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Ecological Revitalization and Attractive Nuisance Issues

This fact sheet is the third and final in a series of fact sheets related to ecological revitalization on Superfund sites. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) encourages the beneficial reuse of Superfund, Brownfields, and other contaminated sites while protecting human health and the environment. Superfund sites are being cleaned up and restored while integrating natural features such as wetlands, meadows, streams, and ponds to provide habitat for terrestrial and aquatic plants and animals, and for low-impact or passive recreation, such as hiking and bird watching. The potential exposure of wildlife can be a concern when waste or contaminants remain on a site following cleanup (i.e., attractive nuisance), but it need not prevent the ecological revitalization of that site.This fact sheet discusses how to identify, assess, and manage potential attractive nuisance issues during ecological revitalization of Superfund sites and presents case studies that illustrate a variety of attractive nuisance issues and how they were managed.

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