A nation that levies a fine against only 3% of 100,000 water pollution violations every year ought not to be surprised to learn that its borders harbor more than 12,500 sites where water has been so badly contaminated it will be at least 50 to 100 years before it can be cleaned up—if these sites can be cleaned up at all.

These sites—which a new report from the National Research Council calls “complex” because current and expected technology is not able to clean them up—account for about 10% of the at least 126,000 sites across the U.S. with contaminated groundwater.

“The complete removal of contaminants from groundwater at possibly thousands of complex sites in the U.S. is unlikely, and no technology innovations appear in the near time horizon that could overcome the challenges of restoring contaminated groundwater to drinking water standards,” explained Dr. Michael Kavanaugh, chair of the committee that wrote the report and a principal with Geosyntec Consultants, Inc. in Oakland.

The report states a “highly uncertain” estimate of the cost of complete cleanup at these sites as ranging from $110 to $127 billion, but these figures do not include the cost of overcoming the technological barriers to complete cleanup at complex sites or the costs of cleaning up future sites of groundwater contamination.

Admitting that most Americans will be shocked and surprised at its findings, the committee blames the euphemistic nomenclature used in the toxic cleanup industry, which calls sites “closed” and considers them “successes” even though contamination remains that will require long-term oversight and funding. Although industry professionals in both the private and public sector understand how these terms are used, the general public does not, and may assume that a successfully closed site has been restored to pristine condition.

-Matt Bewig

To Learn More:

Report: Cleanup of some Contaminated Groundwater Sites Unlikely for Decades (by Jennifer Walsh, National Academy of Sciences)

Alternatives for Managing the Nation’s Complex Contaminated Groundwater Sites (National Research Council)

100,000 Water Pollution Violations a Year (by Noel Brinkerhoff and David Wallechinsky, AllGov)