For more than a century, industrial activities have released hazardous chemicals and heavy metals into the environment. Both accidental spills and intentional discharges from chemical manufacturing, oil storage and transfer, shipbuilding, and port operations have contaminated many of America’s rivers and coastal resources.

Listen to Reyhan Mehran, NOAA Regional Resource Coordinator in New York City, talk about NOAA’s role in moving towards restoration at industrial waste sites in a recent National Ocean Service podcast.