The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says more than 40 contaminated sites, oil facilities, and properties with special emergency response plans are in the path of Hurricane Florence.
The 41 sites are along the Eastern Seaboard in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The EPA also assessed sites on September 13 in Georgia. Before the storm was set to arrive, the EPA reviewed the vulnerability of Superfund sites in coastal zones that Florence could hit.
According to a Bloomberg News article, the EPA’s approach to cleaning up contaminated sites doesn’t leave many options for companies seeking to protect their sites from immediate threats such as hurricanes and flooding. However, some short-term measures exist, according to the article, such as pumping water out of lagoons to reduce the chances of them spilling over or closing down wells to prevent water from contaminating aquifers.
NGWA has prepared a resource center on hurricanes and groundwater housed on its consumers’ website, WellOwner.org. Included is information on how to protect water well systems before and after the storm. Access the site here.