Some of Ohio's most contaminated corners are getting another federal once-over this year, as environmental inspectors circle back to see whether long-finished cleanups are actually holding up.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to conduct five-year reviews of cleanup work at 11 Superfund sites across Ohio in 2026 to confirm that past remedies are still protecting people, drinking water and local ecosystems. The checkups are part of routine long-term oversight under the Superfund law and will send agency teams back out to examine remedies, monitoring systems and the legal controls that limit how each site can be used. Communities from Akron's outskirts to the state's river towns can expect site visits and public notices as the reviews move forward.
EPA launches statewide checkups
In a March 11 news release, the U.S. EPA said Region 5 will conduct comprehensive five-year reviews at 11 National Priorities List sites in Ohio this calendar year. "As required by the Superfund law, five-year reviews are a critical checkpoint to verify that completed cleanups are still doing their job, protecting people, drinking water, and ecosystems," EPA Region 5 Administrator Anne Vogel said, according to the U.S. EPA.
Which sites are in the sweep
The review list stretches across the state and touches a mix of industrial, landfill and Cold War legacy locations. The sites are Copley Square Plaza (Copley), Ford Road Landfill (Elyria), the Feed Materials Production Center (Fernald), Chem-Dyne (Hamilton), the Mound Plant (Miamisburg), Pristine, Inc. (Reading), Old Mill (Rock Creek), South Point Plant (South Point), United Scrap Lead Co., Inc. (Troy), Industrial Excess Landfill (Uniontown) and the Zanesville Well Field (Zanesville). The roundup and the agency's timeline were detailed by Spectrum News, which notes that each site will have a review report posted on its Superfund page after the work is finished.
What five-year reviews look for
Under federal Superfund law, five-year reviews are required when hazardous substances remain on site at levels that prevent unrestricted use. The reviews examine whether cleanup remedies, environmental monitoring and long-term institutional controls are still doing what they are supposed to do and remain protective over time. According to EPA guidance, the process typically combines document review, data analysis, site inspections and community input, and it can trigger additional cleanup steps if new problems or trends are identified.
Local legacies and lingering risks
Some of the Ohio sites carry particularly long shadows. The Fernald Feed Materials Production Center, for example, was a uranium-processing complex that has been remediated and converted to the Fernald Preserve but remains under long-term monitoring, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The Mound Plant in Miamisburg was cleaned up to industrial-use standards and still relies on institutional controls and groundwater checks. In Uniontown, the Industrial Excess Landfill has been the focus of decades of community concern over groundwater, methane and heavy-metal contamination, as detailed in reporting from Belt Magazine.
How residents can follow and weigh in
EPA says completed review reports will be posted on each site's Superfund webpage and that the five-year review process includes opportunities for local input and questions. Residents who want schedules, or who have information they think should be considered, are encouraged to watch the site pages and local notices as the work unfolds. The rollout and reporting plan was summarized by Spectrum News and by the agencies responsible for each site.
