United States Office of Emergency WH/FS-86-007
Environmental Protection ' and Remedial Response Winter 1986
Agency Washington DC 20460
&EPA Superfund Glossary
This glossary~defines terms often used by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staff when
describing activities under the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act (CERCLA, commonty called
Superfund), as amended in 1986. The definitions
apply specifically to the Superfund program and
may have other meanings when used in different
circumstances. Italicized words included in various
definitions are defined separately in the glossary.
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Administrative Order on Consent
(AO): A legal and enforceable
agreement signed between EPA and
potentially responsible parties
(PRPs) whereby PRPs agree to
perform or pay the cost of site
cleanup. The agreement describes
actions to be taken at a site and may
be subject to a public comment
period. Unlike a consent decree, an
administrative order on consent
does not have to be approved by a
judge.
Air Stripping: A treatment system
that removes, or "strips", volatile
organic compounds from
contaminated ground water or
surface water by forcing an
airstream through the water and
causing the compounds to
evaporate.
Aquifer: An underground rock
formation composed of materials
such as sand, soil, or gravel that can
store and supply ground water to
wells and springs. Most aquifers
used in the United States are within
a thousand feet of the earth's
surface.
Carcinogen: A substance that
causes cancer.
Carbon Adsorption:
A treatment system where
contaminants are removed from
ground water or surface water
when the water is forced through
tanks containing activated carbon, a
specially treated material that
attracts the contaminants.
Cleanup: Actions taken to deal
with a release or threatened release
of hazardous substances that could
affect public health and/or the
environment. The term "cleanup" is
often used broadly to describe
various response actions or phases
of remedial responses such as the
remedial investigation/feasibility
study.
Comment Period: A time period
during which the public can review
and comment on various documents
and EPA actions. For example, a
comment period is provided when
EPA proposes to add sites to the
National Priorities List. Also, a
minimum 3-week comment period is
held to allow community members to
review and comment on a draft
feasibility study.
Community Relations (CR): EPA's
program to inform and involve the
public in the Superfund process and
respond to community concerns.
Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act (CERCLA): A Federal
law passed in 1980 and modified in
1986 by the Superfund Amendments
and Reauthorization Act. The Acts
created a special tax that goes into a
Trust Fund, commonly known as
. Superfund, to investigate and clean
up abandoned or uncontrolled
hazardous waste sites. Under the
program, EPA can either:
Pay for site cleanup when parties
responsible for the contamination
cannot be located or are unwilling or
unable to perform the work.
Take legal action to force parties
responsible for site contamination to
clean up the site or pay back the
Federal government for the cost of
the cleanup.
Consent Decree (CD): A legal
document, approved and issued by a
judge, that formalizes an agreement
reached between EPA and
potentially responsible parties
(PRPs) where PRPs will perform all
or part of a Superfund site cleanup.
The consent decree describes actions
that PRPs are required to perform
and is subject to a public comment
period.
Contract Lab
Program: Laboratories under
contract to EPA which analyze soil,
water, and waste samples taken
from areas at or near Superfund
sites.
Cost-Effective Alternative: The
cleanup alternative selected for a
site on the National Priorities List
based on technical feasibility,
permanence, reliability, and cost.
The selected alternative does not
require EPA to choose the least
expensive alternative. It requires
that if there are several cleanup
alternatives available that deal
effectively with the problems at a
site, EPA must choose the remedy
on the basis of permanence,
reliability, and cost.
Cost Recovery: A legal process
where potentially responsible
parties can be required to pay back
the Federal government for money it
spends on any cleanup actions.
Endangerment Assessment:
study conducted as a suppleme
a remedial investigation to
determine the nature and exten
contamination at a Superfund s
and the risks posed to public he;
and/or the environment. EPA or
State agencies conduct the study
when legal action is pending to
require potentially responsible
parties to perform or pay for the site
cleanup.
Enforcement: EPA's efforts,
through legal action if necessary, to
force potentially responsible parties
to perform or pay for a Superfund
site cleanup.
Enforcement Decision Document
(EDD): A public document that
explains EPA's selection of a
cleanup alternative at a Superfund
site through an EPA enforcement
action. Similar to a Record of
Decision.
ies^
Environmental Response Team
(ERT): EPA hazardous waste
experts who provide 24-hour
technical assistance to EPA Regil
Offices and States during all typ
emergencies involving releases at
hazardous waste sites and spills q^
hazardous substances.
Feasibility Study (FS): See
Remedial Investigation/Feasibility
Study.
Ground Water: Water found
beneath the earth's surface that fills
pores between materials such as
sand, soil, or gravel. In aquifers.
ground water occurs in sufficient
quantities that it can be used for
drinking'water, irrigation and other
purposes.
Hazard Ranking System (HRS):
A scoring system used to evaluate
potential relative risks to public
health and the environment from
releases or threatened releases of
hazardous substances. EPA an
States use the HRS to calculate
site score, from 0 to 100, based o
the actual or potential release of
hazardous substances from a sit
through air, surface water, or
ground water to affect people.
score is the primary factor used to >
decide if a hazardous waste site
.should be placed on the National
Priorities List.
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Substance: Any
that poses a threat to
health and/or the
t. Typical hazardous '
are materials that are
ic, corrosive, ignitable, explosive,
or chemically reactive.
Hydrology: The science dealing
with the properties, movement, and
effects of water on the earth's
surface, in the soil and rocks below,
and in the atmosphere.
Incineration: Burning of certain
types of solid, liquid, or gaseous
materials under controlled
conditions to destroy hazardous
waste.
Information Repository: A file
containing current information,
technical reports, and reference
documents regarding a Superfund
site. The information repository is
usually located in a public building
that is convenient for local
residentssuch as a public school,
city hall, or library.
A contaminated liquid
when water percolates, or
trickles, through waste materials
jd collects components of those
^tes. Leaching may occur at
5dfills and may result in
hazardous substances entering soil,
surface water, or ground water.
Monitoring Wells: Special wells
drilled at specific locations on or off
a hazardous waste site where
ground water can be sampled at
selected depths and studied to
determine such things as the
direction in which ground water
flows and the types and amounts of
contaminants present.
National Oil and Hazardous
Substances Contingency Plan
(NCP): The Federal regulation that
guides the Superfund program.
jjnal Priorities List
EPA's list of the most
DUS uncontrolled or abandoned
Hazardous waste sites identified for
sible long-term remedial
)nse using money from the
st Fund. The list is based
primarily on the score a site receives
on the Hazard Ranking System
(HRS). EPA is required to update the
NPL at least once a year.
National Response Center
(NRC): The center operated by the
U.S. Coast Guard that receives and
evaluates reports of oil and
hazardous substance releases into
the environment and notifies the
appropriate agency(s). The NRC can
be contacted 24-hours a day, toll-free
at (800) 424-8802.
National Response Team
(NRT): Representatives of 12
Federal agencies that coordinate
Federal responses to nationally
significant pollution incidents and
provide advice and technical
assistance to the responding
agency(s).
On-Scene Coordinator: The
Federal official who coordinates and
directs Superfund removal actions.
Operable Unit: An action taken as
one part of an overall site cleanup.
For example, a carbon adsorption
system could be installed to halt
rapidly spreading ground-water
contaminants while a more
comprehensive and long-term
remedial investigation/feasibility
study is underway. A number of
operable units can be used in the
course of a site cleanup.
Operation and Maintenance
(O&M): Activities conducted at a
site after a response action occurs,
to ensure that the cleanup or
containment system is functioning
properly.
Parts Per Billion (ppb)/Parts Per
Million (ppm): Units commonly
used to express low concentrations
of contaminants. For example, 1
ounce of trichloroethylene (TCE) in 1
million ounces of water is 1 ppm; 1
ounce of TCE in 1 billion ounces of
water is 1 ppb. If one drop of TCE is
mixed in a competition-size
swimming pool, the water will
contain about 1 ppb of TCE.
Potentially Responsible Party
(PRP): Any individual(s) or
company(s) (such as owners,
operators, transporters, or
generators) potentially responsible
for, or contributing to, the
contamination problems at a
Superfund site. Whenever possible,
EPA requires PRPs, through
administrative and legal actions, to
clean up hazardous waste sites they
have contaminated.
Preliminary Assessment (PA): The
process of collecting and reviewing
available information about a known
or suspected hazardous waste site or
release. EPA or States use this
information to determine if the site
requires further study. If further
study is needed, a site inspection is
undertaken.
Quality Assurance/Quality Control
(QA/9C): A system of procedures,
checks, audits, and corrective
actions used to ensure that field
work and laboratory analysis during
the investigation and cleanup of
Superfund sites meet established
standards.
Record of Decision (ROD):
A public document that explains
which cleanup alternative(s) will be
used at National Priorities List sites
where the Trust Fund pays for the
cleanup. The Record of Decision is
based on information and technical
analysis generated during the
remedial investigationlfeasibility
study and consideration of public
comments and community concerns.
Regional Response Team
(RRT): Representatives of Federal,
State, and local agencies who may
assist in coordination of activities at
the request of the On-Scene
Coordinator or Remedial Project
Manager before and during
response actions.
-Remedial Action (RA): The actual
construction or implementation
phase that follows the remedial
design of the selected cleanup
alternative at a site on the National
Priorities List
Remedial Design (RD): An
engineering phase that follows the
Record of Decision when technical
drawings and specifications are
developed for the subsequent
remedial action at a site on the
National Priorities List.
Remedial Investigation/Feasibility
Study: Two distinct but related
studies. They are usually performed
at the same time, and together
referred to as the "RI/FS." They are
intended to:
« Gather the data necessary to
determine the type and extent of
contamination at a Superfund site:
© Establish criteria for cleaning up
the site;
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Identify and screen cleanup
alternatives for remedial action; and
Analyze in detail the technology
and costs of the alternatives.
Remedial Project Manager
(RPM): The EPA or State official
responsible for overseeing remedial
response activities.
Remedial Response: A long-term
action that stops or substantially
reduces a release or threatened
release of hazardous substances
that is serious, but does not pose an
immediate threat to public health
and/or the environment.
Removal Action: An immediate
action taken over the short-term to
address a release or threatened
release of hazardous substances.
Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA): A Federal
law that established a regulatory
system to track hazardous
substances from the time of
generation to disposal. The law
requires safe and secure procedures
to be used in treating, transporting,
storing, and disposing of hazardous
substances. RCRA is designed to
prevent new, uncontrolled
hazardous waste sites.
Response Action:
A CERCLA-authorized action at a
Superfund site involving either a
short-term remoual action or a
long-term remedial response that
may include, but is not limited to,
the following activities:
Removing hazardous materials
from a site to an EPAapproved,
licensed hazardous waste facility for
treatment, containment, or
destruction.
« Containing the waste safely
on-site to eliminate further
problems.
Destroying or treating the waste
on-site using incineration or other
technologies.
Identifying and removing the
source of ground-iuater
contamination and halting further
movement of the contaminants.
Responsiveness Summary: A
summary of,oral and/or written
public comments received by EPA
during a comment period on key
EPA documents, and EPA's
responses to those comments. The
responsive- ness summary is
especially valuable during the
Record of Decision phase at a site
on the National Priorities List when
it highlights community concerns
for EPA decision-makers.
Risk Assessment: An evaluation
performed as part of the remedial
investigation to assess conditions at
a Superfund site and determine the
risk posed to public health and/or
the environment.
Site Inspection (SI): A technical
phase that follows a preliminary
assessment designed to collect more
extensive information on a
hazardous waste site. The
information is used to score the site
with the Hazard Ranking System to
determine whether response action
is needed.
Superfund: The common name
used for the Comprehensiue
Enuironmentai Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act,
also referred to as the Trust Fund.
Superfund Amendments and
Reauthorization Act
(SARA): Modifications to CERCLA
enacted on October 17, 1986.
Surface Water:' Bodies of water
that are above ground, such as
rivers, lakes, and streams.
Treatment, Storage, and Disposal
Facility (TSD Facility): Any
building, structure, or installation
where a hazardous substance has
been treated, stored, or disposed.
TSD facilities are regulated by EPA
and States under the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act.
Trust Fund: A Fund set up under
the Comprehensiue Enuironmentaf
.Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act to help pay for leanup
of hazardous waste sites and to take
legal action to force those
responsible for the sites to clean
them up.
Volatile Organic Compound:
An organic (carbon-containing)
compound that evaporates
(volatilizes) readily at room
temperature.
Water Purveyor: A public utili
mutual water company, county
water district, or municipality 1
delivers drinking water to
customers.
Superfund Acronyms
AO Administrative Order on
Consent
CD Consent Decree
CERCLA -^ Comprehensive
Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act of
1980
CR Community Relations
EDD Enforcement Decision
Document
ERT Environmental Response
Team
>us_
FS Feasibility Study
MRS Hazard Ranking System
NCP National Oil and Hazardous
Substances Contingency Plan
NPL National Priorities List
NRC National Response Center -
NRT National Response Team "
OSC On-Scene Coordinator
O&M Operation and Maintenance
ppm/ppb parts per million/parts
per billion
PRP Potentially Responsible Party
PA Preliminary Assessment
QA/QC Quality Assurance/Quality
Control
ROD Record of Decision
HRT Regional Response Team
RA Remedial Action
RD Remedial Design
RI Remedial Investigation
RPM Remedial Project Manager!
RCRA Resource Conservation aiic
Recovery Act of 1976
SI Site Inspection
SARA Superfund Amendments
and Reauthorization Act of 1986
TSD Treatment, Storage, and
Disposal Facility
VOC Volatile Organic Compound
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