Future Floods & Superfund Sites: Toxic Contamination Risks in Coastal Communities
Abstract
Two million people in the US live within one mile of 327 superfund sites. These sites are polluted with the most hazardous chemicals known to humans and many are in areas prone to flooding. It is more likely that toxic contaminants spread into nearby communities when these highly polluted sites are flooded. Extreme floods are expected to increase in frequency and intensity in the future with a changing climate potentially increasing the likelihood of flooding at superfund sites. This also will increase chances that more people are exposed to flood waters contaminated with hazardous materials from superfund sites. Those most at risks of being exposed to contaminated floodwaters from superfund sites are low-income and minority populations who make up a greater proportion of individuals living near these sites . However, it is currently unknown if flooding of superfund sites will be more likely under future climate change scenarios.
To address this gap in our knowledge, we developed a geographic model and used data from 55 tidal gauge stations along the US coasts to determine the risks of flooding at superfund sites across multiple sea-level rise scenarios from 2040 to 2100. We find an increased likelihood that coastal superfund sites will experience flooding by 2040 and beyond, especially under the intermediate high, high, and extreme sea-level rise scenarios. Demographic and environmental justice (EJ) indices suggest communities nearby superfund sites likely to flood in the future have elevated proportions of low-income and minority populations and are already impacted by other public health burdens such as poor air quality and increased risks of cancer. Considering these findings, we discuss the need for adaptation measures to be taken to reduce the future risks of flooding at superfund sites and protect at-risk communities, including policies that explicitly consider the vulnerability of these sites that a changing climate poses.- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFMIN44B..07C
- Keywords:
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- 1641 Sea level change;
- GLOBAL CHANGE;
- 1926 Geospatial;
- INFORMATICS;
- 4346 Emergency response and evacuations;
- NATURAL HAZARDS;
- 6309 Decision making under uncertainty;
- POLICY SCIENCES & PUBLIC ISSUES