Fourteen Superfund sites in the Philadelphia area, including two in Delaware County, are within flood zones or areas susceptible to rising seas connected with climate change, writes Frank Kummer of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Superfund sites are heavily polluted locations, often former industrial sites, designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for urgent (and expensive) cleanup.

All 14 of the aforementioned sites are near creeks, streams, or the Delaware River, a major source of drinking water. Many are in low-income, minority areas.

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Among local sites still on the national Superfund list for cleanup is the Lower Darby Creek Area site. It’s comprised of two landfills, the Clearview Landfill, situated primarily in Darby Township, and partly in the Eastwick neighborhood of Southwest Philadelphia, and the Folcroft Landfill in Folcroft Borough. Both landfills operated into the 1970s.

Clearview, which is at the edge of backyards, spans 50 acres and rises to a 100-foot hill. It’s now being cleaned and capped. Contaminated soil is being excavated from homeowners’ yards and replaced with clean soil.

The EPA has found polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), compounds associated with increased cancer risk.

Read more about local Superfund sites in the Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.