&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Emergency
and Remedial Response
Washington DC 20460
Sprina 1986
WH/FS-86-002
The Superfund
Remedial Program
Under the Superfund Remedial Program, EPA takes long-term cleanup
actions to stop or substantially reduce releases or threats of
releases of hazardous substances that are serious but not immedi-
ately threatening.
How Does EPA
Learn About
Potential
Remedial Sites?
EPA learns about potential sites for remedial action through a
variety of sources, including reguired reporting, routine inspec-
tions of facilities that treat, store or dispose of hazardous
wastes, and visible evidence and citizen reports. Once a site is
identified, EPA or State officials review any available documents
on the site, in what is called a preliminary assessment, to deter-
mine if further action is needed. Some sites do not require
further action because it is determined they do not threaten
public health or the environment.
If a potential problem does exist, EPA or the State conducts
a site inspection. Typically, the site inspection involves collect-
ing information about the site — for example, types of soils on
site, streams or rivers on or near the site, number of people in
the area, weather conditions, and who owns or operates the site.
Samples of wastes, soil, well water, river water, and air are
collected to determine what hazardous substances are on the site.
Samples are also taken nearby to determine if the substances have
traveled, or migrated, away from the site.
Based on information obtained from the site inspection, EPA
uses its Hazard Ranking System (HRS) to compare the potential
risk posed by the site to the potential risk posed by others
throughout the nation. Using the HRS, EPA calculates a score for
the site that indicates if hazardous substances have migrated
In 1080, Congress passed u liiw
called the Comprehensive
Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act
(CEKC1.A). CERCLA created a lax
on the chemical and petroleum
industries. The money collected
from the tax goes to a Trust
Fund to clean up abandoned or
uncontrolled hazardous waste
sites. The money has come to be
called the Super/mid. The U.S.
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is responsible for
running the Snperfund program.
Under the Superfund program,
EPA can:
• Pay for the cleanup of
hazardous waste sites wlion
those responsible for such sites
cannot be found or are unwilling
or unable to clean up u site.
• Take legal action to force
those responsible for hazardous
waste sites that threaten public
health or the environment to
clean up or pay for the cleanup
of those sites or reimburse EPA
for the costs of cleanup.
The law authorizes two kinds
of response actions:
• Short-term removal actions
where immediate odious may be
taken to address releases or
threats of releases requiring
expedited response.
• Longer-term remedial oclions
that stop or substantially reduce
releases or threats of releases of
hazardous substances that are
serious but not immediately
life-threatening.
Response actions may include,
but are not limited to:
• Removing hazardous materials
from the site to an EPA-
upproved, licensed hazardous
wusle facility tor treatment,
containment, or destruction.
• Containing the waste on-site
so that it can safely remain there
ami present no further problem.
« Destroying or treating the
waste on-site through
incineration or other innovative
technologies.
• Identifying and removing the
source of ground water
contamination, and halting
further spread of the
contaminants.
This fact sheet is one of a
series prepared by the Superfund
Community Relations Program to
help citizens understand how
the Superfund program works.
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through ground water, surface water, and air or if they have the
potential to migrate. Sites with high enough scores are considered
for placement on EPA's National Priorities List (NPL). Sites on
the NPL present the most serious problems among hazardous waste
sites nationwide and are eligible for long-term remedial actions
through the Superfund program. \
What Is the
State Role in
Superfund?
States play an important role in the Superfund process. The
Superfund law requires that States be consulted in every Superfund
remedial response. Some States receive money from EPA for identify-
ing and managing Superfund sites through a formal Cooperative
Agreement. Further, States are always responsible for the long
term maintenance of a site once the response action is finished.
What Happens
During Remedial
Action?
Remedial actions have two main phases: Remedial investigation and
feasibility study, during which conditions at the site are studied,
the problem(s), If any are defined, and alternative methods to
clean up the site are evaluated.
to two years to complete.
The entire process can take up
In the Remedial design and action stage, the recommended
cleanup is designed and undertaken. The design phase can take up
to one year. The time required to complete the remedy may vary
according to the complexity of the site.
During a remedial investigation, EPA or the State collects and
analyzes information to determine the nature and extent of
contamination at the site. Aerial photographs may be taken of the
site and surrounding area to map the physical features of the land,
including rock formations and sources of water. A variety of
techniques are used to locate contaminated ground water and buried
drums or tanks that might contain hazardous substances.
Samples are taken from soils, drums, lagoons, rivers and ground
water, then analyzed by EPA-approved laboratories to determine if
hazardous sunsfances might be present and, if so, the type and
amount. EPA or the State reviews and interprets results of the
laboratory analysis.
Once the extent of contamination is known, the feasibility
study can begin. During the feasibility study, specific alternative
remedies are considered and evaluated by EPA and the public.
The recommended remedy may include:
• Removing hazardous materials from the site to an EPA or State
approved, licensed hazardous waste facility for treatment, containment.,
or destruction.
• Containing the waste on-site so that it can safely remain there
and present no further problem.
• Destroying or treating the waste on-site through incineration
or other innovative technologies.
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a Identifying and removing the source of ground water contamination,
and halting further spread of the contaminants.
Or, instead, the recommended remedy could be to move people away
from the site or provide an alternate source of drinking water for
area residents. During the remedial design and action phases, the
cleanup alternative chosen is constructed or installed. Design and
construction activities are conducted under the supervision of EPA
and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, or the State can manage all
site activities on its own.
How is the Best
Cleanup Alternative
Chosen?
EPA must take into account certain requirements specified in the
National Contingency Plan (NCP), the Federal regulation that
guides the Superfund program, for evaluating alternative remedial
actions at hazardous waste sites. For each alternative, the
following guestions must be answered:
• How effective and reliable will a particular remedy be in
protecting public health, welfare, and the environment?
« Is the remedy technically feasible, considering the location
and conditions at the site?
• What, if any, effects might the remedy have on the surrounding
environment?
$ How much will the rernedy cost, including costs of construction
and operation and maintenance?
The NCP requires EPA to select an alternative that is
cost effective. This requirement does not mean that EPA must choose
the least expensive alternative. It means that if there are several
cleanup alternatives available to deal effectively with the problems
at a site, EPA must choose the remedy that is most cost-effective,
considering cost, reliability, and permanence.
Can EPA Make
Those Responsible
Pay?
EPA always makes a thorough effort to identify and locate those
responsible for causing contamination problems at the site
("potentially responsible parties"). Although EPA is willing to
negotiate with private parties and encourages voluntary cleanup,
it has the authority under the Superfund law to legally force
those responsible to take specified cleanup actions. All work
performed by those responsible is closely guided and supervised by
EPA and mast meet the same standards required for actions financed
through Superfund.
Because negotiations can take a lot of time, EPA may decide
to use Superfund monies promptly to clean up a site. For example,
if a site presents an immediate threat to public health and the
environment, or if conditions at a site worsen while negotiations
are being conducted, it may be necessary to start the cleanup
immediately. Those responsible are liable under the law for the
money EPA spends in cleaning up the site, and EPA will attempt to
recover those costs through legal actions after the cleanup has
been completed.
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Can Local Citizens
Get Involved in
Superfund Cleanups?
To ensure that the local public is involved in Superfund actions,
EPA has established a community relations program. The program is
designed to inform local officials and residents about conditions
and developments at Superfund sites and to make sure that the
concerns of the community are communicated to EPA and State
officials. For each Superfund site where action takes longer than
45 days, EPA or the State prepares a community relations plan that
is tailored to the needs of the community near the site. The plan
describes the activities that will be conducted to encourage citizen
input and inform the community of progress at the site. Community
relations activities may include holding periodic informal meetings
of small groups of interested citizens and government staff, or
larger public forums that include a presentation about activities
at the site and a question and answer period. Information can also
be provided through the distribution of fact sheets such as these
and technical summaries. Two-way communication is essential throughout
the process.
For further information on the Superfund Program,
call toll free 1-800-424-9346
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