Before-and-after views looking west along the New Jersey 

shore. Storm waves and surge cut across the barrier 

island at Mantoloking, New Jersey, eroding a wide beach, 

destroying houses and roads, and depositing sand that may 

be contaminated onto the island and into the back-bay.

Impacts of Environmental Quality U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2013–3091

October 2013

Start with Science to Build Safer Communities

Hurricane Sandy Science Plan—Impacts of Environmental 

Quality and Persisting Contaminant Exposures

“The understanding we gain from these studies will set the stage for better models addressing 

future hazard scenarios and will help coastal communities be better prepared to withstand and 

respond to catastrophic storms.”—Suzette Kimball, U.S. Geological Survey Acting Director

Meeting the Science Needs of the Nation in the Wake of Hurricane Sandy—

A U.S. Geological Survey Science Plan for Support of Restoration and Recovery

Hurricane Sandy devastated some of the most heavily populated eastern coastal areas of the Nation. With a 

storm surge peaking at more than 19 feet, the powerful 

landscape-altering destruction of Hurricane Sandy is a 

stark reminder of why the Nation must become more 

resilient to coastal hazards. In response to this natural disaster, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) received a total of $41.2 million in supplemental appropriations from the Department of the Interior (DOI) to support response, recovery, 

and rebuilding efforts. These funds support a science plan (Buxton and others, 

2013) that will provide critical scientific information necessary to inform management decisions for recovery of coastal communities, and aid in preparation 

for future natural hazards. This science plan is designed to coordinate continuing 

USGS activities with stakeholders and other agencies to improve data collection 

and analysis that will guide recovery and restoration efforts. The science plan is 

split into five distinct themes:

• Coastal topography and bathymetry

• Impacts to coastal beaches and barriers

• Impacts of storm surge, including disturbed estuarine and bay hydrology

• Impacts on environmental quality and persisting contaminant exposures

• Impacts to coastal ecosystems, habitats, and fish and wildlife

This fact sheet focuses on assessing impacts on environmental quality and persisting contaminant exposures. 

Theme Stakeholders

The scientific information produced from this work will be used by numerous stakeholders, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Oceans 

and Coastal Protection Division and National Estuary Program, the National Park 

Service, the States of New York and New Jersey, and local agencies. USGS will 

study the possible effects of hazardous chemicals and other contaminants that 

may have been released into the environment during Hurricane Sandy. Areas 

affected by floodwaters caused by storm surge are a focus of the study because 

harmful contaminants can be carried by the water. Stakeholders will learn the 

success of current (2013) cleanup efforts in removing these contaminants, the 

current amount of risk associated with them, and how they were introduced into 

the environment. These studies serve to define pre-storm environmental quality 

so affected communities will be informed of the health implications of hurricaneinduced environmental contamination for future storms. This knowledge will 

allow decionmakers to create redevelopment strategies that build community 

resilience to future storms. 
Environmental Quality Projects

Low-elevation coastal areas impacted by storm-surge or 

river-floodwater damage are vulnerable to a range of chemical and 

microbial contamination issues. Contaminants can be mobilized and 

transported from disturbed sediments and damaged infrastructure 

and relocated in sediments and waters producing an increased risk 

of both acute and chronic low-level human and ecological exposure. 

Other potential contamination sources include combined sewer 

overflows; debris from buildings, automobiles, and boats; inundated 

infrastructure such as gas stations, landfills, chemical storage facilities, and hazardous waste sites; and saline water intrusion in estuaries and on shorelines. During Hurricane Sandy numerous wastewater treatment facilities failed for prolonged periods, releasing raw 

sewage into the environment. Public health agencies advised the 

public to disinfect water and other materials; however, the persisting 

effect of such releases is undetermined, including in local recreational waters. Debris from the built environment may release toxic 

materials over prolonged periods. Alteration of bay and estuarine 

hydrodynamics can affect salinity levels, fisheries and shellfish 

habitat, and contaminant exposures. The quality of the substantial 

amount of disturbed sediments in terms of legacy is undefined.

Characterize Persisting Risk of Ecological Exposure to 

Storm-Released Contaminants in Coastal and Aquatic 

Environments

The USGS will test environmental samples from affected 

coastal areas in New York and New Jersey for toxic contaminants, 

which may continue to be harmful to the ecosystem long after the 

immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Potential sources of these 

contaminants, including compromised infrastructure related to 

municipal wastewater treatment, storage of fuels and other chemicals, and inundated residential and industrial areas, are located 

along coastal areas damaged by Hurricane Sandy, particularly in 

areas affected by high storm surge. During the storm, these contaminants were released to the environment by collapsed buildings and 

floating debris.

First responders focused efforts to repair infrastructure, remove 

debris, and mitigate immediate threats posed by contaminants. 

USGS scientists are now studying the potential for longer-term 

ecological consequences of contaminants that could not be mitigated by first responders because the contaminants became trapped 

in the bottom sediments of estuaries, harbors, and other near-shore 

environments. Sediment samples will be collected and analyzed for 

a range of contaminants, and tissue samples will be collected from 

targeted species of finfish (bluefish) and shellfish (mussels) to test 

for possible chemical exposure pathways that may lead to health 

risks such as endocrine disruption and cancer. This also will allow 

scientists to prioritize the contaminants based on continued threat 

to biota, to determine their sources, and to pinpoint the highest risk 

areas. Accurate information regarding the long-term ecological 

health of areas affected by Hurricane Sandy will then be available, 

and coastal communities will be better prepared to minimize the 

release and impacts of contaminants from future storms.

Characterize Persisting Risk of Human Exposure 

to Storm-Released Chemical and Microbial 

Contaminants in Built Environment

This project focuses on the potential long-term harmful effects 

of contaminants on humans. Similar to the ecologically focused 

study above, this study begins where first responders stopped. In 

the immediate aftermath of the storm, a range of pathogenic and 

chemical contaminants posed acute toxicological risk to humans. 

Therefore, initial response efforts focused on removing these risks 

in areas frequented by humans such as public parks, beaches, and 

residential areas. Currently (2013), acute toxicological risk because 

of contaminant exposures to humans in most of those areas has been 

controlled. This study will examine the potential for longer-term 

health risks associated with contaminants that may linger in soils in 

the built environment and publicly accessible areas such as parks, as 

well as the poorly understood pathways to the environment such as 

leaching and chemical transformations of dredge spoils, and compromised infrastructure in residential and industrial areas. This study 

also will investigate the tissue samples collected in the ecological 

study above in terms of long-term chemical exposures to humans 

because of ingestion of finfish and shellfish. This project is the first 

to study potential human exposure to toxic contaminants released 

by Hurricane Sandy that were not mitigated by first responders in 

the immediate aftermath and the following weeks. Together these 

strategies will help inform the long-term cleanup efforts along the 

coasts, as well as help communities become better prepared for the 

future by providing new information to minimize the sources of 

contaminants that may continue to pose a risk to humans after the 

storm has passed.

For More Information:

Buxton, H.T., Andersen, M.E., Focazio, M.J., Haines, J.W., Hainly, 

R.A., Hippe, D.J., and Sugarbaker, L.J., 2013, Meeting the science 

needs of the Nation in the wake of Hurricane Sandy—A U.S. Geological Survey science plan for support of restoration and recovery: 

U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1390, 26 p., http://pubs.usgs.gov/

circ/1390/.

• http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hazard-event/sandy/

Cars and debris in a flooded low area in New York City (photo 

courtesy of European Pressphoto Agency). Background photo 

shows control measures being taken in the Arthur Kill between 

Staten Island, New York and New Jersey, in response to an oil 

release caused by Hurricane Sandy (photo courtesy of John 

Minchillo, Associated Press).