Coastal communities, regions and states can use new data visualization to determine projected sea-level rise near hazardous waste facilities in coastal flood zones.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the tool "to help coastal communities, states, regions, and hazardous waste facility managers to better prepare for the impacts of climate change; independently assess their sea level rise vulnerabilities; and help inform actions they can take to become more resilient to climate change," the agency stated in a May 18 news release.
The visualization tool also uses the information from 2022 Interagency Sea Level Rise Technical Report's scenarios on the effects of sea-level rise, according to the release. The report found global mean sea level could rise by one to seven feet by 2100, which would threaten hazardous-waste facilities along coastlines. More than 40% of U.S. citizens live near a coast, "making it increasingly important for communities and facilities personnel to plan for this eventuality," the release states.
"Coastal flooding not only damages roads and homes, but also impacts human health, including by increasing the risk that drinking water, hazardous waste, and wastewater infrastructure will fail, putting people at risk of exposure to pathogens and harmful chemicals," the EPA states in the release.
The goal of data-visualization tool is to provide local and state leaders another resource for identifying “vulnerabilities and consider climate change risks in their planning processes and projects,” the release states.The tool will help users prepare for climate change, assess sea level rise vulnerabilities and “help inform actions they can take to become more resilient to climate change,” the release states.
Identifying the hazardous waste facilities that could be affected by rising water levels will help both communities and facility managers mitigate potential pollution risks resulting from contaminant release. Mitigation of pollution risks for historically vulnerable communities, where hazardous waste facilities are disproportionately located, is a priority, according to the EPA.
“This data visualization shines a light on how the climate crisis intersects with and exacerbates significant environmental challenges that disproportionately affect overburdened, under-resourced communities,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in the release. “Knowledge is power, and this tool will help concentrate our efforts to reduce exposure to toxins, strengthen community resilience, and increase environmental justice.”
