Inflation Reduction Act
Restoration | FY23 $4,200,000

The National Park Service (NPS) is exercising its authority under Section 104 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) to conduct a critical response action at El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. This response action will remove tons of contaminated old soil and debris from a former landfill site, now called the El Capitan Former Waste Disposal Area (Site), that was used by hotels and military camps between 1905 and 1930.

Why? The site poses a threat to human health and the environment, impacts an ancient Native American village, intrudes on groundwater and the Merced River, a National Wild and Scenic River, is crossed by the Valley Loop Trail, a major hiking trail for Yosemite Valley, and is located below El Capitan, a prominent rock formation and one of the most popular attractions in the park. The countermeasure will remove all legacy contamination and return the site to its original, undamaged state, reflecting the NPS’s commitment to environmental protection for current and future generations.

What else? In addition to removing all contaminated soil and debris, the action will include field and laboratory analysis of soil samples to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the site’s environmental impacts. Following removal, NPS will install five groundwater monitoring wells and a year-long monitoring process to advance the goal of sustainable health and ecological integrity in Yosemite National Park.