District of Columbia Contamination Data

State Contamination Profile

High Risk Level2,435 documented sites

Total Sites

2,435

9 federal databases

Severity Density

47.67

Severity-weighted sites per sq mi

High-Severity Sites

52

Superfund NPL, PFAS detections + similar top-tier records

Data Sources

EPA, USGS

9 databases checked

High-severity counts the top severity tier of the record — the sites most worth checking distances against.

Source Breakdown

Top Counties in District of Columbia

District of Columbia County carries District of Columbia's densest documented record — 47.67 severity-weighted sites per square mile across 2,435 records, most commonly Underground Storage Tanks, including 52 high-severity sites. Density describes the county's record, not any single parcel.

County-Level Detail in District of Columbia

The federal record isn't uniform across a state. Here's what's documented around District of Columbia's counties with the densest records — each read from that county's own sites, not the state average. Proximity is information, not a diagnosis; a soil test settles any near neighbor.

Is It Safe to Grow Food in District of Columbia?

Federal record: High

We checked the federal record around District of Columbia2,435 documented sites across 6 of the 9 source types we track, 52 of them high-severity.

The most significant on record: 50 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.

District of Columbia carries one of the heavier federal records we track — 2,435 documented sites, most of them underground storage tanks. That's a record of the area's history, not a verdict on any one yard: proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis. Before food beds go in, a professional soil test tells you exactly what you're working with — and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well almost anywhere in the meantime.

Documented sites nearest the District of Columbia center

  • Murray Emergency ServiceUnderground Storage Tanks · ~0.1 km from the county center
  • Yale Steam LaudryUnderground Storage Tanks · ~0.1 km from the county center
  • Safeway Store #2737Brownfields · ~0.1 km from the county center

These are the closest documented sites to District of Columbia's geographic center — a screening reference, not a reading on any specific address. Check your own District of Columbia parcel to see what's actually near you.

Check an Address in District of Columbia

Free Report

Read your District of Columbia parcel

See exact proximity distances to contamination sources for your specific parcel — plus soil, sun, drainage, and 1,112 plant recommendations.

Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:

Your soil pHYour frost-free daysYour sun & shade

We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

25+ data sources analyzed in seconds

EPA FRS CERCLISArcGIS Online UST FinderEPA FRS TRIEPA FRS ACRESEPA UCMR 5USGS Water Quality PortalEPA FRS NPDESUSGS MRDSUSGS NAWQA EPest