HW 3: Superfund Sites Where You Live

For this assignment, you will use the EPA website Superfund Sites Where You Live to research the nearest site of known releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants from the National Priorities List (Superfund site) to your home that affects water quality. This will probably also be the nearest Superfund site of any kind since most (but not all) of the sites involve the contamination of surface and/or ground water. If you are unable to determine exactly which site is most proximal or if you have two or more that are equidistant from your home, you may pick the site that you think will be more interesting to research. Once you have found your site, go to our Sakai website and provide a brief description of the site and answer a few questions. After you take care of the Superfund Site, use the website for the USEPA's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Program to address questions 13 to 20 (warning, the map is difficult to use- try doing a county-level search).

Some additional resources that may be of some help:

This map of Superfund sites provided by the The National Institutes of Health (NIH)

This list of ~90 contaminants that are monitored in drinking water by the EPA and the "potential health effects from long-term exposure above the maximum contaminant level (MCL)- this is a good place to

The questions will be:1. What is your hometown?

2A. What is the name of the Superfund site that is closest to your hometown?

2B. What is the location (city and state) of the site?

2C. How many miles away is it?

2D. What is the Internet address for the main homepage for this site at EPA.gov?

3. How would you describe the owner or former owner of this site?
A. US federal government- military
B. US federal government- non military
C. State or local government
D. Agricultural
E. Extractive industries- energy: coal-related
F. Extractive industries- energy: petroleum-related
G. Extractive industries- mining (non-energy)
H. Industrial- chemical
I. Industrial- sanitary waste
J. Industrial- toxic waste
K. Industrial- other

4. Briefly describe the type of activities that led to the pollution at this site. For instance- if it is an industrial site, what is/was being manufactured? if it is a mine, what is/was being mined?

5. Does the contamination at this site involve a leaking underground storage tank (UST)?
A. Yes
B. No
C. I could not determine this

6. List the contaminant(s) of concern that have been identified at this site.

7. Why are these contaminants dangerous to humans and/or to the environment? (list the contaminant and then list the heath/environmental concerns)

8. What are the potential pathways for the contaminants at this site and local water resources? Is the site near a body of surface water? Is is up river or uphill from a populated area?

9. What has been done/is being done/has been proposed to "clean up" the site or limit the further spread of the contaminants at this site into local ground or surface water?

10. What was the/is the estimated clean-up cost associated with this site?

11. Pretend that you have to provide a sound bite for the main stream media around this site. Summarize the information that you have learned in no more that three sentences* using language and concepts that could be understood by someone who reads at an 8th grade level.

*normal, non-Victor Hugo length sentences

12. Before this assignment, had you heard of this site?
A. Yes, this site is (in)famous in my hometown; everyone knows about it.
B. Yes, but not many other people where I am from know about it.
C. No, I had not heard of it.

13. What is name of the closest site that currently (2012) reports to the USEPA's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) program?

14. How far (as the crow flies) is it from your home?

15. What material is being released? How much is being released, and what is the environmental medium of the release (is it being released into/onto the air, water, or ground)?

16. To what "Large Aquatic Ecosystem" does this location contribute?

17. What is name of the closest site that currently (2012) reports to the USEPA's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) program that releases directly into water? If this is the same as the closest site, indicate with "same as closest site" and skip the rest of the questions.

18. How far (as the crow flies) is it from your home?

19. What material is being released? How much is being released?

20. To what "Large Aquatic Ecosystem" does this location contribute?

This assignment is due Friday January 24th at the beginning of class.