Superfund Program and Federal Facilities

Administered by the CERCLA Branch of the Division of Environmental Response and Remediation

Superfund is a federal environmental program established by the U.S. Congress to address abandoned hazardous waste sites within the United States. It is also the name of the fund established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 and was enacted as law by Congress in the wake of the discovery of toxic waste dumps in the United States during the 1970s.

Sites that warrant further investigation are placed on The National Priorities List (NPL), which is a list of national priorities among the known releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants throughout the United States and its territories. A site qualifies for the National Priorities List (NPL or Superfund list) when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determines there is a release or threatened release of hazardous substances that may endanger public health, welfare, or the environment.

The Superfund program is not delegated to the State, but the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (UDEQ) works with EPA, federal facilities, and other stakeholders to ensure that sites are cleaned up to standards that are protective of human health and the environment and also comply with State regulatory requirements. Twenty-six major sites have been designated by EPA as “Utah Cleanup Sites” under Superfund. Most of these sites are currently (or were formerly) proposed or finalized on the National Priorities List (NPL).

Federal Facility Sites are sites which have buildings, installations, structures, land, public works, equipment, aircraft vessels, other vehicles, and property, owned, constructed or manufacture for leasing to the federal government. The Federal Facilities site that are managed by the Division of Environmental Response & Remediation follow the CERCLA process, but are not necessarily listed on the National Priority List (NPL). Programs that the DERR manages include Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS), Non-DoD Owned, Non-Operational Non-Defense Sites (NDNODS), and as well as active DoD installations.

For more information about any particular Superfund or Federal Facilities site in Utah, please review the site summary links above or contact the State project manager.

Other Resources


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