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National Hazards Vulnerability and the Remediation, Restoration and Revitalization of Contaminated Sites—1. Superfund

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Abstract

Natural hazards can be prominent and powerful mechanisms that impact the remediation and restoration of contaminated sites and the revitalization of communities associated with these sites. The potential for hazardous material releases following a natural disaster can exacerbate the impact of contaminated sites by causing the release of toxic or hazardous materials and inhibiting the restoration of the site as well as altering the long-term sustainable revitalization of adjacent communities. Disaster-related hazardous releases, particularly in population-dense areas, can create problems as difficult as the original site clean-up. Similarly, exposure of contaminated sites to natural hazards can enhance the probability of future issues associated with the site. This manuscript addresses the co-occurrence of 12 natural hazards (singly and in combination) and individual Superfund sites.

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Acknowledgements

All research activities for this effort were funded through general US Environmental Protection Agency funding in FY20 to the Office of Research and Development. The authors express their appreciation to Dr. Joel Hoffman for a review of an early draft of the manuscript.

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  1. Gulf Ecosystem Measurement and Modeling Division, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, 1 Sabine Island Drive, Gulf Breeze, FL, 32561, USA

    Kevin Summers, Andrea Lamper & Kyle Buck

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Correspondence to Kevin Summers.

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Summers, K., Lamper, A. & Buck, K. National Hazards Vulnerability and the Remediation, Restoration and Revitalization of Contaminated Sites—1. Superfund. Environmental Management 67, 1029–1042 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-021-01459-w

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