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.
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