In 1978, people were relocated to safe areas. The problem of Love Canal was instrumental in the passage of the the Superfund Act in 1980. This law requires companies to be responsible for hazardous chemicals that they put into the environment and to pay to clean up polluted sites, which can often cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Love Canal became a Superfund site in 1983 and as a result, several measures were taken to secure the toxic wastes. The land was capped so that water could not reach the waste, debris was cleaned from the nearby area, and contaminated soils were removed.
Sometimes it's up to the residents in an area to recognize the effects of hazardous waste and to get the government to find the responsible party and initiate cleanup. .