After Hurricane Harvey hit and went, emergency responders in the area were able to start taking a look at the extent of the damage caused by the high winds and water. In addition to general destruction, at least 13 toxic waste sites were flooded or damaged, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The New York Post reported that almost a third of Texas’s 41 heavily contaminated Superfund sites were flooded. A Superfund site is any land in the U.S. contaminated by hazardous waste that poses a risk to human health and/or the environment. These sites are on the National Priorities List for cleanup by the EPA.

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The Superfund sites affected by the flooding have industrial waste from petrochemical companies, acid compounds, solvents and pesticides. These chemicals could contaminate local groundwater wells

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The EPA used aerial images to assess the Superfund sites, but as of Friday the agency was unable to reach many of the sites to do in-person inspections. The flood waters are not expected to recede for another 10 to 15 days, therefore delaying when the EPA is able to fully respond.

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“Teams are in place to investigate possible damage to these sites as soon [as] flood waters recede and personnel are able to safely access the sites,” said the EPA, according to the New York Post.

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In addition to the flooding of these sites, there have been other environmental issues caused by the excessive flooding. A fire occurred at a flooded chemical plant near Houston and the EPA is looking at water systems being affected by the storm. Additionally, CNN reported that 1,656 of about 2,469 wastewater treatment plants were fully operational in affected counties.

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Before Hurricane Irma hit Florida, EPA personnel protected some of the nation’s most contaminated toxic sites by securing equipment and hazardous materials. In 2012, an EPA analysis concluded that flooding at Superfund sites in South Florida could spread contaminated soil and groundwater, therefore endangering human health and the environment.

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“If any site in the path of the storm is found to pose an immediate threat to nearby populations, EPA will immediately alert and work with state and local officials and inform the public --- and then take any appropriate steps to address the threat,” said EPA spokeswoman Liz Bowman on Friday, according to ABC News. “So far no sites have risen to this level that we are  aware of.”

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A former graduate fellow in the EPA’s office of policy and one of the researchers who conducted the Superfund flooding study, Stephen Sweeney, thinks that the EPA needs to inform people who live near Superfund sites. He said, according to ABC News, that it is up to the agency to either mass distribute information or to evacuate residents.

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There have been conflicting reports from the EPA and various other sources as to whether or not the EPA is taking the appropriate measures to handle the already flooded sites in Texas and to prepare for the flooding of Superfund sites in Florida. In reply to this, the EPA has made an effort to publicize its response to sites in both Texas and Florida.

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In light of judgments made about the agency, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has criticized people for trying to argue that climate change is playing a role in these storms.

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“To have any kind of focus on the cause and effect of the storm; versus helping people, or actually facing the effect of the storm, is misplaced,” said Pruitt Thursday, reported ABC News. “What we need to focus on is access to clean water, addressing these areas of superfund activities that may cause an attack  on water, these issues of access to fuel… Those are things so important to citizens of Florida right now.”