News Environment

Rising groundwater threatens to spread toxic pollution on U.S. coastlines

By 2100, sea level rise could push groundwater into hundreds of Superfund sites

an aerial image of the Halaco Engineering Company site

The Halaco Engineering Company site in Oxnard, Calif., is one of hundreds of Superfund sites on U.S. coastlines where rising groundwater could spread pollution to nearby communities.

Steve Osman/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

By Nikk Ogasa

Hidden flows of water are poised to flush toxic contamination into U.S. coastal communities.

Sea level rise from climate change won’t just force shorelines to retreat — in inland areas, it will guilefully lift groundwater into shallower soils.