Superfund Accomplishments Quarterly Report - Fiscal Year 2024

EPA’s Superfund Accomplishments Report highlights the important work of EPA staff and partners to clean up the nation’s most contaminated land and respond to environmental emergencies and natural disasters. Superfund cleanups protect human health and the environment, while also supporting community revitalization efforts and economic opportunities through redevelopment.

With its quarterly updates, EPA’s Superfund Accomplishments Report publishes stories as they happen. Please check back regularly for new stories and program highlights!

Table of Contents

In the News

The Superfund Accomplishments Report isn’t the only place you can read about the great work taking place. The Superfund program often shares its biggest successes through press releases and other national announcements.

Click on the headlines below to read our most notable recent Superfund success stories!

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Superfund

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invested $3.5 billion in environmental remediation at Superfund National Priorities List sites and reinstates the Superfund chemical taxes, making it one of the largest investments in American history to address the legacy pollution that harms the public health of communities and neighborhoods.

Significant Construction Milestone Achieved at Connecticut Superfund Site Thanks to BIL Funding

A difficult and logistically challenging construction activity at the Raymark Industries Superfund Site was completed in April with a “mega-pour” event that brought 71 concrete mixing trucks to the site to finish building the floor and foundation of a new pump station that will manage stormwater generated by EPA’s soon-to-be constructed 10-acre low permeability hazardous waste cap on the site. For nearly 12 hours, mixing trucks took turns pouring 700 cubic yards of concrete to construct a three-foot-thick concrete slab that will help prevent cold joints that could weaken a foundation. The site team worked closely with town officials and police to ensure that the operation caused as little disruption as possible. EPA conducted significant public outreach ahead of the event, including sharing an information sheet, to alert nearby residences and businesses.

BIL Funding Leads to the Successful Completion of a Cleanup Action at Smokey Mountain Smelters Site

EPA’s cleanup action at the Smokey Mountain Smelters Superfund Site in Knox County, Tennessee was completed in April 2024. The cleanup action, accelerated through $2.6 million of BIL funding, makes it one of the first BIL-funded cleanup actions completed in the Southeast. During the scope of the cleanup, approximately 15,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil from the former processing building was excavated. In addition, 11,000 gallons of a treatment solution was injected into shallow groundwater wells to treat contaminated groundwater. Two of three site parcels were purchased by a private party who has plans for future redevelopment of the site.

Pictured above at Smokey Mountain Smelters with Peter Johnson, Region 4 Remedial Project Manager (with vest), Lee Barron (Tennessee Department Environmental Control), Caleb Properties (new property owners), and the Remedial Action Contractor Project Manager.

Addressing Lead Contamination at Superfund Sites

Residential Lead Cleanup Work and Protection of Children’s Environmental Health in Southside Chattanooga, Tennessee

Using BIL funding, EPA is increasing the number of lead-contaminated yards cleaned up at the Southside Chattanooga Lead Superfund Site this year by 20 percent. The site is the largest residential lead site in EPA’s Region 4. Analytical results from soil sampled in residential yards revealed that 1,459 of the 3,488 properties sampled are above the current clean up number and require remediation. To date, 154,000 tons of contaminated soil has been removed from impacted properties. A total of 881 parcels have been remediated.

Shown above is the rear of an excavated yard at the Southside Chattanooga Superfund site.

Protecting Human Health and the Environment

Legacy pollution from past industrial activity impacts thousands of sites across the country, often in communities already overburdened with other environmental stressors. The Superfund program cleans up these sites and ensures that the remedies remain protective for years to come.

Institutional Controls Ensure Long-Term Protections at Site in Pueblo, Colorado

EPA, in coordination with Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), modified the cleanup plan for the Colorado Smelter Superfund Site to document two actions. The first was to finalize the current community properties study area (Operable Unit 1 (OU1)) as the final site boundary, which reflects the nature and extent of site-related contamination in residential soils. The second was to allow remedy modification to implement Institutional Controls (ICs) for residential properties within the OU1 Boundary where contaminated or potentially contaminated soil is left in place above levels acceptable for unlimited use and unrestricted exposure.

Through what’s known as an Explanation of Significant Differences document, EPA modified the remedy to include ICs issued by CDPHE and the City of Pueblo to minimize disturbance of residential soils in areas where potential contamination may still lie in place. This is the first residential IC to be established at the Site and additional ICs will be considered to continue protecting human health and the environment. EPA plans to reassess site-specific cleanup levels in light of EPA’s recently Updated Residential Soil Lead Guidance for CERCLA Sites and RCRA Corrective Action Facilities, which may change the total number of properties that require ICs.

Communities as Key Partners in the Cleanup Process

EPA works closely with communities across the country as part of Superfund’s Community Involvement Program to enable community members to get involved and stay informed.

Improved Superfund Community Workshops Successfully Piloted in EPA Region 2 and 5

EPA staff for the Lower Hackensack River and Acme Steel Coke Plant Superfund sites in New Jersey and Illinois each piloted two Superfund Community Workshops for affected communities, reaching over 100 community members collectively and gaining valuable feedback that will be used to improve future community outreach efforts.

The Superfund Community Workshops seek to promote early community involvement at Superfund sites and to build strong relationships with communities from the start.

Established community groups, prominent community members and EPA partners in each region helped develop and lead the respective workshops to ensure that EPA’s engagement efforts resonated with communities and their specific needs and priorities.

Taking a more proactive approach to community involvement increases EPA’s likelihood of community support for cleanup plans, decreases its likelihood of cleanup delays, and provides a better chance at redevelopment opportunities that best serve the affected community or communities.

Region 2 is planning to host two more workshops in the months ahead, and Region 5 will also host one more community workshop before the end of the year.

Improved Data Platform Continues to Support Community Involvement Efforts in Bridgeton, Missouri

EPA continued improving the successful West Lake Landfill Dashboard for the West Lake Landfill Superfund site and provided additional insight into site operations by recording “In-The Moment” videos to showcase the work being described in the reports and documents.

The public dashboard is an interactive site that provides updated site data results in plain language to inform community members of cleanup actions and progress at the site.

The nearly 200-acre site became radiologically contaminated in 1973 when soils mixed with uranium ore processing residues were brought to the landfill and presumably used as daily cover in the landfilling operation.

Members of the site team also participated in a National Public Radio podcast interview to discuss how climate change is being considered in the final remedial design.

Superfund and Environmental Justice

EPA Engages Community to Address Environmental Justice Concerns

EPA used a multi-pronged approach to actively engage and educate community members about the St. Louis Airport and Vicinity Properties Superfund site to encourage participation in the cleanup decision-making process. The site consists of over 770 affected properties and contaminated soils along Coldwater Creek, which winds 14 miles through North St. Louis County, Missouri. EPA utilized a dedicated community liaison in the St. Louis area to lead an assessment of the community’s needs for technical assistance in understanding the ongoing cleanup work at the site. The assessment included active outreach by the EPA site team who listened to the community’s concerns to inform the communications plan for the site. EPA also regularly engages with community leaders and elected officials as key partners in the cleanup decision-making process.