children, pregnant women and the elderly, may be at particular risk. During environmental emergencies, health threats — poisoning, injuries from fires and explosions — are often urgent and immediate. At other sites, health effects of contamination — cancer, birth defects — may be more long term. Under the most difficult circumstances, communities reach out to us to use the Superfund program to protect them from these risks.
We continue to find sites where recent operations have resulted in the mismanagement of contamination that warrant our investigation. In addition to adding 10 sites to the NPL, we are proposing the addition of eight more. Nine of these 18 sites were in operation within the last two decades, including several as recently as the late 2000s. Pollution at these 18 sites came from a variety of sources, including manufacturing, mining, battery recycling and dry cleaning.
One area we are listing on the NPL is the Bonita Peak Mining District in San Juan County, Colorado. Mining began there in the 1870s and continued into the 1990s. The Bonita Peak Superfund site includes 48 sources, comprised of 35 mines (including Gold King Mine) and 13 other mining-related areas. We have drainage data on 32 of these sources and we estimate that they collectively contribute an average of 5.4 million gallons of mine-influenced water per day to the Upper Animas River watershed. This water includes metals such as cadmium, copper, manganese and zinc that threaten the health of the watershed and downstream communities.
More broadly, the addition of the sites to the NPL continues a 35-year history of EPA improving the lives of those who reside on or near Superfund sites. Academic research has shown the cleanup of Superfund sites reduces birth defects of those close to a site by as much as 25 percent. Cleanups involving lead-contaminated soil have contributed to documented reductions in children’s blood-lead levels.
In addition, Superfund cleanups have a positive impact on local economies by enabling the reuse of previously unusable land. More than 850 Superfund sites nationwide have some type of actual or planned reuse underway. Last year, we reviewed 454 Superfund sites supporting use or reuse activities and found they had approximately 3,900 businesses with 108,000 employees and annual sales of more than $29 billion.
As our recent listing demonstrates, land pollution continues to occur from a variety of sources. It is not only an issue at abandoned industrial sites riddled with buried hazardous material, or at waste sites that operated before our nation’s environmental laws were enacted. Land pollution is still an issue — often due to the mismanagement of contaminants from more recent operations. Unfortunately, the Superfund program is needed as much today as in the past to clean up communities from such mismanagement.
Our Superfund program will continue to respond to requests from states, tribes and citizens to investigate all eras of pollution — past and present — to protect communities and hold polluters accountable. I am proud of the work our Superfund program has completed to date, and I encourage you to read more about its 35-year history and its highlights.
More information about the September 2016 NPL listing can be found here. http://go.usa.gov/xZ9nP.
Sep 09, 2016 @ 20:21:10
I hope aloways put nice article like this, i really like it, thx for sharing this article
Sep 10, 2016 @ 00:18:51
Really it is an interesting and informative article. I Got some good idea by reading this topic. Thanks for sharing your view.
Sep 11, 2016 @ 04:36:57
I agree that to remove land pollution very important is Superfund Investigates. Here you have made good points about land pollution from past and present. thanks for sharing.
Sep 11, 2016 @ 10:24:23
I hope the work you continue to move forward on the real causes of pollution! And we can celebrate in the future an evolution of what we have today!
Sep 12, 2016 @ 04:48:17
your environmental concern it is very much good for the people to how to avoid the land pollution.
Sep 12, 2016 @ 09:19:49
“Last year, we reviewed 454 Superfund sites supporting use or reuse activities and found they had approximately 3,900 businesses with 108,000 employees and annual sales of more than $29 billion.”
Is EPA claiming credit for these jobs or that $29 billion number? Isn’t that what the Department of Commerce is for and EPA cleans up the environment?
Sep 13, 2016 @ 01:43:56
I was really enjoyed to read this topic and I Got some good idea by reading this topic. Thank you for your positive post.
Sep 13, 2016 @ 04:02:17
As our recent listing demonstrates, land pollution continues to occur from a variety of sources. It is not only an issue at abandoned industrial sites riddled with buried hazardous material, or at waste sites that operated before our nation’s environmental laws were enacted.
Sep 13, 2016 @ 16:57:01
Wow!!! Such a nice article. How I wish Nigerian government could replicate this in Nigeria
Sep 14, 2016 @ 08:27:47
Really an Important Issue, taking discussion on to this topic is important one.
Sep 16, 2016 @ 15:36:04
thanks for sharing.land,air,water etc. pollutions,we must care all about.
Oct 13, 2016 @ 03:11:46
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