[CPEO-MEF] CLIMATE: Federal facility Superfund sites "are vulnerable to flooding, wildfires"

[Lenny Siegel <Lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

EPA watchdog finds nation’s most contaminated sites are vulnerable to flooding, wildfires

BY  MICHAEL BIESECKER AND JASON DEAREN
Associated Press
March 30, 2026

WASHINGTON — About 100 of the nation’s most contaminated toxic waste sites are in areas prone to flooding and wildfires, a potential public health threat to millions of Americans in surrounding communities, the internal watchdog at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has found.

The EPA’s Office of Inspector General issued two new reports last week that are part of a series assessing the weather-related vulnerabilities of the 157 federal Superfund sites prioritized for cleanup due to the serious risk they pose to public health and the environment. About 3 million Americans live within a mile of a Superfund site, while 13 million people live within 3 miles (4.8 kilometers). 

Some of the Superfund sites were found to be at risk from multiple natural-disaster threats. The studies found 49 in coastal areas are at risk from sea-level rise or storm surge from hurricanes, with many located near highly populated areas and important ecological locales like Chesapeake Bay. Another 47 are in low-lying sites prone specifically to inland flooding from heavy rain. The review also found 31 sites in areas at high risk for wildfires. 


…

For the entire article, go to 
https://apnews.com/article/epa-superfund-sites-toxic-risk-flooding-wildfires-4c7ed2ab7b9d53335b86b75ae6cb9374

For the full report, see
https://www.epa.gov/office-inspector-general/report-evaluation-risks-federal-facility-superfund-site-remedies-sea-level




—

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director
Center for Public Environmental Oversight
A project of the Pacific Studies Center
LSiegel@cpeo.org
P.O. Box 998, Mountain View, CA 94042
Voice/Fax: 650-961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org
Author: DISTURBING THE WAR: The Inside Story of the Movement to Get Stanford University out of Southeast Asia - 1965–1975 (See http://a3mreunion.org)




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