oEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response Publication 9203.1-021 April 1992 Superfund Accelerated Cleanup Bulletin Presumptive Remedies for MunicipaJ Landfill Sites Superfund Revitalization Activity Office of Emergency and Remedial Response Hazardous Site Control Division OS-220W Intermittent Bulletin Volume 1 Number 1 The Presumptive Remedy Selection Initiative Since Superfund's inception in 1980, the removal and remedial programs have found that certain categories of sites have similar characteristics, such as the types of contaminants present, past industrial use, or the environmental media that are affected. Based on a wealth of information acquired from evaluating and cleaning up these sites, Superfund is undertaking an initiative to develop presumptive remedies that are appropriate for specific types of sites, contaminants, or both. This initiative is part of a larger program, known as the Superfund Accelerated Cleanup Model (SACM), which is designed to speed all aspects of the Superfund clean-up process. The objective of the presumptive remedies initiative is to use clean-up techniques shown to be effective in the past at similar sites in the future. The use of presumptive remedies will streamline removal actions, site studies, and clean-up actions, thereby improving consistency, reducing costs, and increasing the speed with which hazardous waste sites are remediated. The Municipal Landfill Pilot Project Superfund kicked off a new pilot project designed to expedite the site investigation and remedy selection process for municipal landfills with a visit to RegionVonMarchl8-20,1992.Superfund . anticipates that remedy selection may 4\O be streamlined for municipal landfills fc> because they typically share similar £* characteristics and because con- ^P tainment and ground water ^5* cleanup frequently is the appro- r/J priate remedy for these sites. ^ An existing EPA manual, Con- ducting Remedial Investigations/ Feasibility Studies for CERCLA Municipal Landfill Sites, outlines streamlining techniques for municipal landfills. The goal of the initiative is to aid the Regions in implementing the manual, so that site characterization, the baseline risk assessment, and the number of alternatives considered will be streamlined at every municipal landfill site. Albion Sheridan Township landfill, a municipal landfill in Michigan, was the first site to participate in the pilot project. A team of Remedial Project Managers (RPMs) from several Regions and experts on landfill construction met with the site RPM in Grand Rapids, Michigan to develop the site strategy. As a result of the meeting, site character- ization will be conducted in a phased approach, with Fasfer... C/eaner... Safer criteria established for when additional sampling will occur. Streamlining of the baseline risk assessment will depend upon data obtained in the first phase of sampling. o/ •^C> Four other Superfund municipal A landfill sites have been identified as candidates for participation in the project: Lexington County Landfill, Lexington County, South Carolina (Region IV); BFI/ Rockingham, Rockingham, Ver- mont (Region I); Sparta Landfill, Sparta Township, Michigan (Re- gion V); and Beulah Landfill, Pensacola, Florida (Region IV). The review team anticipates meeting with the RPMs for these sites during April, May, and June 1992. RPMs who participate in the project and implement the municipal landfill manual at their sites will become mem- bers of the team and will be available to assist other RPMs in developing streamlined RI/FSs. These RPMs will be a resource for their Regions, providing assistance in stream- lining remedy selection at all future municipal landfill sites. Questions should be addressed to Andrea Mclaughlin at FTS 678-8365. ------- |