EPA Superfund + Brownfields — what 'contaminated site nearby' actually means

Superfund (National Priorities List)

Created by CERCLA (1980), Superfund identifies the most-contaminated abandoned industrial + waste sites where federal cleanup is required. About 1,300 sites currently on the National Priorities List.

EPA scores each site via the Hazard Ranking System; sites scoring ≥28.50 enter the NPL. Cleanup is funded by responsible parties OR by the Superfund Trust if no party can be identified.

Average remediation: 15-25 years from listing to delisting. Many sites still active 30+ years later.

Searchable database: EPA EnviroFacts at enviro.epa.gov/cimc

Brownfields

Smaller-scale: 450,000+ properties in the US that had industrial use + may have residual contamination. Includes old gas stations, dry cleaners, light manufacturing, abandoned rail yards.

Brownfields are NOT NPL-grade contamination but trigger Phase I/II Environmental Site Assessments before redevelopment.

EPA Brownfields Program funds municipal redevelopment grants for cleanup + reuse.

What proximity actually means

Within 1 mile of a Superfund site: flag worth investigating, especially if downhill or downwind. NOT automatic disqualification — many sites have engineered containment.

Look for: groundwater contamination (do you have a private well?), vapor intrusion (volatile organics seeping into basements), soil contamination (kids playing in yard).

Phase I ESA ($2,000-5,000) is standard for commercial real-estate; residential buyers can request one. Phase II ($10,000+) involves actual sampling.

What zipradar shows

We do not currently federate EPA Superfund + Brownfields data per ZIP — these are not yet in our 12-dimension stack. Federation roadmap target: Q4 2026.

For now, EPA EnviroFacts (enviro.epa.gov) is the authoritative source for both. Search by ZIP or address; results show all NPL + Brownfields within proximity.

If a real-estate disclosure mentions either, check EnviroFacts directly + consider Phase I ESA before closing.