At Least 8 Superfund Sites In 3 States Have Been Hit By Midwest Flooding
Major flooding across the U.S. Midwest has reached at least eight Superfund sites in three states, and kept EPA staff from determining whether any are leaking toxic chemicals as a result.
The Environmental Protection Agency said it is unable to access the sites containing arsenic, benzene, cyanide and other toxins, because of the floodwaters inundating the facilities. “Due to the current state of flooding impacts to roads, it is not safe for EPA personnel to inspect impacted sites,” Maggie Sauerhage, an agency spokeswoman, said by email. “At this time, we have no indication of contaminant releases from impacted sites.”
Environmental advocates said that’s not good enough. “That’s a public health threat,” said Elena Craft, senior director for climate and health at the Environmental Defense Fund. “We’re not getting in there to do the testing.”
The affected sites include a defunct ordnance plant, a chemical disposal facility and a former manufactured-gas plant, and some contain radioactive waste in addition to dangerous chemicals. At least three of those sites already faced the risk of contaminated groundwater movement before the flooding started earlier this month, according to EPA data.
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https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-26/midwest-floods-reach-superfund-sites-in-three-states-epa-says
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