Environmental Compliance and Cleanup Division

Before and After

Left image
Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Krejci Dump Site as it appeared circa 1985 when the National Park Service purchased the property.
Credit: NPS Collection

Right image
Native vegetation planted on the former Krejci Dump Site was established by 2015.
Credit: NPS / Chris Davis

The Environmental Compliance and Cleanup Division (ECCD) protects and restores our country’s greatest collection of natural, historic, and cultural treasures. The Division is responsible for setting Agency-wide environmental compliance and cleanup policies, advocacy and guidance, and process oversight.

Today, more than 70% of National Parks are contaminated with legacy pollution and all NPS units have operations and facilities (e.g., maintenance yards, fueling stations, marinas) that must comply with environmental laws. Pollution from contamination from abandoned mines, oil and gas wells, industrial waste dumps and landfills, and emergency spills, for example, may reduce the viability of the ecosystem within a given park unit, endanger the health of visitors, staff, nearby communities, and wildlife, and require the closure of park areas, limiting public access and the recreational value of a park. ECCD ensures that the legacy pollution is cleaned up and that Park operations and facilities comply with applicable legal requirements.

NPS ECCD Team, hosted by Department of Energy representatives, tours the B Reactor Building at the Hanford Nuclear Waste Facility in January 2020 and learns about the environmental impacts of the Manhattan Project.

NPS/ECCD Photo Archives, 2020

What We Do

Contaminated Site Cleanup

The National Park Service Contaminated Site Inventory consists of more than 500 legacy pollution sites, representing approximately $1.5 billion in total cleanup costs. ECCD deploys Contaiminated Site Teams, ensuring that each contaminated-site cleanup project is overseen by a multi-disciplinary group of experts. The NPS Contaminated Site Cleanup Framework outlines the process by which sites are restored and response costs are recovered from the parties who are responsible for the contamination under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Since its inception, ECCD has achieved total cost recovery and cost avoidance successes valued in excess of $400 million, directly benefitting NPS lands and resources. Considering fiscal challenges, cost recovery and avoidance efforts are critical in NPS and DOI efforts to fund contaminated site cleanup activities.

NPS representatives tour a burn site at Santa Monica National Recreation Area, CA as part of the June 2019 Servicewide Environmental Workgroup Strategic Session.

NPS/ECCD Photo Archives, 2019.

Environmental Compliance and Audits

ECCD supports regional offices and park units in administering their environmental compliance programs. Robust and proactive environmental compliance in a park unit reduces the risk of environmental harm and regulatory violations. The environmental compliance program offers technical support, tools, and funding support.ECCD also administers the environmental auditing program to improve environmental management and minimize environmental risks. Environmental audits determine operational consistency and compliance with current environmental regulations for parks and regions. Each park undergoes an environmental audit every five years.

Contact Us

The Environmental Compliance and Cleanup Division administers the contaminated site cleanup and environmental compliance programs for units of the National Park Service.

Denver Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 25287
Denver, CO 80225-0287
Email: [e-mail]