Climate Change Threat: Rising Groundwater Poses Risks to US Coastal Communities

Toxic contaminants might enter coastal communities throughout the United States through underground water flows, according to a recent study.

A preliminary study published in ESS Open Archive on May 25 indicated that climate change raises groundwater levels in inland areas, infiltrating many heavily polluted locations designated for cleanup under the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund program, Science News reported.

These Superfund sites and hundreds of other contaminated regions may release dangerous heavy metals, radioactive elements, pesticides, and industrial chemicals. Unfortunately, low-income and minority populations are likely to suffer.

Patrick Barnard, a coastal geologist with the US Geological Survey in Santa Cruz, was astounded by the sheer number of Superfund sites that may have harmful pollutants released, making it necessary to evaluate the long-term consequences for these locations since these contaminated regions have often been handled without considering the increase in groundwater levels.

How Will Rising Ground Water Impact Human Life?

Although the relationship between the sea, groundwater, and climate change may not be immediately apparent, it exists. Seawater has the potential to seep through the earth and spread inland, contaminating the soil layers that support coastal towns. Rain and runoff may sometimes fall gradually from above. Freshwater often covers denser seawater in the subsoil. The groundwater is forced upward through the soil as sea levels rise.

Experts say human infrastructure is at risk as the water table gets closer to the surface, which can distribute dangerous compounds throughout the soil, periling local populations and ecosystems.

Kristina Hill, an environmental planner, and geologist, detected groundwater in contact with soil contaminants at a former Superfund site in the San Francisco Bay Area. Hill and her colleagues found 1,300 Superfund sites in low-lying coastal regions that might be contaminated by increasing groundwater levels.

According to the results of their study, 326 locations may have polluted soils if the sea level increases by one meter by 2100, which is a possibility. With 54 and 51 sites, New Jersey and Florida have the most Superfund sites in danger.

Suggested Strategies To Address The Problem

Not all contaminated sites in the US are Superfund sites, but they pose considerable risks. Hill's team identified five Superfund sites and approximately 5,300 state-managed polluted locations in the Bay Area susceptible to the expected one-meter sea level surge. According to the experts, there may be hundreds more sites like this throughout the coasts.

She suggested that monitoring is essential to reducing the spread of toxins brought on by groundwater rise brought on by climate change. After heavy rain or high seas, government agencies and municipalities should significantly boost groundwater monitoring, per Grist. Hill also noted that currently used sampling methods are sporadic and often need to capture contaminant movement more adequately.

Green infrastructure, such as rain gardens and vegetated roofs, is often used as a method of flood prevention. However, experts warn that these initiatives can worsen floods or fail to work as planned, depending on where the water table is.

Walter Rodriguez Meyer, a landscape designer, suggests planting "networked trees" and rooted flora to reduce groundwater levels, according to The City. This organic technique functions as nature's living pump and can manage rainfall without producing floods in neighboring places. It is advantageous in coastal locations.