Fenceline Community
A neighborhood immediately adjacent to an industrial plant, refinery, or military base. Residents literally share a fence line with the polluter and are the first to be hit by chemical spills, noise, or toxic plumes.
Related terms
Proximity Buffer A mapped zone (often a 1-mile or 3-mile radius) drawn around a hazardous site to define the area of primary impact. Used by regulators to identify which homes and people are most at risk. Point-Source Pollution Area An area degraded by a single, identifiable source of pollution—such as a specific factory's smokestack or a specific wastewater discharge pipe. Toxic Plume A spreading cloud or underground flow of contaminants moving away from its source through air, soil, or water. Refinery An industrial facility that processes crude oil into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and other petrochemical products. Refineries are major emitters of benzene, sulfur compounds, and volatile organic chemicals. Smokestack A tall industrial chimney that releases combustion gases and pollutants into the air. Often the visible point source for a facility's emissions.