Central Hazardous Materials Fund (CHF)

…Cleaning up contaminated sites to allow the public to safely enjoy our land and resources

Mojave desert, valgold ore processing area after cleanup

The CHF is the Department of the Interior’s principal source of funding to investigate and cleanup the highest priority contaminated sites located in national parks, national wildlife refuges, and other Department-managed lands. CHF sites may pose risks to human health and the environment and follow the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) process to properly characterize sites and select appropriate response actions. 


The Department pursues potentially responsible parties for cost reimbursement or for work performance, reducing the cost to the American taxpayer. Since 1995, CHF recovered or avoided nearly $1 billion in cleanup costs, $138 million of which were funds recovered from third parties that allowed the program to support many more projects than would have been possible solely with appropriated funds.


Through the CHF, the Department has conducted CERCLA response actions at approximately 100 sites and completed cleanup at 40 sites. The sites include, but are not limited to: abandoned hardrock mines, formerly used defense sites (FUDS), defense-related uranium mines (DRUMS), landfills, firing ranges, and former industrial sites.

 

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Krejci Dump site before and after remediation with CHF funding
Before and after photographs of the Krejci CHF Site, located in Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio.

 

Current CHF remediation sites

CHF Policy Guidance

 

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