Consilium Guides / Superfund sites
How to find Superfund sites near a home
Superfund sites are contaminated places the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency manages under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The most serious are on the National Priorities List. You can find sites near an address with EPA's Superfund search and map tools. What matters for a home is the site's status and cleanup stage, not just the distance on a map.
What Superfund and the NPL are
CERCLA is the federal law for cleaning up uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous-waste sites. The National Priorities List is how EPA identifies sites that need long-term remedial action. A site can be proposed for the list, on the list, or deleted from the list after EPA decides the cleanup goals are met. EPA explains the NPL.
Site status and construction complete
Proposed, final, and deleted are different records. "Construction complete" means the physical cleanup systems are built. It does not, by itself, mean EPA has deleted the site or ended reviews. Many sites stay on the NPL through five-year reviews that check whether the cleanup still protects people and the environment. Read the profile rather than the pin.
How to look up sites
Start with Search Superfund sites where you live and EPA's Cleanups in My Community map. Open the site profile for the contaminants of concern, the cleanup stage, and the five-year review documents.
Superfund, TRI, and brownfields
| Record | What it is |
|---|---|
| Superfund / NPL | Contaminated sites EPA manages under CERCLA, including the most serious sites on the National Priorities List. |
| TRI facility | An operating facility that reports listed chemical releases each year. It is not automatically a Superfund site. See the TRI guide. |
| Brownfield | A property where reuse is complicated by real or possible contamination. Many are handled by state programs. EPA's brownfields pages describe that program. |
Questions during a home purchase
Ask what the seller's disclosure says about environmental conditions. Ask the state environmental agency whether the parcel or a neighboring parcel has a cleanup file. A map pin is the start of that question, not the answer.
How industrial sites appear in a report
A Consilium Compare report lists nearby TRI facilities and release pounds. That section is TRI, not a Superfund determination. Use this page and EPA's tools for Superfund, and the report for a side-by-side ZIP comparison. The sample report shows the industrial section.
FAQ
How do I find Superfund sites near me?
Use EPA's Superfund site search and the Cleanups in My Community map. Search by address, then open the site profile for status, contaminants, and cleanup stage.
Is it safe to live near a Superfund site?
There is no single answer from the map pin. EPA's site profile describes contaminants, exposure pathways, and cleanup status. A deleted site is not the same record as a site still under construction. State and local health agencies can speak to exposure questions the profile raises.
What is the National Priorities List?
The National Priorities List is EPA's list of the most serious Superfund sites, the ones eligible for long-term federal cleanup funding. Not every contaminated property is on it.