How big is the Superfund issue?
In New York State alone there are about 100 Superfund Sites on the active National Priorities List. This number is the second largest number for any state with the exception of New Jersey. Remediation at some of the largest of these sites may cost more than 500 million dollars. Contamination from these sites impacts numerous small creeks and wetlands throughout new York State as well as major resources such an the Niagara, Hudson, Saint Lawrence and Grasse Rivers and Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and Onondaga Lake. The effect and appropriate remediation of the Superfund Sites is the first step in the Service’s role of protecting and restoring natural resources at Superfund Sites. After the site is remediated, we still have responsibility as a natural resource Trustee. The more complete the remedy conducted under Superfund, the less the residual injury that we must deal with under Natural Resource Damage Assessment (see NRDA at this web site for a more detailed description of the issue).
