(Image: mlhradio, cc-nc-4.0)
Superfund is a program initiated by the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States, with the goal of identifying, isolating and clearing up areas of the country that have been contaminated by hazardous waste materials. Most of these areas have been abandoned – perhaps temporarily, perhaps permanently. The process of cleaning up a site to make it safe for human occupation once again is an extremely long and complicated one, meaning that these Superfund sites are not going to be safe for anyone for a long, long time.
10. Tar Creek, Oklahoma
(Image: tarcreekfilm via YouTube)
Most of Oklahoma is a beautiful state that truly captures the spirit of the Midwest. But Tar Creek was cursed with a wealth of metals and minerals, and its residents have paid dearly for it.
Located in the northeastern part of the state, Tar Creek encompasses a 40-square-mile hazard zone that impacts about 30,000 people. Home to a group of Native American people called the Quapaw, Tar Creek has been high on the list of most hazardous places in the country for 20 years – and it was only in 2006 that the government finally started offering residents buyouts for their property.
(Image: EPA)
The damage to the environment of Tar Creek was done by mining. The entire area is incredibly rich in zinc and lead, part of the Tri-State Mining District that also includes parts of Missouri and Kansas. Unfortunately, it’s only the bottom line that matters at the end of the day, and the results of the massive mining operations are nothing short of horrific.
(Image: Krystal Jennings, cc-4.0)
Piles of mining waste litter the landscape – some over 200 feet tall and full of unusable, incredibly dangerous minerals. There’s roughly 2,900 acres contaminated with more than 165 million tons of mine waste. Local children play on chat piles, exposing themselves to high concentrations of lead, cadmium and zinc. Heavy metals from the waste piles have seeped into the groundwater, killing all the fish and wildlife in local rivers and streams and turning their banks bright yellow.
Chat piles are, in large part, on privately owned or Native American land, and in order to get rid of some of them, people had been resorting to selling the piles of material for use in other projects, from new construction to paving roads. It all means that mineral-heavy dust that’s filling the air is coming from multiple sources, not just the mines. Mining activities largely stopped in 1970, creating even more problems as the massive, underground rooms were slowly filled with water that began a chemical reaction that led to the creation of rooms literally filled with acid that then seeped into the surrounding area.
9. Southern Shipbuilding, Louisiana
(Image: Google Maps)
Canulette Shipbuilding Company was founded in 1919, and throughout the war years supplied ships to the US Navy. By 1954, part of the shipbuilding operations included facilities for repairs, cleaning, and control of the gases that build up within cargo ships. Operations ceased in 1993, but the damage had already been done.
The operations sat on 55 acres that had included several sludge pits (spread over eight acres) that were used for the dumping of waste materials including scrap metals, waste drums, chemicals, and even abandoned equipment. The facility relied on levees to control the waste materials, and in 1992, the levees failed and dumped more than 300,000 gallons of hazardous materials into the nearby bayou. Over the next few years, measures were undertaken to help control the release of toxic waste, purify what had leaked into the environment, and shore up the levees to prevent more damage from being done to the surrounding waterways.
(Image: Google Street View)
The hazardous materials had the potential to impact nearby towns to the west and the south of the site, with the nearest homes only being about 400 feet from the border of the site, and wells that supply the community’s drinking water about a quarter of a mile away. Deemed unfit for human occupation and hazardous to those in the area, cleanup efforts were undertaken and, in 1997, the area was given a clean bill of health when extensive testing indicated that there was no further danger.
8. Del Monte Corp, Hawaii
(Image: Joel Abroad, cc-nc-sa-4.0)
Del Monte is perhaps one of the biggest names in American fruit production, and their pineapple plantation covers about 3,000 acres on the island of Oahu.
Between 1940 and 1983, pineapple crops were under the constant threat of destruction from nematodes. These pests, which attack the root of the crops, were controlled using a variety of chemicals – so many chemicals that testing in 1980 determined that pesticides had been seeping into the area’s groundwater and contaminating wells. In 1977, the situation was aggravated by the accidental spillage of almost 500 gallons of ethylene dibromide into one of the local wells. The chemical, which is mainly used as a gasoline additive, can cause an increased risk of cancer along with years of liver, stomach and kidneys problems.
(Image: Google Maps)
Testing after the spill showed that there was no permanent damage that was done, but further testing done in the subsequent decades have shown that there is an increased level of fumigants and pesticides in the soil and groundwater. As late as 2007, land use in the area has been restricted for safety reasons, and water-use is prohibited without a permit and extensive monitoring.
As part of the cleanup, Del Monte was required to develop and plant a covering of vegetation over contaminated areas. By 2004, it was deemed that there was no threat to human health from just being exposed to the area, but it’s still being monitored by the EPA.
7. Atlas Asbestos Mine, California
(Image: via advrider.com)
For a long time, the dangers of asbestos weren’t known. From 1963 until 1979, the Atlas Asbestos Mine was operating on 435 acres not too far from Coalinga, California. In addition to the mine, there were also processing facilities and support buildings on the property, which all meant that not only asbestos was leaking into the environment, but so were all the leftovers and waste materials from its processing. Nearby Coalinga was also home to the Coalinga Asbestos Mine, and in 1983 it was found that the sites were both in serious need of some cleanup.
The U.S. Asbestos Company used the areas to store asbestos waste materials, ultimately helping to contaminate the entire area. The mines – specifically the Atlas mine – drained directly into the nearby White Creek, which in turn drains into areas that fed the California Aqueduct system. So much asbestos and waste products were being drained into the water system that it was necessary to build a detention basin to allow the waste to settle out of the water. It was good, in theory, but frequent heavy rains meant that the basin rarely acted as thoroughly as it was supposed to.
(Image: USGS, public domain)
Those at risk included a nearby community of almost 20,000 people, as well as a group of local ranchers and their livestock. The land was also massively popular among hikers, campers and hunters; ultimately, the cleanup was a joint effort undertaken by the EPA and the Bureau of Land Management.
Asbestos was found not only in the soil and groundwater, but in the air and surface water. Site cleanup was a huge undertaking that included diverting streams away from the most heavily polluted areas, using dams to trap sediment, excavating contaminated land, and building an underground containment unit. The site is still monitored, but as of 2011, it passed its third review and cleanup measures were shown to be working.
6. Callahan Mine, Maine
(Image: Dartmouth.edu)
In 1880, a clam digger working on the coast of Maine discovered zinc and copper deposits. By 1887, the first mine had opened, and the three shafts of the mine were functioning until 1964. In 1968, those shafts were replaced with an open pit mine 1,000 feet across and 320 feet deep. Five million tons of rock were removed from the mine, and the subsequent waste rock piled nearby became known as Callahan Mountain.
In 1972, the mine was flooded by the nearby Goose Falls. The site, which is connected to Goose Pond, is regularly flooded by tidal waters; this makes it a particularly unique – and dangerous – site.
(Image: Dartmouth.edu)
The mine’s location near an estuary and the effects of the tides means that the contaminates don’t just leak into the groundwater, but into the surrounding coastal and marine ecosystems. Dartmouth College has conducted extensive testing on the impact of the mine on local wildlife, and they’ve found that even the smallest animals and fish – which form the lowest level of the food chain – have extremely high levels of zinc, copper, lead and cadmium in their systems. Studies done in 2013 indicate that the entire area is still a hot spot for hazardous chemicals and heavy metals, which are in turn passed along up the food chain.
Mining operations stopped in 1972, when the minerals and metals of the area were exhausted. Cleanup is still going on, with lead and arsenic still making the area unfit for humans; it’s not entirely known how far-reaching the impact of the mine will be on local wildlife, and that’s still being monitored. Plans are in place for redirecting and reducing the amount of materials draining into the estuary, but the cleanup promises to be a slow one.
5. Love Canal, New York
(Images: Buffalutheran; EPA; public domain)
The groundwork for the Love Canal Disaster was laid with all the best intentions of the world. In the late 19th century, William T. Love had a brilliant vision for an idyllic community and a power source that would have supplied countless homes with incredibly affordable, renewable energy.
The plan involved building a canal between the two levels of the Niagara River, and channeling water through the canal to generate electricity. Only part of the canal was ever dug, though, leaving a channel about a mile long, ten feet deep and fifteen feet wide. A major economic collapse in 1892 left the project abandoned – but the channel wasn’t.
(Image: USGS, public domain)
Auctioned in 1920 to the city, it became the place to dump chemical waste. The city of Niagara Falls, the U.S. Army, and a private company called Hooker Chemical and Plastics Corporation all started using the conveniently built channel for dumping chemical waste for the next 30 years. Eventually the channel was full – it was covered in 1952, and almost forgotten about.
Until the birth defects and the illnesses started happening.
(Image: EPA, public domain)
As the city started to expand, the land that had been used as a chemical waste dump was re-used as something a little bit more along the lines of what Love had originally envisioned. Schools and homes were built on top of the dump, and in the process of construction and digging, the chemical waste was disturbed. It began seeping from punctured barrels into the ground and into the groundwater.
(Image: Buffalutheran, public domain)
It took an investigation by the president of the local Home Builders Association to determine just how bad the situation was. There was an incredibly high rate of leukemia in the area, along with birth defects and an abnormally high rate of miscarriages. The air was filled with a constantly rank smell, trees and bushes were dying, and children would come in from outside with burns on their skin. In 1978, the entire area was classified as a federal emergency area. More than 800 families were moved from their homes, and the monumental task of cleaning up 21,000 tons of chemical waste began.
4. Silver Valley, Idaho
(Image: Digital Geology of Idaho)
Silver Valley is the home of the Bunker Hill Mining and Metallurgical Complex Superfund site, and it’s one of the largest mining districts in the world. Mining operations, which began in 1883 and are still going today, have turned the entire area into an incredibly dangerous place to live. Much of the valley is contaminated with heavy metals and the byproducts of mining, with local lead smelters adding to the problem with the production of lead leavings that have seeped into the soil and the water.
In the late 1980s, different areas began the process of serious cleanup efforts in order to make the valley safe for the families that live there. Portions of the site have been completely worked at the cost of millions of dollars, with locations that were previously toxic being turned into golf courses and resorts.
(Image: University of Idaho Digital Initiatives, cc-nc-sa-4.0)
Work is still far from over, though, and there are still major projects being undertaken to upgrade the infrastructure of local municipalities to help prevent heavy metals and runoff from contaminating the local water supply.
The towns – including Kellogg and Wallace – have had some pretty interesting responses to the double-edged sword that their mining industry has proven to be. On one hand, it’s the livelihood of the area while on the other hand, it’s making their residents sick. In order to raise some of the money needed for cleanup efforts, the citizens of Kellogg went so far as to vote to impose a tax on themselves in the 1980s.
(Image: US Fish and Wildlife Service via Boise Weekly)
Wallace, on the other hand, has declared themselves the Center of the Universe.
In 2004, Wallace officials were going back and forth with the officials from the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA said, basically, that since Wallace couldn’t prove beyond a doubt that it had been completely cleaned up and was now a safe place to live, that it wasn’t. Wallace responded with the idea that since no one could prove that the town wasn’t the center of the universe then clearly, it was.
(Image: US Geological Survey)
The EPA continues to enforce rules and regulations on the town, but they’re also embracing their new role as the Center of the Universe. They have an engraved sewer access cover that indicates the precise spot, installed after they consulted scientists around the world looking for proof that their little town wasn’t the center of the universe. When they couldn’t find it, they located the spot between the Four Corners of the Universe – Sunshine, the Galena, Bunker Hill and Lucky Friday, all area mines – and staked their claim to fame.
3. New Idria, California
(Image: Jef Poskanzer, cc-4.0)
Today, the ghost town of New Idria is off-limits; anyone who did wander into the vacant city streets would have no doubts that there’s something very, very wrong – doubts that would start with the orange water.
In 1854, a mining claim was declared in the area and in 1857, the first furnaces were fired up. Between 1954 and into the early 1970s, Idria was home to one of the largest mercury mines on the continent. More than 38 million pounds of mercury have been mined from the site, with production continuing pretty much uninterrupted throughout the decades of use.
(Image: Joe.nehls, cc-sa-3.0; water contaminated with mercury)
Not surprisingly, the surrounding area has been found to have incredibly high levels of copper, mercury, nickel, zinc, aluminum, selenium and arsenic. Contaminated water has flooded the surrounding wetlands, stretching for nearly 20 miles from the site – which also includes the natural habitats for seven native, endangered species.
(Image: Tom Hilton, cc-4.0)
About two million tons of waste rock and debris have been left sitting on the site’s 40 acres. The town of New Idria still stands, although many of its buildings have been damaged by vandals and the elements. Mercury smelters and machinery still dot the landscape, standing in runoff water and streams that have been tinted orange by the massive quantities of iron oxide that’s flooding into the ground as machinery rusts. Below the surface, there are more than 30 miles of tunnels and 20 levels to the now defunct mine.
The cleanup of the town, the mine, and the wetlands is still in its early stages.
2. Gowanus Canal, New York
(Image: USGS, public domain)
The nearly two-mile long canal has the dubious distinction of being one of the most polluted bodies of water in the entire country.
Built in the 19th century, the Gowanus Canal has always been in the center of a major industrial district. Lining its shores have been oil refineries and tanneries, along with gas and chemical plants. For nearly 150 years, these plants have been dumping everything from chemical waste to sewage runoff into the murky waters of the canal. The site has been at the heart of a pretty long battle over whether or not it should be declared a Superfund site, with its official designation only coming in 2010. While state officials had hoped to take care of the problem themselves, representatives of the federal government – and of the surrounding residential communities – had hoped that with the backing of federal money, a better job would be done getting rid of the pesticides, heavy metals and carcinogens that have turned the water of the canal into something more closely resembling month-old pea soup than water.
(Image: Jim.henderson, public domain)
Today, there’s no more remnants of the shipping trade that once made the area a bustling hub of industry. Most of the boats on the canal are recreational, and fishermen still manage to pull the occasional striped bass out of the waters – but they certainly don’t risk eating them. Many developers who have tried to revitalize the area have been forced to abandon plans – it’s all but impossible to get insurance on a development along the canal’s waters.
(Image: Jim.henderson, public domain)
It’s estimated that the cleanup will take somewhere between 10 and 12 years, and will cost up to $500 million to complete. Detention tanks for contaminants will be costing $77 million alone, and that’s only a small part of the cleanup efforts. In order to get the canal into a state even resembling healthy, it’s going to mean a massive overhaul of the area’s infrastructure, and figuring out what to do with all the pollutants that are still being dumped into the water a century and a half after its construction.
1. Lipari Landfill, New Jersey
(Image: Google Maps)
At the time, it was all perfectly legit. Admittedly, we’ve come a long way in learning about the effects of hazardous materials, heavy metals and pollutants, but the numbers that go along with the site that was once ranked the worst Superfund site in the country are still staggering.
Active between 1958 and 1971, the Lipari Landfill covers 16 acres in New Jersey. In addition to accepting household trash, the landfill also took industrial liquid and solid waste. By the time it closed, more than 3 million gallons of liquid waste had been dumped on the site, along with 12,000 cubic yards of solid wastes. The site accepted literally everything, from dried paint and resins to solvents, formaldehyde and industrial byproducts.
Not surprisingly, the contaminants leaked into the surrounding soil and into the nearby lakes and streams, which were ultimately closed. But they also leaked into the air, so much so that part of the cleanup efforts included vacuum systems capable of moving 600 cubic feet of air every minute and removing the toxic vapors.
(Image: National Archives, public domain; used for illustration purposes only)
Today, the effects are being felt.
Those who played in the area as children, part of the community of 3,400 people that were directly exposed to the fumes and who drank the contaminated water, are suffering from a myriad of health problems. There’s rare cancers, miscarriages, chronic health issues, and early deaths. In the 1970s, the nearby lake and surrounding woods were popular places for scouts and campers – now, those adults are suffering from incredibly tragic health problems. Some remember seeing the runoff and the pollutants, but not knowing that the yellow, black, red and orange water was bad for them, and not knowing that the funny smell in the air was toxic.
Now, they know.
(Image: Robin Stott, cc-sa-4.0; used for illustration purposes only)
Cleanup first began in 1982, with testing the groundwater and trying to determine just how far the contamination had spread. Extraction systems have been running throughout the 1980s and 1990s, in an attempt to remove the most dangerous chemicals. Cleanup is still ongoing, and in the meantime, some area families have been seeking settlements to help alleviate medical bills necessitated by the pollutants.
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