Buzz
Human progress has frequently harmed the environment, with some effects being immediate. Events like Chernobyl and Fukushima render areas uninhabitable right away. Yet, other times, the devastating outcomes of human activities remain dormant, only to impact future generations severely. Simply residing in certain regions can sometimes invite disaster.
10. Salton Sea
Southern California's Salton Sea was an accidental creation. Prior to 1905, the area was the Salton Depression, a barren basin 85 meters (278 ft) below sea level. Efforts to redirect the Colorado River for irrigation in the Imperial Valley led to an unintended outcome. By 1907, the misdirected river had filled the basin, forming the Salton Sea.
The Salton Sea would have dried up decades ago if Congress hadn’t designated it as a dumping site for agricultural runoff in 1928. Wastewater from the Imperial Valley has since sustained its water levels. Today, the lake remains a hub for agricultural waste disposal, recreational activities, and fishing.
Even with the continuous flow of wastewater, the Salton Sea continues to shrink due to evaporation. This process releases fine dust particles (under 10 microns wide) from the lakebed into the air. As more of the lakebed becomes exposed, the situation worsens. The Imperial Valley already suffers from childhood asthma rates three times higher than California’s average, and the pollutants from the lake’s depths will only exacerbate the problem.
9. Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania
Mount Carmel, a small town of about 6,000 residents, lies 140 kilometers (87 mi) northwest of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania’s anthracite coal region. Much like nearby towns such as Ashland, it’s a quintessential small community. It once shared similarities with another neighbor: Centralia.
Centralia is infamous as a disaster area. A trash fire set in 1962 to tidy the town before Memorial Day accidentally ignited coal seams underground. This subterranean blaze continues to burn and will persist for hundreds of years. The town is now deserted, with its few remaining buildings deemed unsafe. Visitors risk encountering sinkholes and hazardous gases.
The story may not end there. Numerous coal mining tunnels lie beneath the region. Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Resources uncovered maps showing that the fire could eventually reach the tunnels under Mount Carmel. These maps remained hidden until a right-to-know law was enacted in 2009. While it might take decades for the fire to spread to Mount Carmel, the consequences could be dire.
8. National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility
Currently under construction in Manhattan, Kansas, the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility will replace New York’s outdated Plum Island Animal Disease Research Facility. The NBAF will expand on Plum Island’s mission by studying pathogens that threaten animals, particularly those impacting agriculture. Insights from this research could be vital in preventing future threats to livestock, whether natural or man-made. A key focus is foot-and-mouth disease, a virus capable of causing widespread livestock devastation if an outbreak occurs.
Building a facility to study foot-and-mouth disease in the heart of America’s farmland is a decision that raises significant concerns. A 2010 risk assessment by the Department of Homeland Security estimated a 70 percent chance of accidental release, potentially causing economic losses between $9 billion and $50 billion. The National Research Council later reviewed the report, stating the outbreak risk was understated. A 2012 update claimed a much lower risk, but the NRC criticized its methodology for artificially reducing risk estimates.
7. Berkeley Pit
The late 19th century’s surge in electricity demand drove a need for copper, benefiting Butte, Montana, where a vast copper deposit was discovered. Mining began, with Butte providing a third of the U.S. copper supply for years. Open pit mining replaced underground operations in 1955, continuing until 1982. By then, pumps were needed to prevent groundwater from flooding the 2-kilometer-wide (1.2 mi), 542-meter-deep (1,780 ft) Berkeley Pit. When mining ceased, the pumps were turned off, and the pit began filling with water, now over 300 meters (1,000 ft) deep.
In 1995, a flock of snow geese landed in the Pit’s toxic waters overnight. By morning, 342 geese were found dead, their feathers stained orange-brown. The company managing the Pit blamed aspergillosis, but Montana officials ruled this out, identifying burns from copper, cadmium, and arsenic. The findings align with the Pit’s extreme contamination, containing high levels of these chemicals, along with aluminum, cobalt, iron, and zinc. The water’s pH is 2.6, akin to lemon juice, and the area reeks of sulfur.
The Berkeley Pit is projected to keep flooding without end. Once the water hits a critical level, it will reverse the groundwater flow, polluting nearby Silver Bow Creek, which feeds into the Clarks Fork River. This threshold is anticipated to be reached by 2023. A treatment plant has been built to pump and treat the pit water starting then. The process, using lime to purify the water, will generate hundreds of tons of toxic sludge daily.
6. El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas, constantly battles the threat of water scarcity. Situated in the desert, the city has worked for over a century to secure a reliable water supply. The 1905 Rio Grande Project allocated the river’s unused water for irrigation. The Elephant Butte Dam, built north of the city in New Mexico in 1916, stores significant water reserves. El Paso also relies on two underground aquifers. However, droughts make the Rio Grande and its flow into Elephant Butte unpredictable. By the 1990s, the aquifers were depleting rapidly. Since then, El Paso has pioneered water conservation, becoming a model for other cities. New water sources, including a desalination plant, have been developed, and residents are urged to conserve water.
Despite significant progress, the risk of El Paso running out of water remains. The city’s conservation efforts are maxed out, leaving new water sources as the only solution. Rapid population growth, driven by Ft. Bliss and immigration from Mexico, is a major factor. While praised for its conservation efforts, El Paso faces criticism for unchecked growth. Downstream ranchers along the Rio Grande also argue that the city’s water demands threaten their crops and livestock.
5. Asse II Mine
The Asse II mine, located near Braunschweig, Germany, began as a salt mine. After becoming unprofitable, it was sold cheaply to the German government, which repurposed it in 1967 as a temporary storage site for medium-level radioactive waste. At the time, rock salt pits were considered geologically ideal for nuclear waste storage. What started as temporary became permanent, with over 100,000 barrels of waste stored there until 1978.
The mine proved less stable than expected. Cracks formed in its walls, allowing groundwater to seep in and dissolve the rock salt. In 1988, radioactively contaminated brine was found leaking from the cracks, though this wasn’t disclosed to the public until 2008.
Local residents now worry that Asse II could flood, causing contamination of the area’s groundwater. To prevent disaster, 12,000 liters (3,170 gal) of saltwater are pumped out daily to avoid mixing with radioactive waste, but this is only a temporary fix. Plans are in place to remove the waste using remotely operated vehicles, though poor record-keeping means some barrels’ contents are unknown. Other challenges include cracked mine pillars and finding a new storage site for the extracted waste.
4. San Francisco, California
San Francisco, like much of California, is well-known for its earthquake risk. The 6.9-magnitude quake in 1989 and the catastrophic 7.8-magnitude event in 1906 serve as grim reminders. Major earthquakes here bring the danger of liquefaction, where water-saturated soil turns fluid during tremors, causing buildings to sink or collapse. Much of the Bay Area’s coastline and large sections of San Francisco are at high risk for liquefaction in the event of another major quake. Experts emphasize that it’s a matter of “when,” not “if.” The US Geological Survey estimates a 63 percent chance of a magnitude 6.7 or greater earthquake hitting San Francisco by 2038.
Despite the risks, San Francisco remains a highly sought-after real estate market. While liquefaction zones are often discussed with realtors, neighborhood appeal usually sways buyers. Tech giants like Yahoo, Yelp, and Pinterest have offices in the South of Market (SoMa) area, one of the most vulnerable liquefaction zones.
3. West Lake and Bridgeton Landfills
The West Lake and Bridgeton landfills in northern St. Louis combine elements of Centralia and Asse II. In the 1970s, West Lake Landfill was used to dispose of waste from nuclear weapons production. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the waste is securely stored and poses no radiation threat to nearby areas. No radiation above background levels has been detected in or around the site, and an underground barrier separates West Lake from the adjacent Bridgeton Landfill.
However, a 2013 Washington University study suggests that West Lake’s risks are underestimated. Radioactive materials could potentially seep into the groundwater beneath the site, eventually reaching the Missouri River and then the Mississippi River, a major source of drinking water.
Meanwhile, the neighboring Bridgeton Sanitary Landfill faces its own crisis: an underground fire is spreading toward West Lake. The barrier between the two landfills won’t stop the fire. While it may take over a decade for the fire to reach West Lake, if it ignites the radioactive waste, an explosion could occur. This event, akin to a dirty bomb, would release radioactive gas, creating a catastrophic disaster.
2. Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok, Thailand, is under siege by water. The primary cause, global warming, is predicted to increase sea levels by up to 29 centimeters (11 in) by 2050, quadrupling the city’s flood risk. Additionally, the ocean is eroding the coastline at an alarming pace, with some areas expected to lose several hundred meters of land to the sea within six years.
Compounding the issue, Bangkok is sinking due to land subsidence caused by excessive groundwater extraction. For decades, groundwater has been pumped to support the city’s population and industries. By the 1970s, Bangkok was sinking 10 centimeters (4 in) annually. Efforts to reduce groundwater usage slowed the sinking to less than a centimeter (0.4 in) per year, but the rate has recently risen to 3 centimeters (1.2 in) annually. Scientists agree that the situation is irreversible, and Bangkok will eventually be submerged. The most viable solution may be relocating the city to higher ground.
1. Sellafield
Sellafield, a nuclear plant located on the Irish Sea coast in northwestern England, was initially built to produce plutonium for military use and later generated commercial electricity. Although now decommissioned, Sellafield has been discharging radioactive waste into the Irish Sea since 1952. Today, the sea is regarded as one of the most radioactive bodies of water globally. Mutated fish are found there, and mist from its waves turns into radioactive dust.
The situation could deteriorate further. Sellafield stores high-level nuclear waste in 21 steel tanks, some of which are corroding and require replacement. The waste generates its own heat, necessitating constant cooling. If cooling fails, the liquid in the tanks could boil within 12 hours, releasing radioactivity. A cooling failure occurred in 2009, but the system was restored within eight hours, averting disaster.
The tanks at Sellafield hold 70 times the cesium-137 released during Chernobyl. If just 10 percent were released, Norway would face 50 times the contamination it experienced from Chernobyl. In the worst-case scenario—an explosion—evacuations would be required between Glasgow and Liverpool, potentially causing up to two million fatalities.
