Toxic Tides - Mapping disproportionate risks at flood-prone hazardous sites

Read the full report: Toxic Tides: Mapping disproportionate risks at flood-prone hazardous sites

Key Findings

• 5,500 hazardous facilities along America’s coastlines are expected to be at risk of flooding during a 100-year coastal flood by the end of this century if heat-trapping pollution grows unchecked (RCP 8.5). 

  • Cuts to pollution in line with pledged commitments (RCP 4.5) would reduce the number of at-risk sites by 362 (7%).

  • More than two-thirds of the facilities at risk by 2100 will be at risk of inundation during 100-year coastal flood events within the next 25 years, in either pollution scenario.

• Neighborhoods with higher proportions of residents who are renters, non-voters, living in poverty, don’t have a vehicle, don’t speak English well, identify as Hispanic, or are over the age of 65 are 15-41% more likely to have an at-risk hazardous site within 1 kilometer (.62 miles).

• The 47,646 facilities analyzed were collated from four different public data sources and one proprietary source, and include industrial facilities, fossil fuel and nuclear power plants, CAFOs, sewage treatment facilities, landfills and incinerators, contaminated cleanup sites (including Superfund sites), refineries, fossil fuel ports and terminals, oil and gas wells, and other facilities that treat or dispose of hazardous waste.

• The following will be at risk of flooding during a 100-year coastal flood by the end of the century under a very high emissions scenario: 

  • Over one-fifth of coastal sewage treatment facilities, refineries, and formerly used defense sites; 

  • About one-third of coastal power plants; 

  • Over 40% of coastal fossil fuel ports and terminals.

• Almost 80% of the 5,500 at-risk facilities are found in just seven states: Louisiana, Florida, New Jersey, Texas, California, New York, and Massachusetts.

More Resources

• An interactive map showing the location of hazardous sites and projected flood risks

• An interactive map showing the number of at-risk hazardous sites by region

• A StoryMap highlighting risks to fossil fuel infrastructure

• A webinar summarizing the research findings, demoing the maps, and contextualizing the findings