What happens when a radioactive Superfund site is in a floodplain?

Because we're doing the design right now, now's the perfect time to design those preventions into the plan.

It just makes sense to do it to try and plan for worst case scenario

while we're constructing it so we don't have to go back when we have some kind of a failure.

It's Tuesday, April 23rd. It's also Science Friday.

I'm Cyfry producer Charles Berquist. A landfill near St. Louis contains tons of

radioactive waste. It's also near the Missouri River in an area that can flood.

And it's not alone.

Across the country, there are many other toxic sites

threatened by flooding due to climate change.

We'll talk about the history of the site

and what's being done to control that risk. Here's Cyfri's John Dancoski.

The first Earth Day in 1970 launched a decade of environmental activism agency was created and and legislation was passed to protect drinking water and save endangered species among other things.

But by the end of that decade there were still serious environmental problems

including the remnants of decades of chemical pollution.

Our next story focuses on some of the most highly polluted areas of the country.

They're called Superfund sites and a big chunk of them. More than 300

are found in areas that are in danger of flooding.

Sheila Farzon's been reporting on this story for us.

She's a science journalist and editor with American public media.

Sheila, great to have you back.

Great to be here.

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