By Mathy Stanislaus
Thirty-five years ago, our Superfund program was given the statutory authority to clean up sites where chemical releases have occurred or might occur.* At some of these sites, there are potential long-term health effects from contamination, such as cancers, birth defects, or respiratory issues. At other sites, the risk might be more immediate in the form of fires and explosions.*By implementing the Superfund statute with the help of residents and local and state officials, we can restore a healthier environment and clean up contaminated sites that can threaten the health of entire communities. That is why we recently added five sites to and proposed eight sites for the National Priorities List (NPL).* These sites present possible human health and environmental consequences. Because they’re contaminated, they can’t function as productive community resources.
During the last seven years leading our Superfund Program, I have seen first-hand how communities have transformed environmental and economically blighted sites into community assets.* For example, in downtown Corinna, Maine at the Eastland Woolen Mill Superfund site, a 22-acre textile mill left vacant in 1996, past practices resulted in extensive soil, groundwater and drinking water contamination.* The people of Corinna, as well as local and state officials, worked with us to transform this contaminated economic void into a valuable asset to the community.* The town of Corinna obtained a grant from us and developed a reuse plan for the site and surrounding areas. This collaborative work shaped the Corinna Village Center reuse plan.* Now a restored downtown, a recreational trail, a river walk, and a community bandstand for summer concerts and events provide a new landscape for the town.
This story is repeated in hundreds of cities and towns across the country at Superfund sites which have been reclaimed and reused through our collaboration with community stakeholders, local and state governments, and private organizations. *Academic research found that once a Superfund site has been cleaned up and is deleted from the NPL, nearby properties values increased 18.6 – 24.5 percent as compared to their pre-NPL proposal values.* We recognize the invaluable contribution of the hundreds of communities that work with us to make a visible difference today and for generations to come.
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Thirty-five years ago, our Superfund program was given the statutory authority to clean up sites where chemical releases have occurred or might occur.* At some of these sites, there are potential long-term health effects from contamination, such as cancers, birth defects, or respiratory issues. At other sites, the risk might be more immediate in the form of fires and explosions.*By implementing the Superfund statute with the help of residents and local and state officials, we can restore a healthier environment and clean up contaminated sites that can threaten the health of entire communities. That is why we recently added five sites to and proposed eight sites for the National Priorities List (NPL).* These sites present possible human health and environmental consequences. Because they’re contaminated, they can’t function as productive community resources.
During the last seven years leading our Superfund Program, I have seen first-hand how communities have transformed environmental and economically blighted sites into community assets.* For example, in downtown Corinna, Maine at the Eastland Woolen Mill Superfund site, a 22-acre textile mill left vacant in 1996, past practices resulted in extensive soil, groundwater and drinking water contamination.* The people of Corinna, as well as local and state officials, worked with us to transform this contaminated economic void into a valuable asset to the community.* The town of Corinna obtained a grant from us and developed a reuse plan for the site and surrounding areas. This collaborative work shaped the Corinna Village Center reuse plan.* Now a restored downtown, a recreational trail, a river walk, and a community bandstand for summer concerts and events provide a new landscape for the town.
This story is repeated in hundreds of cities and towns across the country at Superfund sites which have been reclaimed and reused through our collaboration with community stakeholders, local and state governments, and private organizations. *Academic research found that once a Superfund site has been cleaned up and is deleted from the NPL, nearby properties values increased 18.6 – 24.5 percent as compared to their pre-NPL proposal values.* We recognize the invaluable contribution of the hundreds of communities that work with us to make a visible difference today and for generations to come.
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