This is Superfund

A Community Guide to 

EPA’s Superfund Program
IF THERE IS A SUPERFUND SITE in your neighborhood, 

you are probably wondering, “what will happen?” and, 

“what can I do?”

This brochure will give you a better understanding of the 

Superfund process and ways you and your community 

can be involved, including important topics such as:

► What is Superfund? 

► Discovering Superfund Sites

► Taking Action to Clean Up Polluted Sites 

► Responsibility for Superfund Site Cleanup

► Getting Involved: You and Your Community 

 

► The Superfund Process 

► Making each Superfund Cleanup “Greener”

► Maintaining the Site Cleanup Over the Long-Term

► Deleting a Site from the National Priorities List

 

Valley of the Drums, KY 1979 Love Canal, NY 1978 

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For a variety of reasons, hazardous commercial and 

industrial wastes have been mismanaged and may 

pose unacceptable risks to human health and the 

environment. This waste was dumped on the 

ground or in waterways, left out in the open, or 

otherwise improperly managed. As a result, 

thousands of hazardous waste sites were created 

throughout the United States. These hazardous 

waste sites commonly include manufacturing 

facilities, processing plants, landfills and mining 

sites.

In 1980, Congress established the Comprehensive 

Environmental Response, Compensation, and 

Liability Act (CERCLA), as amended, in response to 

growing concerns over the health and 

environmental risks posed by hazardous waste

sites. This law was enacted in the wake of the 

discovery of toxic waste dumps such as Love Canal 

and Valley of the Drums in the 1970s. 

CERCLA is informally called Superfund. The Superfund 

program is administered by EPA in cooperation with 

state and tribal governments. It allows EPA to clean 

up hazardous waste sites and to force responsible 

parties to perform cleanups or reimburse the 

government for cleanups led by EPA.

What is Superfund? 

Superfund was established in 1980 by an act of Congress, 

giving EPA the funds and authority to clean up polluted sites

Goals of Superfund:

Protect human health and the environment by cleaning up polluted sites

Involve communities in the Superfund process

Make responsible parties pay for work performed at Superfund sites

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Discovering Superfund Sites

Taking Action to Clean Up Polluted Sites

Superfund sites are “discovered” when the presence of hazardous 

waste is made known to EPA. The presence of contaminants is 

often reported by residents, local, state, tribal or federal agencies, or 

businesses. Sometimes these hazardous wastes are found by EPA 

during inspections or investigations into complaints. 

National Response Center (NRC)

You can call NRC toll-free at 800-424-8802 to report potential 

releases of hazardous substances and oil 24-hours a day, seven 

days a week. You can report potential releases of hazardous 

substances and oil to the NRC as well as to your state, tribal and 

local authorities.

The NRC is the national point of contact for reporting all oil, 

chemical, radiological, and biological releases into the environment 

anywhere in the United States and its territories.

There are two basic types of responses that EPA uses to 

manage polluted sites:

Removal Actions: Used to handle emergency oil spills or 

chemical releases and short-term responses.

Emergency actions are taken to eliminate immediate risks and 

ensure public safety. Examples of such emergencies are chemical 

releases at a fixed location or during transportation. EPA may 

respond to help state and local authorities deal with these 

emergencies quickly. 

Remedial Actions: Used to handle complex sites needing 

a long-term response. Remedial actions manage releases 

that do not pose an urgent threat to public health or the 

environment and do not require immediate action.

Remedial actions involve complex and highly contaminated sites 

that often require several years to study the problem, develop a 

permanent solution, and clean up the hazardous waste. These are 

the sites that most people think of when they hear about the 

Superfund program.

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Responsibility for Superfund Site Cleanup

• Potentially Responsible Party (PRP): From the time the site is 

discovered, EPA tries to identify the generators and transporters of 

the hazardous waste and the owners and operators of a site. 

These people/companies/municipalities are considered PRP(s) 

under Superfund and are asked to conduct and/or pay for cleanup 

studies and activities. If the PRP(s) refuses to participate, EPA will 

clean up the site and sue the party or parties to recover costs.

• State/Tribal Government Involvement: Their involvement in 

Superfund has grown over the years, and states and tribes are now 

involved in virtually every phase of cleanups. Superfund requires 

EPA to coordinate with states and tribes when the federal 

government leads cleanup operations, and allows states, tribes, and 

local governments to lead cleanup efforts using Superfund money if 

they have the necessary technical and management expertise.

Getting Involved: You and Your Community

EPA’s Superfund Community Involvement Program provides 

individuals affected by hazardous waste sites with information and 

opportunities to participate as active partners in the decisions that 

affect the Superfund sites in their community. The community has a 

voice during all phases of the Superfund process, and plays an 

important role in assisting EPA with gathering information about the 

site.

Your involvement is very important. You have the opportunity 

and the right to be engaged in, and to comment on the work 

being done at sites in your community.

Superfund Community Involvement staff strive to:

• Keep the community well-informed of ongoing and planned activities

• Encourage and enable community members to get involved

• Listen carefully to what the community is saying

• Collaborate with the community to address concerns

• Incorporate community input into planned actions

• Explain to the community what EPA has done and why

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• Join/form a Community Advisory Group (CAG)

• Contact the site’s Community 

 Involvement Coordinator (CIC)

• Attend public meetings

• Review/comment on site decision

 documents (where applicable)

• Participate at information sessions

Ways YOU Can Get Involved
The Superfund Process

EPA encourages and engages in community involvement throughout 

the Superfund process. Look for the throughout this brochure for 

ways you and your community can be involved in the Superfund 

process at your site.

Preliminary Assessment/Site Inspection (PA/SI)

Once a site is identified, EPA looks at existing information, inspects 

the site, and may interview nearby residents to find out the history of 

the site and its effects on the population and the environment. EPA 

also normally tests the soil, water and air to determine what 

hazardous substances were left at the site and how serious the risks 

may be to human health and the environment.

EPA may take early action at a site if there is a need for quick risk 

reduction, and enough site information and data available to take 

action. Early actions are taken before the site has been 

characterized fully, and usually address a portion of a site, often as a 

removal action. For example, EPA may take early action to provide 

an alternative water supply to residents who are affected by 

contaminated drinking water, while the PA/SI process continues 

throughout the site. Additionally, these sites often require long-term 

actions such as restoring contaminated ground water or taking 

measures to protect wetlands, animals, and other ecological 

resources. In contrast to early actions, long-term cleanups are 

complex and may take many years to complete.

 Depending on the situation, EPA may conduct various 

community involvement activities during the PA/SI phase. These 

activities may include meeting with local officials and opinion leaders, 

conducting community interviews or planning an informal community 

meeting. EPA may also prepare fact sheets, contact local media, 

establish an information repository and designate an EPA 

Community Involvement Coordinator (CIC). In addition, the 

community may provide any information it has about the site to EPA.

 The Technical Assistance Services for Communities

(TASC) program helps communities understand the technical issues 

related to site activities, hazardous substances, and sampling results. 

This technical assistance is available to help you understand and 

review the information gathered at the site throughout the Superfund 

process, beginning with PA/SI.

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The National Priorities List

The National Priorities List (NPL) is a published list of hazardous 

waste sites in the country that are eligible for federal funding to pay 

for extensive, long-term cleanup actions under the Superfund 

remedial program.

How Do Sites Get On the NPL?

To evaluate the dangers posed by hazardous waste sites, EPA 

developed a scoring system called the Hazard Ranking System 

(HRS). EPA uses the information collected during the assessment 

phase of the Superfund process to score sites according to the 

danger they may pose to human health and the environment.

Many of the sites that are reviewed do not meet the criteria for federal 

Superfund cleanup action. Some sites do not require any action, 

while others are referred to the states, other programs, other 

agencies, or individuals for cleanup or other action.

 If a site has a high enough score on the HRS and meets all 

other criteria, EPA may propose that it be put on the NPL. The 

proposal is published in the Federal Register, the official publication 

of the U.S. government, and the public has an opportunity to 

comment on whether the site should be included on the NPL. 

EPA responds to comments and if applicable, announces the 

decision in the Federal Register.

 After a site is added to the NPL, EPA is required to conduct 

community interviews and to develop a Community Involvement 

Plan (CIP). EPA must also establish and maintain an information 

repository and administrative record and inform the public of the 

availability of these document archives.

 Technical Assistance Grants (TAG) provide money for 

activities that help community groups participate in decision making 

at eligible Superfund sites. TAGs are available at Superfund sites that 

are on the NPL or proposed for the NPL, and for which a response 

action has begun. EPA must notify the public when a site in their 

community qualifies for a TAG.

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Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study 

(RI/FS)

Once a site is placed on the NPL, further investigation into the 

problems at the site and the best way to address them is required. 

This is called a Remedial Investigation (RI) and the Feasibility 

Study (FS). The RI usually involves gathering and analyzing 

numerous samples of soil, surface water, ground water, and waste 

from locations throughout the site and near the site borders. The RI 

also involves assessing risks posed by the site.

The analysis of potential treatment methods or “cleanup alternatives" 

is called a FS. During the FS, the advantages and disadvantages of 

each cleanup method are explored.

Choosing a Cleanup Plan

After all of the cleanup alternatives are developed, EPA 

recommends the option it considers best for the site and offers it to 

the community for evaluation and comment in a Proposed Plan.

A Proposed Plan does the following:

Summarizes cleanup alternatives studied in the FS

Includes information on the site history, community 

 participation, the nature and extent of the contamination, 

 and the reasonably anticipated future land uses at the site

Highlights EPA’s recommended cleanup method

 EPA provides the public with an opportunity to comment on the 

Proposed Plan in writing or in person, and hosts a public 

meeting to discuss the recommended cleanup method. EPA 

prefers cleanups that will allow for reuse of the site if possible. 

Community input at this phase is critical to making good choices.

 EPA provides a “responsiveness summary” of the written and 

oral comments the public has made and the Agency's responses to 

those comments. 

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Record of Decision (ROD)

The cleanup method ultimately chosen for the site, and the 

reasons for the selection, are set forth in the ROD. The ROD is a 

document that is available to the public and explains all the 

activities that occurred prior to selection of a cleanup method, and 

describes how the cleanup method will be protective of human health 

and the environment. It also contains the responsiveness summary 

and shows how those comments were factored into the final decision.

Remedial Design (RD)

The RD is the phase during which the plans for the cleanup method 

are carefully designed. The RD is based on the cleanup method 

described in the ROD. As the plans for constructing the cleanup are 

developed and reviewed, more sampling may be needed to further 

define the location and amount of contamination.

 EPA may provide the public a fact sheet and hold a briefing 

describing the final remedial design.

Remedial Action (RA)

The RA starts the actual cleanup at a site. For example, the cleanup 

method may involve building wells to inject chemicals or organisms 

into the soil that will break down the contamination.

The RA phase is similar to building a house. Those responsible for 

the cleanup obtain all the materials needed and follow the plans that 

were developed during the RD phase. During the RA phase, 

construction equipment will be operating on site to conduct the 

cleanup.

 During the RA phase, the community should be informed about 

the work to be done including planned work hours, truck traffic, and 

health and safety precautions.

RI/FS: Data collection & analysis ROD: Cleanup method selection 

and specification

RD/RA: Cleanup planned 

and conducted

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Making each Superfund Cleanup 

“Greener”

The process of cleaning up a hazardous waste site uses energy, 

water, and other natural or materials resources, thereby creating an 

environmental "footprint" of its own. EPA strives to conserve natural 

resources, minimize waste generation, and reduce energy 

consumption to improve the environmental performance of 

Superfund activities while protecting human health and the 

environment.

Opportunities to decrease the environmental footprint and maximize 

the environmental outcome of a cleanup exist throughout a project 

life, and can include actions such as utilizing renewable energy to 

power site operations and reducing total air emissions by 

discouraging construction truck engine idling.

Returning Sites to Productive Use

As early in the process as possible, EPA works with communities 

through an array of communication techniques and partnerships to 

help to return sites to productive uses.

These uses can be industrial or commercial, such as factories and 

shopping malls. Some sites can be used for housing, public works 

or healthcare facilities, transportation, and other community 

infrastructure. Sites could also be redeveloped as recreational 

facilities such as golf courses, parks and ball fields; or for ecological 

resources, such as wildlife preserves and wetlands. Sites could 

even be used for generating energy from renewable sources such 

as wind turbines or solar panels.

 No matter what use is appropriate for a site, the community 

benefits from restoring the site to productivity, because the property 

can once again add to the economic, social, and ecological value of 

the community.

 Work with EPA, your local government, and your community to 

plan the redevelopment of the site. Explore the redevelopment 

ideas and resources provided by EPA.

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Maintaining the Site Cleanup Over 

the Long-Term

After EPA determines that the physical construction at a site is 

complete, activities are put in place to ensure that the cleanup 

actions will protect human health and the environment over the 

long-term. For example, these activities may include routine 

maintenance at the site such as making sure signs and fences are 

intact or soil treatment systems are running smoothly.

 EPA is also required to conduct a review of the site cleanup 

every five years. This Five-Year Review may include examining site 

data, inspecting the site, taking new samples, and talking with 

affected residents about site conditions, problems or concerns.

 EPA is required to notify the community and other interested 

parties when a Five-Year Review will be conducted at the site.

Deleting a Site from the NPL

EPA may delete a site or portion of a site (sometimes called an 

operable unit) from the NPL if all cleanup goals have been met and 

no further cleanup action is required to protect human health and the 

environment.

 EPA publishes a notice of its intention to delete the site, or 

portion of the site, from the NPL in the Federal Register, and notifies 

the community of the opportunity for comment. EPA then accepts 

comments from the public and formally responds to public comments 

received. If, after the formal comment period, the site or portion of the 

site still qualifies for deletion, EPA publishes a formal deletion notice 

in the Federal Register and places a final deletion report in the 

administrative record for the site.

Learn More on the Web!

EPA Superfund homepage: www.epa.gov/superfund/

TAG: www.epa.gov/superfund/community/tag/

TASC: www.epa.gov/superfund/community/tasc/

Superfund Job Training Initiative (SuperJTI): 

www.epa.gov/superfund/community/sfjti/

Superfund Redevelopment: 

www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle/index.html

Superfund & Green Remediation: www.epa.gov/superfund/greenremediation/

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EPA Regional Superfund 

Community Involvement Offices

EPA wants to remain accessible and responsive to your concerns.

Our community involvement staff is available 

to answer any questions regarding a Superfund site 

or an area you think may be a site.

Here is a list of EPA’s Regional Superfund 

Community Involvement Offices. 

Region 6 800-533-3508

Region 7 800-223-0425

Region 8 800-227-8917

Region 9 800-231-3075

Region 10 800-424-4372

Region 1 888-372-7341

Region 2 800-346-5009

Region 3 800-553-2509

Region 4 877-718-3752

Region 5 800-621-8431

www.epa.gov/superfund/community

United States

Environmental Protection

Agency

Office of 

Solid Waste and

Emergency Response

EPA-540-R-11-021

August 2011