United States Solid Waste and Environmental Protection Emergency Response EPA/530-F-92-029 Agency (OS-305) October 1992 Office of Solid Waste &EPA Environmental Fact Sheet FINAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE WOOD PRESERVING REGULATIONS The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has promulgated a final rule that modifies several components of the regulations established in 1990 for managing wastes generated in the wood preserving industry. EPA initially proposed such modifications in the December 5. 1991 Federal Register. Background On December 6, 1990, EPA published in the Federal Register a final rule listing three categories of wood preserving wastes as "hazardous." The rule subjected the management of these wastes to regulation under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and established standards for managing hazardous wastes on "drip pads," a containment and collection system commonly used in the wood preserving industry. Following promulgation of the December 1990 rule, EPA and industry representatives together identified problems with implementing and interpreting the regulations. As a result. EPA published a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register on December 5, 1991 to modify the wood preserving regulations, and requested public comment on the proposal. Action EPA has evaluated the comments received and is now making final a set of modifications to the wood preserving requirements, not unlike those proposed in 1991. The modifications amount to ------- -2- the establishment of more practical, less prescriptive drip pad management and design standards. The modifications include: • narrowing the scope of the wastewater listings to those wastewaters that come in contact with process contaminants, • eliminating the F032 designation for past users of chlorophenolic formulations if F034 or F035 wastes are currently being generated, • revising the drip pad cleaning requirements to require cleaning as needed to facilitate weekly inspections, • adding requirements that drip pad surface materials be chemically resistant and be maintained to prevent deterioration, • replacing the requirement that new drip pad coatings, sealers, and covers be "impermeable" with a choice between the use of a coating/sealer on the surface or the installation of a liner and leak detection system equipped with leak collection, • replacing the requirement that existing and new drip pads be "impermeable" with a requirement that they meet a numerical permeabiltiy standard, and • requiring the cleanup of storage yard "drippage" and contingency plans for such cleanup. EPA believes these modifications will not diminish the environmental protectiveness of the regulations. Contact For further information, or to order a copy of the Federal Register notice, please call the RCRA Hotline Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., EST. The national toll-free number is (800) 424-9346; for the hearing impaired, it is (TDD) (800) 553-7672. In Washington, D.C., the number is (703) 920-9810 or TDD(703) 486-3323. Or write to: RCRA Information Center, Office of Solid Waste (OS-305), U.S. EPA 401 M Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20460. Information is also available from the Small Business Ombudsman Hotline. The national toll-free number is (800) 305-5027. ------- |