Is there a hazardous military site near you? This map will tell you

Toxic waste and explosives from military operations have contaminated more than 40,000 sites across the nation – sites that require more than a billion dollars in clean-up costs each year – and you might just be living near one of Kansas’ nine hazardous and “high-risk” sites.

Kansas is ranked as the 10th riskiest state in the nation due to the state’s high number of ongoing medium- and high-risk sites, according to a “Bombs in our Backyard” series released by ProPublica.

And if you want to know where these sites are in Kansas, a new map can show you where to go – or where to avoid.

“Some are located near schools, residential neighborhoods, rivers and lakes,” ProPublica said in the series. “A full map of these sites has never been made public – until now.”

The map, which was released Nov. 30, shows the 40.7 thousand hazardous sites and can be searched by your address to determine if you live near one of the sites.

In Kansas, there are 24 military installations with ongoing high- and medium-risk sites, according to ProPublica. It is expected to cost $764 million to clean the hazardous sites, although that includes past and estimated costs.

In Wichita, McConnell Air Force Base reportedly has 98 hazardous sites and is labeled as a “high-risk” military installation. The risk was determined by threats to safety, human health and the environment.

Hazardous substances at the base consist of contaminated groundwater and soil in areas including the landfill, spill site area, firing range and the fire and crash training area.

It is expected to cost $49.4 million to clean McConnell Air Force Base, which is in addition to the $92.7 million that has already been spent to clean up the base. It is not expected to be fully clean until 2042, according to data provided by the Department of Defense.

Ashley Wright, chief of McConnell Public Affairs, was unable to provide an immediate comment regarding the hazardous waste at the base. She did provide a 2016 news story published by McConnell that provided information regarding what the base is doing to ensure safe and clean groundwater.

“This work is safe for the environment, personnel and the community, and is part of a base-wide effort to remediate soil and ground water contaminations at locations on base where there is known contamination from hazardous materials such as fuels, lubricants and solvents,” the release states.

The work began in September 2016.

“The base endeavors to continually improve the processes and training in place to minimize any opportunity for spills and releases of hazardous materials to protect our environment,” said Col. Phil Heseltine, 22nd Air Refueling Wing vice commander in the release.

Other plants in Kansas with at least 75 hazardous sites and that are also labeled as “high risk” include Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant, Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth.

The risk level of each military installatoin refers to the relative risk assessment made by the Department of Defense, which is then used to prioritize cleanups, ProPublica said. All data comes from the Defense Environmental Restoration Program and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

This story was originally published December 8, 2017 at 10:48 AM with the headline "Is there a hazardous military site near you? This map will tell you."