Nearly 100 of the most hazardous toxic waste sites in the United States are located in areas highly susceptible to flooding and wildfires, according to a new report from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s internal watchdog. The report, issued by the EPA’s Office of Inspector General, highlights climate-related vulnerabilities at 157 federal Superfund sites, which are prioritised for cleanup due to severe public health and environmental risks.
The sites are situated near millions of residents: three million Americans live within a mile, and 13 million within three miles. Among the sites, 49 coastal sites are vulnerable to sea-level rise or hurricane storm surges, often near populated areas and ecological zones like Chesapeake Bay. Another 47 are prone to inland flooding, and 31 are in high-wildfire-risk areas.
Despite escalating dangers, costly cleanup plans for these sites often fail to adequately address potential damage from rising sea levels, more frequent storms, and wildfires, the review found. Betsy Southerland, a former director of the agency’s water protection division who spent over 30 years at the EPA, said: “That is a big problem because it means the site managers are not planning mitigation measures. The communities living near those sites should be made aware of this planning failure and should insist on robust plans.”
The EPA has stated it is reviewing the findings, asserting that its Superfund programme already incorporates the impacts of extreme weather events as standard practice. However, Lara J. Cushing, a UCLA professor studying climate change’s impact on toxic waste sites, called the reports “noteworthy and important”. She stressed: “Although President Trump may wish to ignore it, the fact is the climate is changing and we need to be proactive in responding to rising seas and more extreme weather or face the consequences of increasingly frequent cascading natural-technological disasters that poison communities and local ecosystems.”
The findings echo a 2017 Associated Press investigation that found 327 Superfund sites vulnerable to climate change-driven flooding. The report confirmed that during Hurricane Harvey, dioxin chemicals were carried by floodwaters into nearby streets, yards, and homes near the San Jacinto River. At the time, the first Trump administration’s EPA dismissed AP’s reporting as fear-mongering “yellow journalism”.
