Superfund Site - A Superfund site is an uncontrolled or abandoned place where hazardous
waste is located, possibly affecting local ecosystems or people. Sites
are listed on the National Priorities List (NPL) upon completion of
Hazard Ranking System (HRS) screening, public solicitation of comments about the proposed site, and
after all comments have been addressed.
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Superfund Information Systems: Site Progress Profile
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Superfund Information Systems |
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Glossary for the
Superfund Site Progress Profile |
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| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
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1st Cleanup Action Initiated: The first physical cleanup action underway at a site, consisting of either a removal or remedial activity.
A
Administative/Voluntary Cost Recovery: Potentially responsible party reimbursement of Superfund expenditures in direct response to EPA demand letters.
Administrative Default Order: An Administrative Default Order may be issued when the defendant/respondent fails to answer an administrative complaint seeking penalties under Section 109 of CERCLA.
Administrative Order on Consent: A voluntary and enforceable agreement pursuant to CERCLA, signed by EPA and potentially responsible parties (PRPs), whereby the PRPs agree to perform and/or pay for some or all of the response costs involved in site cleanup.
Administrative Records: The Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act (SARA) requires that administrative records be compiled at Superfund sites where remedial or removal responses are planned, or are occurring, or where EPA is issuing a unilateral order or initiating litigation to track enforcement case budget funds used for any activity being led by a Responsible Party.
Advisory Board: DOD Restoration Advisory Boards (RABs) and DOE Site-Specific Advisory Boards (SSABs) foster teamwork by bringing community members together with DOD, DOE, and federal, state, and tribal government regulators to discuss cleanup issues at installations nationwide. These advisory boards involve regulators and the public participating in key federal facility cleanup decisions for specific installations.
Aerial Survey: Aerial photography, MultiSpectral Scanner (MSS), Forward Looking InfraRed (FLIR), and historical aerial photographs are conducted at a site to document certain cleanup activities. The aerial survey support provides four types of remote sensing projects: (1) emergency response projects for rapid acquisition and assessment, (2) single date projects to acquire current data, (3) intensive site analyses to acquire imagery over a period of time using historical aerial photographs dating back as far as 1920, and (4) waste site inventories to establish baseline reference over large areas.
Aliases: Alternate name under which a site may be identified.
Alternative Dispute Resolution: A procedure that is used to prevent and resolve disputes with external parties by the use of a neutral third party mediator that has no stake in the outcome of the process.
Archive Site: The Archive designation indicates the site has no further interest under the Federal Superfund Program based on available information. EPA may perform a minimal level of assessment work at a site while it is archived if site conditions change and/or new information becomes available. The Archive designation is removed and the site is returned to the CERCLIS inventory if more substantitive assessment and/or any cleanup work is necessary under the Federal Superfund program.
B
Base Realignment and Closure Site (BRAC): EPA's Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC) program develops policies, plans and programs to expedite the cleanup and reuse of closing military installations.
C
City: The name of the city, town, village, or other municipality where a site is located or an incident occurs, or the nearest geographical place name if a site or incident is not located within a formal jurisdiction.
Claim in Bankruptcy Proceeding: Legal action performed by EPA Regional attorneys to establish EPA as a creditor when a potentially responsible party (PRP) has filed for bankruptcy.
Cleanup Activities: Cleanup activities at a site include removals, studies, remedy selection, remedy design, remedy implementation, and post-construction activities. The completion of each activity enables the site to move further along in the cleanup process.
- Post-Construction: Superfund Post-Construction is a cleanup phase where several activities are generally undertaken at sites following the construction of response actions. These activities include operation and maintenance and long-term response actions; five-year reviews, close-out reports, and deletion from the NPL. The goal of Superfund Post-Construction is to ensure that response actions provide for the long-term protection of human health and the environment.
- Remedy Construction: Remedy Construction is the phase in Superfund site cleanup where the actual remedy (e.g. landfill cap or water treatment system) chosen from the Record of Decision (ROD), is built and put into place.
- Remedy Design: Remedy Design (RD) is the phase in Superfund site cleanup where the technical specifications for cleanup remedies and technologies are designed.
- Remedy Selected: The remedy selected at a site is the method that EPA has determined will best address, correct, or remediate the contamination concerns at the site. The remedy selected at a site is documented in a Record of Decision (ROD) document. The ROD provides the justification for the remedial action (treatment) chosen in the Record of Decision. It also contains site history, site description, site characteristics, community participation, enforcement activities, past and present activities, contaminated media, the contaminants present, scope and role of response action, and the remedy selected for cleanup.
- Removal: A removal is a short-term cleanup intended to stabilize or clean up a site that poses an imminent and substantial threat to human health or the environment. Removals can occur at any stage of the Superfund cleanup process, but are often the first response upon discovery of a hazardous substance at a site.
- Study: A number of studies are undertaken at a site to determine site conditions, the nature and extent of contamination, the criteria that will be required to clean up the site, preliminary alternatives for cleanup actions, and technical and cost analyses of the alternatives. The two most common studies are called the Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study.
Close Out Report: A report submitted by the remedial program manager (RPM) verifying that the conditions of the site comply with the Record of Decision (ROD) findings and design specifications, cleanup standards have been met, and activities performed at the site are sufficient to achieve protection of public health and the environment.
Combined Preliminary Assessment/Site Inspection: Completion of a preliminary assessment (PA) and site investigation (SI) together in order to reduce repetitive tasks and costs that might occur when these activities are conducted separately. The results of a Combined PA/SI can be documented in one report as long as the report contains all the elements that would have been addressed under separate PA and SI reports.
Combined Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study: The process of data collection and analyses of the site problem, identification of preliminary remedial alternatives, and recommendation of a cost-effective remedy. There can be multiple remedial investigation/feasibility studies (RI/FS) conducted at a site.
Comfort/Status Letter: EPA sends a letter to parties that provides information regarding the potential for EPA action at the property.
Community Advisory Group: A Superfund Community Advisory Group (CAG) is a committee, task force or board made up of residents of a community with Superfund or other environmental problems. The Community Advisory Group enhances public participation in the cleanup process and other environmental decision-making by providing a public forum where community representatives can discuss their diverse interests, needs and concerns.
Community Involvement: The community relations activities, (i.e., plan, implementation and responsiveness summary) that must be completed at a site to address community concerns.
Completion Dates: The official date a removal or response action has been completed at a site.
Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act Criminal Litigation: A judicial action charging criminal violation(s) of CERCLA authority. Such cases typically cite (but are not limited to) violation of Section103 notification requirements.
Consent Agreement (Administrative): Administrative agreement used to initiate potentially responsible party (PRP) response or cost recovery.
Consent Decree: Judicial agreement between the Federal Government and the Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs) fully or partially settling a claim under CERCLA. This agreement may settle litigation or may be presented concurrently with the complaint (achieved through negotiations). The agreement may be for response work, cost recovery, or both.
Construction Complete: Remedies at a site often require physical construction (e.g., building of water treatment systems). A site is categorized as Construction Completion by meeting one of the following criteria: any necessary physical construction is complete, whether or not final cleanup levels or other requirements have been achieved; EPA has determined that the response action should be limited to measures that do not involve construction; or the site qualifies for Deletion from the NPL.
Contaminants of Concern (COC): Chemicals identified during in-depth site studies (Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study) that need to be addressed by a cleanup action because they pose a potential threat to human health or the environment.
Contaminated Ground Water Migration Environmental Indicator Measure: The Contaminated Ground Water Migration (GM) environmental indicator documents whether contamination is below protective, risk-based levels or, if not, whether the migration of contaminated ground water is stabilized and there is no unacceptable discharge to surface water and monitoring will be conducted to confirm that affected ground water remains in the original area of contamination. This indicator normally is limited to sites with known ground water contamination.
A conclusion of "migration of contaminated ground water under control" generally indicates that all information on known and reasonably expected ground water contamination has been reviewed and the above conditions are met.
Contaminated Media: Medium affected by contaminants at a site. Types of media include: Soil, Solid Waste, Sediment, Ground Water, Surface Water, Sediment, Sludge, Leachate, and Residuals.
Cost Recovery Negotiations: Negotiations between EPA and the potentially responsible parties (PRPs) on the liability for reimbursement to the Fund of past EPA expenditures involved in site cleanup.
County: The name of the county in which a site is located or an incident occurs.
D
Deleted from the NPL: Deletion of sites from the National Priorities List (NPL) may occur once all response actions are complete and all cleanup goals have been achieved. EPA has the responsibility for processing deletions with concurrence from the State. EPA can also delete portions of sites that meet deletion criteria.
Deletion from National Priorities List: Deletion of sites from the National Priorities List (NPL) may occur once all response actions are complete and all cleanup goals have been achieved. EPA has the responsibility for processing deletions with concurrence from the State. EPA can also delete portions of sites that meet deletion criteria.
Discovery: The process by which a potential hazardous waste site is brought to the attention of the EPA. The process can occur through the use of several mechanisms such as a phone call or referral by another government agency.
E
Ecological Risk Assessment: Ecological risk assessments evaluate the possibility that adverse ecological effects are occurring or may occur as a result of exposure to physical (e.g., site cleanup activities) or chemical (e.g., release of hazardous substances) factors at a site. These assessments often contain detailed information regarding the interaction of these factors with the biological community at the site.
Eligible Response Site (ERS) Exclusion: Eligible Response Site (ERS) Exclusion indicates that the Region has made a decision to exclude a site from the universe of sites eligible for Brownfields response. EPA can do this if they conduct or have conducted a PA or SI and, after consultation with the state, determine that the site qualifies for possible listing on the NPL.
Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis: Study to identify the objectives of a removal action and to analyze the cost effectiveness and implementability of the various alternatives that may be used to satisfy these objectives.
Environmental Assessment: An environmental analysis prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act to determine whether a federal action would significantly affect the environment and thus require a more detailed environmental impact statement.
Environmental Impact Statement: A document required of federal agencies by the National Environmental Policy Act for major projects or legislative proposals significantly affecting the environment. A tool for decision making, it describes the positive and negative effects of the undertaking and cites alternative actions.
EPA ID: An identifier unique to the Superfund program for a site or facility. The first two characters are equal to the state code of the state where a site is located.
Evacuation State/Local: Provides financial resources to state and local authorities involved in evacuation activities at hazardous waste sites.
Expanded Site Inspection: Additional study undertaken if it is determined that data collected in the site inspection is not sufficient. The present site inspection focus on pathways and receptors has been expanded to include site and source characterization. This information facilitates the development of RI/FS workplan and sampling and analysis plan.
Expanded Site Inspection/Remedial Investigation: An assessment that characterizes the magnitude and severity of hazardous waste sites.
Explanation of Significant Differences: A document outlining minor changes in the original remedy selected at a site as described in the Record of Decision (ROD), such as a contingent remedy.
Exposure: Contact with a substance by swallowing, breathing, or touching the skin or eyes. Exposure may be short-term (acute exposure), of intermediate duration, or long-term (chronic exposure).
Exposure Pathways: The way in which a person, species, or environment comes into contact with contamination. Types of Exposure Pathways include soil, air, ground water, and surface water.
F
Feasibility Study: A study of a hazardous waste site intended to: (1) evaluate alternative remedial actions from technical, environmental, and cost effectiveness perspectives; (2) recommend the cost-effective remedial action; and (3) prepare a conceptual design , a cost estimate for budgetary purposes, and a preliminary construction schedule.
Federal Facilities Oversight: All site-specific oversight associated with a federal facility (FF) response action. Includes all activities for monitoring/supervising the FF's performance to determine whether such performance is consistent with the requirements of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) and the Interagency Agreement (IAG) and/or Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).
Federal Facility Combined Preliminary Assessment/Site Inspection Review: EPA quality assurance review of a Combined PA/SI report submitted by another Federal agency.
Federal Facility Community Involvement: At a federal facility site, the community relations activities, i.e., plan, implementation and responsiveness summary that must be completed at a site to address community concerns.
Federal Facility Expanded Site Inspection Review: Quality assurance review of an Expanded Site Inspection (ESI) report submitted by another federal agency.
Federal Facility Feasibility Study: Study of a hazardous waste site conducted by a federal facility to (1) evaluate alternative remedial actions from technical, environmental, and cost effectiveness perspectives (2) recommend the cost-effective remedial action (3) prepare a conceptual design (4) prepare a cost estimate for budgetary purposes and (5) prepare a preliminary construction schedule.
Federal Facility Five-Year Review: At a federal facility, five-year reviews generally are required by CERCLA or program policy when hazardous substances remain on site above levels which permit unrestricted use and unlimited exposure. Five-year reviews provide an opportunity to evaluate the implementation and performance of a remedy to determine whether it remains protective of human health and the environment. Generally, reviews are performed five years following the initiation of a CERCLA response action, and are repeated every succeeding five years so long as future uses remain restricted. Five-year reviews can be performed by EPA or the lead agency for a site, but EPA retains responsibility for determining the protectiveness of the remedy.
Federal Facility Preliminary Assessment Review: Quality assurance review of a preliminary assessment (PA) report submitted by another federal agency.
Federal Facility Remedial Action: An FF RA is the actual construction or implementation phase of a Superfund site cleanup that follows remedial design and is conducted by a federal facility.
Federal Facility Remedial Design: FF Remedy Design (RD) is the phase in Superfund site cleanup where the technical specifications for cleanup remedies and technologies are designed by a federal facility.
Federal Facility Remedial Investigation: An investigation conducted by a federal facility that gathers data necessary to (1) determine the nature and extent of problems at the site (2) establish cleanup criteria for the site (3) identify preliminary alternative remedial actions and (4) support the technical and cost analyses of the alternatives.
Federal Facility Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study: The process of data collection and analyses of the site problem, identification of preliminary remedial alternatives, and recommendation of a cost-effective remedy by a federal facility. There can be multiple remedial investigation/feasibility studies (RI/FS) conducted at a site.
Federal Facility Removal: A FF removal is a short-term cleanup conducted by the federal facility and is intended to stabilize or clean up a site that poses an imminent and substantial threat to human health or the environment. Removals can occur at any stage of the Superfund cleanup process, but are often the first response upon discovery of a hazardous substance at a site.
Federal Facility Site Inspection Review: Quality assurance review of a site inspection (SI) report submitted by another federal agency.
Federal Interagency Agreement: Agreement between the federal facility, EPA, and whenever possible, the state requiring the federal facility to conduct CERCLA response actions at the facility or portion of the facility on or proposed to the National Priorities List (NPL).
Final Listing on National Priorities List: Site moved from proposed list to final National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL is the list of the worst sites among the known releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants throughout the United States and its territories.
Final Site Assessment Decision: Assessment work under the federal Superfund Program is completed and available information indicates either: 1) no further work is necessary under the federal Superfund Program; or 2) cleanup attention is needed under Superfund or other federal, state, or tribal environmental cleanup program.
Five-Year Review Report Due: The date that the five year review document is due for a particular site.
Five-Year Review: Five-Year Reviews generally are required by CERCLA or program policy when hazardous substances remain on site above levels which permit unrestricted use and unlimited exposure. Five-year reviews provide an opportunity to evaluate the implementation and performance of a remedy to determine whether it remains protective of human health and the environment. Generally, reviews are performed five years following the initiation of a CERCLA response action, and are repeated every succeeding five years so long as future uses remain restricted. Five-year reviews can be performed by EPA or the lead agency for a site, but EPA retains responsibility for determining the protectiveness of the remedy.
Forward Planning: The process which identifies the projects which may be necessary to restore a hazardous waste site.
Forward Planning Activity/Management Assistance: The process which identifies and plans 1) projects necessary to restore a hazardous waste site; and 2) the federal compensation of state administrative costs for participating in these activities or projects.
G
Geophysical Support/Mapping: Support to locate subsurface contaminants and to determine subsurface geological properties.
Government Performance & Results Act (GPRA) Measures: The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) is an EPA reform initiative that was passed in 1993 to hold federal agencies accountable for using resources wisely and achieving program results. GPRA requires agencies to develop plans for what they intend to accomplish, measure how well they are doing, make appropriate decisions based on the information they have gathered, and communicate information about their performance to Congress and to the public. EPA is required to report on the following Superfund measures under GPRA:
- Construction Complete - Remedies at a site often require physical construction (e.g., building of water treatment systems). A site is categorized as Construction Completion by meeting one of the following criteria: any necessary physical construction is complete, whether or not final cleanup levels or other requirements have been achieved; EPA has determined that the response action should be limited to measures that do not involve construction; or the site qualifies for Deletion from the NPL.
- Contaminated Ground Water Migration Under Control - The Migration of Contaminated Ground Water Under Control EI is a Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) measure limited to Superfund sites that contain contaminated ground water. This indicator documents whether contamination levels fall within the levels specified as safe by EPA, or if they do not, whether the migration of contaminated ground water is stabilized, and there is no ground water discharge to surface water.
- Final Site Assessment Decision - Assessment work under the federal Superfund Program is completed and available information indicates either: 1) no further work is necessary under the federal Superfund Program; or 2) cleanup attention is needed under Superfund or other federal, state, or tribal environmental cleanup program.
- Human Exposure Under Control - The Human Exposure Under Control Environmental Indicator is a Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) measure used by EPA to document whether contamination levels at a site fall within the levels specified by EPA as safe, or if they do not, whether adequate controls are in place to prevent human exposure to contamination.
- Site-Wide Ready for Anticipated Use - Indicates a final and deleted construction complete National Priorities List (NPL) site where, for the entire site, 1) all cleanup goals in the Record(s) of Decision or other remedy decision document(s) have been achieved for media that may affect current and reasonably anticipated future land uses of the site, so that there are no unacceptable risks; and 2) all institutional or other controls required in the Record(s) of Decision or other remedy decision document(s) have been put in place.
Ground Water Monitoring (Post-Record of Decision): Ground Water monitoring action is used when monitoring is the only cleanup response specified in a Record of Decision (ROD).
H
Hazard Ranking System Package: A numeric estimate of the relative severity of a hazardous substance release or potential release based on (1) the relative potential of substances to cause hazardous situation (2) the likelihood and rate at which the substances may affect human and environmental receptors and (3) the severity and magnitude of potential effects. The score is computed using the hazard ranking system (HRS). A score of 28.5 or higher makes the site eligible to be placed on the National Priorities List.
Health Assessment: An ATSDR health assessment is a preliminary assessment of the potential risks to human health posed by individual sites. It is an evaluation performed by a public health professional that consists of reviewing environmental sampling data and other site-related information (e.g., remedial, public health evaluations, endangerment assessments) prepared/provided by EPA and other sources.
HRS Score: The Hazard Ranking System (HRS) is the principal screening tool used by EPA to evaluate relative risks to public health and the environment associated with abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. The HRS is a screening tool and not a site-specific risk assessment. The HRS calculates a site score between 0 and 100 based on the actual and/or potential releases of hazardous substances from the site through the air, surface water, or ground water, or the actual and/or potential exposure of receptors by coming into contact with contamination. The score is based on many other factors such as density and proximity of human population to contamination. A site receiving an HRS score of 28.5 or above is eligible for placing on the National Priorities List (NPL). This score is the primary factor in deciding if the site should be on the NPL and has no significance as an indicator of a specific risk level to people or environmental receptors. The limited data used to develop the HRS score are designed to support site screening and are not intended to provide support for a quantitative risk assessment. The HRS, therefore, is a mechanism that allows EPA to make objective decisions on national priorities across sites nation-wide.
Human Exposure Environmental Indicator Measure: The Human Exposure (HE) environmental indicator is designed to document long-term human health protection on a site-wide basis by measuring the incremental progress achieved in controlling unacceptable human exposures at a Superfund site.
Hydrological/Geological Support: Provides for hydrological and/or geological support in response to a component of the Superfund program.
I
Information Repository Established: The establishment of a location in the community where the administrative record and other documents containing site information are available for review by the public.
Initial Remedial Measure: The immediate steps taken to mitigate a hazardous situation at a National Priorities List (NPL) site. Includes such actions as erecting restraining fences, removing contaminants, and implementing temporary water supply alternatives.
Institutional Controls: Institutional Controls are non-engineered instruments, such as administrative and/or legal controls, that help minimize the potential for human exposure to contamination and/or protect the integrity of a remedy by limiting land or resource use. Examples include fishing restrictions, deed restrictions, and the posting of warning signs outside of a contaminated site.
Integrated Assessment: Field data collected for characterizing the magnitude and severity of problems at a site.
Integrated Removal Assessment and Combined Preliminary Assessment/Site Inspection: An action integrating combined Preliminary Assessment/Site Inspection (PA/SI) and removal assessment activities to reduce the overall time and money spent characterizing site conditions.
Integrated Removal Assessment and Expanded Site Inspection: An action integrating Expanded Site Inspection (ESI) and removal assessment activities to reduce the overall time and money spent characterizing site conditions.
Integrated Removal Assessment and Expanded Site Inspection/Remedial Investigation: An action integrating Expanded Site Inspection/Remedial Investigation (ESI/RI) and removal assessment activities to reduce the overall time and money spent characterizing site conditions.
Integrated Removal Assessment and Hazard Ranking System Package: An action integrating Hazardous Ranking System (HRS) and removal assessment activities to reduce the overall time and money spent characterizing site conditions.
Integrated Removal Assessment and Preliminary Assessment: An action integrating Preliminary Assessment (PA) and Removal Assessment activities to reduce the overall time and money spent characterizing site conditions.
Integrated Removal Assessment and Site Inspection: An action integrating Site Inspection (SI) and removal assessment activities to reduce the overall time and money spent characterizing site conditions.
Interagency Agreement Negotiations: Negotiations between EPA and a federal agency and/or the state for conducting response actions under CERCLA (RI/FS, RD/RA, etc.).
Issue Request Letters (104E): EPA issues letters under the authority of Section 104(e) to gather information related to (1) the identification, nature, and quantity of materials; (2) the nature or extent of a release or threatened release of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant; or (3) the ability of a person to pay for or to perform a cleanup.
J
Judicial Default Order: A judicial default order may be issued by a civil or administrative judge or other authorized official when the defendant/respondent fails to answer the complaint which starts a lawsuit or subsequently fails to defend the lawsuit.
Judicial/Civil Judgment: Decision by the Federal District Court in a Section 106, 107, or 106/107 litigation. (This excludes preliminary injunctions and temporary restraining orders.)
L
Leading Organization: Organization with the primary responsibility of leading a removal or response action at a site.
Lien on Potentially Responsible Party Property: A legal action against potentially responsible party (PRP) site owners establishing a lien on property that is subject to the removal or remediation of hazardous waste on the property.
Listed on the NPL: A site that has been proposed to the National Priorities List is "final" when it has been formally added to the National Priorities List.
Litigation (Generic): Engaged in legal proceedings.
Lodged by DOJ: An enforcement instrument (e.g. Consent Decree) is lodged by the Department of Justice (DOJ) with the court.
Long Term Response Action: Remedial actions at a site involving treatment or other measures to clean up ground water or surface water quality to a level that assures protection of human health and the environment. The operation of such treatment or other measures for a period of up to ten years after the remedy becomes operational and functional is considered a long-term response action.
M
Major Site Cleanup Milestones: Major cleanup milestones at a site include the first cleanup action completed, proposal to the NPL, final NPL listing, final remedy selection, construction complete, and deletion from the NPL.
- 1st Cleanup Action Initiated - The first physical cleanup action underway at a site, consisting of either a removal or remedial activity.
- Construction Complete - Remedies at a site often require physical construction (e.g., building of water treatment systems). A site is categorized as Construction Completion by meeting one of the following criteria: any necessary physical construction is complete, whether or not final cleanup levels or other requirements have been achieved; EPA has determined that the response action should be limited to measures that do not involve construction; or the site qualifies for Deletion from the NPL.
- Deletion from the NPL - Deletion of sites from the National Priorities List (NPL) may occur once all response actions are complete and all cleanup goals have been achieved. EPA has the responsibility for processing deletions with concurrence from the State. EPA can also delete portions of sites that meet deletion criteria.
- Final NPL Listing - A site that has been proposed to National Priorities List is "final" when it has been formally added to the National Priorities List.
- Final Remedy Selection - The final remedy selected is a cleanup milestone which focuses on the measure(s) that EPA has determined will best address, correct, or remediate the contamination concerns at the site. The final remedy is documented in the last planned Record of Decision (ROD) document at the site. The ROD provides the justification for the remedial action (treatment) chosen at a Superfund site. It also contains site history, site description, site characteristics, community participation, enforcement activities, past and present activities, contaminated media, the contaminants present, scope and role of response action, and the remedy selected for cleanup.
- Proposal to the NPL - Sites are proposed to the NPL through the issuance of a proposed rule in the Federal Register. EPA accepts and responds to comments on a site, and if a site continues to meet criteria for Final listing, will be listed as Final on the NPL.
N
National Priorities List (NPL): The National Priorities List (NPL) is the list of national priorities among the known releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants throughout the United States and its territories. Please also see the definition for Archive.
National Priorities List Responsible Party Search: The National Priorities List (NPL) potentially responsible party (PRP) search is used to identify PRPs at a final NPL or proposed NPL site. The NPL PRP search should begin upon completion of the screening site investigation and should be conducted concurrent with the national priorities listing process.
Negotiation (Generic): This action is used to describe negotiations that cover any combination of remedies or statutes (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA); Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act (SARA); and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)) that are not reflected in the conventional negotiation types such as RD/RA negotiations, RI/FS negotiations, removal negotiations, and cost recovery negotiations.
No Action Record of Decision: A Record of Decision that states that a "no action alternative," meaning no change from the present course of action, or a decision to not implement a proposed action, has been selected by the appropriate agency official.
No Further Federal Action (NFFA): No Further Federal Action (NFFA) indicates that a site which was previously excluded, because it qualified for possible listing on the NPL, is an eligible response site again because EPA has determined that no further federal action will be taken at the site.
Non-Binding Allocation or RESP: Document prepared by EPA regional office which assigns relative percentages of estimated response costs to each known potentially responsible party (PRP) at a site, generally after the remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS).
Non-Consensual Judicial Order: Any order issued by the court other than a consent order or administrative default order.
Non-National Priorities List Potentially Responsible Party Search: The non-NPL potentially responsible party (PRP) search is to identify PRPs at non-NPL or removal action sites.
Non-NPL Status: A code identifying the pipeline status of a non-NPL site.
Notice Letters Issued: EPA issues notice letters to potentially responsible parties informing them of their potential liability under CERCLA and inviting them to discuss involvement at the site.
Notice of Intent by All Parties: The point at which all parties have responded to a notice of intent to comply with an enforcement action.
Notice of Intent to Partially Delete: EPA publishes in the Federal Register the Notice of Intent to Partially Delete a portion of a site from the NPL.
NPL Status: A code identifying a site's status on the Superfund's NPL (National Priorities List).
NSI-Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act Capacity: Studies undertaken by the state in accordance with the Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act (SARA) to ensure the availability of an acceptable hazardous waste disposal facility for any necessary offsite storage, treatment, destruction, or secure disposition of the hazardous substances found at all Superfund sites within the state.
O
Operable Unit: During cleanup, a site can be divided into a number of distinct areas depending on the complexity of the problems associated with the site. These areas called operable units may address geographic areas of a site, specific site problems, or areas where a specific action is required. An example of a typical operable unit could include removal of drums and tanks from the surface of a site.
Operational & Functional: The point in time that EPA declares the remedy associated with a site is functioning properly and is performing as designed.
Operations and Maintenance: Site activities associated with a remedy that must be performed after the completion of a remedial action.
Order (Generic): Action used to describe any combination of specific enforcement related orders.
Other Cleanup Activity: Documents that another party is managing cleanup work at a non-NPL site.
Other-Lead Complete: Cleanup has been completed by a lead other than Fund-lead, FF-lead, PRP lead, or mixed lead.
Other-Lead Underway: Cleanup has been begun by a lead other than Fund-lead, FF-lead, PRP lead, or mixed lead.
Outcome: Additional information provided in response to a cleanup action that is underway or completed. Outcomes can describe: the level of priority assigned to a site; the recommendation of further action at a site; or the recommendation of an additional action to be undertaken at a site.
P
Partial National Priorities List Deletion: No further cleanup response is needed for a portion of a final NPL site. The portion may be a defined geographic unit of the site, perhaps as small as a residential unit, or the portion may be a specific medium at the site, such as ground water, depending on the nature or extent of the release.
Post-Construction: Superfund Post-Construction is a cleanup phase where several activities are generally undertaken at sites following the construction of response actions. These activities include operation and maintenance and long-term response actions; five-year reviews, close-out reports, and deletion from the NPL. The goal of Superfund Post-Construction is to ensure that response actions provide for the long-term protection of human health and the environment.
Potentially Responsible Party (PRP): Any individual or company--including owners, operators, transporters or generators--potentially responsible for, or contributing to a spill or other contamination at a Superfund site. Whenever possible, through administrative and legal actions, EPA requires PRPs to clean up hazardous sites they have contaminated.
Potentially Responsible Party Community Involvement: The community relations and EPA oversight activities of potentially responsible parties (PRPs) at a site. These activities include planning, implementation, and writing of a responsiveness summary.
Potentially Responsible Party Emergency Removal: The Potentially Responsible Party has begun construction work on-site in response to an emergency incident, and EPA provides on-site technical oversight and/or is part of an incident command team. Be consistent across all 'removal' definitions but modify for lead type.
Potentially Responsible Party Feasibility Study: A study of a hazardous waste site conducted by a potentially responsible party to (1) evaluate alternative remedial actions from technical, environmental, and cost effectiveness perspectives (2) recommend the cost-effective remedial action and (3) prepare a conceptual design , a cost estimate for budgetary purposes, and a preliminary construction schedule.
Potentially Responsible Party Long-Term Response Action: Remedial actions conducted by a potentially responsible party at a site involving treatment or other measures to clean up ground water or surface water quality to a level that assures protection of human health and the environment. The operation of such treatment or other measures until the remedy becomes operational and functional and continues until cleanup levels are met will be considered a long-term response action.
Potentially Responsible Party Remedial Action: A PRP RA is the actual construction or implementation phase of a Superfund site cleanup that follows remedial design and is conducted by the potentially responsible party.
Potentially Responsible Party Remedial Design: PRP Remedy Design (RD) is the phase in Superfund site cleanup where the technical specifications for cleanup remedies and technologies are designed by a potentially responsible party.
Potentially Responsible Party Remedial Investigation: An investigation conducted by the potentially responsible party that is intended to gather the data necessary to: (1) determine the nature and extent of problems at the site; (2) establish cleanup criteria for the site; (3) identify preliminary alternative remedial actions; and (4) support the technical and cost analyses of the alternatives.
Potentially Responsible Party Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study: The process of data collection and analyses of the site problem, identification of preliminary remedial alternatives, and recommendation of a cost-effective remedy by a potentially responsible party. There can be multiple Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Studies (RI/FS) conducted at a site.
Potentially Responsible Party Removal: A PRP removal is a short-term cleanup conducted by the Potentially Responsible Party and is intended to stabilize or clean up a site that poses an imminent and substantial threat to human health or the environment. Removals can occur at any stage of the Superfund cleanup process, but are often the first response upon discovery of a hazardous substance at a site.
Pre-CERCLIS Screening: Surveys conducted before EPA Superfund involvement.
Pre-Design Assistance: Procurement of a design consultant for fund-financed design activities.
Preliminary Assessment: An assessment of information about a site and its surrounding area. A Preliminary Assessment is designed to determine whether a sites poses little or no threat to human health and the environment or if it does pose a threat, whether the threat requires further investigation.
Preliminary Close-Out Report Prepared: A report prepared by the remedial program manager (RPM) verifying that physical construction of the remedy is complete, indicating minor punch list items that remain and outlining a schedule of the outstanding activities.
Preliminary Injunction: Legal action by judge to compel or prohibit action by responsible parties.
Preparation of Cost Document Package: Package prepared in support of cost recovery actions containing site-specific cost documentation information for direct expenditures (i.e., Agency payroll and travel, contracting costs) and indirect costs.
Proposal to National Priorities List: Sites are proposed to the NPL through the issuance of a proposed rule in the Federal Register. EPA accepts and responds to comments on a site, and if a site continues to meet criteria for final listing, will be listed as final on the NPL.
Proposed to the NPL: Sites are proposed to the NPL through the issuance of a proposed rule in the Federal Register. EPA accepts and responds to comments on a site, and if a site continues to meet criteria for Final listing, will be listed as Final on the NPL.
Prospective Purchaser Agreement Assessment: EPA reviews a formal request for a Prospective Purchaser Agreement (PPA), resulting in a decision to grant or deny the request. The intent of a PPA is to remove certain liability barriers in the purchase of property and encourage redevelopment. EPA assesses information from potential or actual purchaser resulting in a decision to grant or deny the request.
Public Notice Published: Publication in the local newspaper of the availability of documents for public review, such as the administrative record, proposed plan, and deletion package.
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Real Property Acquisition: Includes all activities necessary in the acquisition of real property related to a regional Response Action Contract.
Record of Decision: A public document that explains which cleanup alternative(s) will be used at National Priorities List sites.
Record of Decision (ROD) Amendment: Significant change from the original selected remedy stated in the original Record of Decision (ROD), such as the use of a new technology to address contamination or the discovery of a new contaminated medium (e.g., contaminated soil, ground water, etc.).
Remedial Action: The actual construction or implementation phase of a Superfund site cleanup that follows remedial design.
Remedial Action Master Plan: A planning document that identifies projects which are necessary for restoration of a hazardous waste site. The Remedial Action Master Plan may contain such plans as a survey of existing data, the scheduling of planning and implementation actions and statements of work, and a project budget, among others. RAMPs were discontinued and replaced by the Forward Planning Activity Process in FY85.
Remedial Design: Remedy design (RD) is the phase in Superfund site cleanup where the technical specifications for cleanup remedies and technologies are designed.
Remedial Design/Remedial Action Negotiations: Discussions and information exchange between potentially responsible parties (PRPs) and EPA (or state) over the PRPs liability and willingness and ability to conduct the remedial design and/or the remedial action as identified in the Record of Decision (ROD).
Remedial Investigation: An investigation intended to gather the data necessary to: (1) determine the nature and extent of problems at the site; ( 2) establish cleanup criteria for the site; (3) identify preliminary alternative remedial actions; and (4) support the technical and cost analyses of the alternatives.
Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study Negotiations: Discussions between EPA and the potentially responsible parties (PRPs) on liability for and conduct of a remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS).
Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study Workplan Approval by HQ: Approval of the remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) workplan, which is a description of the tasks and resources planned for the RI/FS.
Remedial Technology: The name of a technology used to treat, stabilize, contain, or remove contaminated media.
Remedy Construction: Remedy Construction is the phase in Superfund site cleanup where the actual remedy (e.g. landfill cap or water treatment system) chosen from the Record of Decision (ROD), is built and put into place.
Remedy Design: Remedy Design (RD) is the phase in Superfund site cleanup where the technical specifications for cleanup remedies and technologies are designed.
Removal: A removal is a short-term cleanup intended to stabilize or clean up a site that poses an imminent and substantial threat to human health or the environment. Removals can occur at any stage of the Superfund cleanup process, but are often the first response upon discovery of a hazardous substance at a site.
Removal Aerial Survey: Aerial photography, MultiSpectral Scanner (MSS), Forward Looking InfraRed (FLIR), and historical aerial photographs are conducted at a site to document certain removal activities. The aerial survey support provides four types of remote sensing projects: (1) emergency response projects for rapid acquisition and assessment, (2) single date projects to acquire current data, (3) intensive site analyses to acquire imagery over a period of time using historical aerial photographs dating back as far as 1920, and (4) waste site inventories to establish baseline reference over large areas.
Removal Assessment: Collecting site characteristics to determine whether or not a removal must be performed.
Removal Community Relations: Community relations activities must take place for all responses lasting longer than 45 days, addressing the concerns of local citizens and officials about a hazardous waste release.
Removal Negotiations: Removal negotiations are defined as discussions between EPA and the potentially responsible parties (PRPs) on the liability for and conduct of a removal.
Removed from the Proposed National Priorities List: Site removed from the proposed National Priorities List (NPL) before achieving final NPL status, or sites that are removed from the final NPL list.
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Corrective Measure Construction: The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Measure Construction (CMC) is the implementation of the remedy selected in the Record of Decision or appropriate RCRA corrective measure decision document at NPL sites to ensure protection of human health and the environment. The CMC is the RCRA equivalent to a Superfund remedial action.
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Corrective Measure Design: The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Measure Design (CMD) establishes the general size, scope, and character of a project, and details and addresses the technical requirements of the remedial action (RA) selected in the Record of Decision (ROD). The CMD may include, but is not limited to, drawings, specification documents, and statements of bidability and constructability. The CMD is the RCRA equivalent to a Superfund remedial design (RD).
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Corrective Measure Study: The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Measure Study (CMS) develops and evaluates corrective measure alternatives and recommends final corrective actions for operable units with RCRA involvement. CMS is the RCRA equivalent to a Superfund feasibility study (FS). The completion of a CMS is the signature of the appropriate RCRA corrective measure decision document.
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Facility Assessment: A facility assessment completed under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act that identifies solid waste into groups, identifies potential releases of the solid waste, and establishes the basis for follow-up investigations (e.g., through permits and orders).
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Facility Investigation: The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Facility Investigation (RFI) evaluates the nature and extent of the hazardous waste and hazardous constituents and gathers necessary data to support the RCRA Corrective Measures Study (CMS) or the RCRA Interim/Stabilization Measures (ISM). RFIs are the RCRA equivalent to a Superfund remedial investigation (RI).
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Interim/Stabilization Measure: The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Interim/Stabilization Measure (ISM) is a RCRA removal action that reduces threats to human health and the environment from releases or that prevents or minimizes the further spread of contamination while long-term remedies are pursued.
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Order: Any formal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act order submitted when violations are detected during compliance monitoring activities.
Resource Conservation And Recovery Act SB/RTC: RCRA corrective action decision document reflecting the remedy to be implemented at a treatment/storage/disposal facility (TSDF).
Restoration Advisory Board: Restoration Advisory Boards (RABs) foster teamwork by bringing community members together with DOD, DOE, and federal, state, and tribal government regulators to discuss cleanup issues at installations nationwide. These advisory boards involve regulators and the public participating in key federal facility cleanup decisions for specific installations.
Re-Use Plan: Preparation of the re-use plan, a document required by the Base Realignment and Closure Acts (BRAC 1-5) that describes the ideas of the DOD for the expected uses of the base after closure.
Risk/Health Assessment: At each site, EPA determines the possibility for human and ecological contact (i.e., exposure) with contaminants at the site. If the possibility for exposure to contamination exists, EPA conducts a study known as a risk assessment. During the risk assessment, EPA determines if the site poses a risk to humans, and if so, identifies actions that can be taken to control any possible exposure to humans until site cleanup has been completed. Once complete, cleanup provides long-term human health and environmental protection at the site.
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Section 104(E) Ref Litigation: Referred to the Department of Justice/Office of Enforcement and Compliance Monitoring for information from a PRP such as the nature and extent of a release or threatened release, nature and quantity of hazardous materials, and financial ability of the PRP to pay for response actions.
Section 106 107 Litigation: Referral to the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Monitoring or the Department of Justice, of a civil action being held against a site under Sections 106 (legal action against PRPs to require cleanup) and 107 (legal action against PRPs to recover cleanup cost) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.
Section 106 Litigation: Judicial referral without settlement to compel potentially responsible parties (PRPs) to do response work. Referral can also seek compliance with a previous settlement or order.
Section 107 Litigation: Cost recovery discussions with a potentially responsible party have been referred to the court.
Settlement (Generic): An enforcement-related settlement has been reached.
Site Access: After an administrative order is issued, a temporary restraining order is issued to tell a responsible party that access to the site is needed.
Site Inspection: A Site Inspection (SI) is the process of collecting site data and samples to characterize the severity of the hazard ranking score (HRS) and/or for enforcement support. SI investigators typically collect environmental and waste samples to determine what hazardous substances are present at a site. They determine if these substances are being released to the environment and assess if they have reached nearby targets.
Site Reassessment: Evaluation of the status of site assessment activities or the reassessment of a previous decision that may need to be updated based on a change in site conditions.
Site Security and Maintenance: Activities necessary in ensuring and maintaining site security.
Site Unarchived: A decision is made that the site should no longer be archived because further activity may be necessary at the site.
Site-Specific Advisory Board: Site-Specific Advisory Boards (SSABs) foster teamwork by bringing community members together with DOD, DOE, and federal, state, and tribal government regulators to discuss cleanup issues at installations nationwide. These advisory boards involve regulators and the public participating in key federal facility cleanup decisions for specific installations.
Site-Wide Ready for Anticipated Use: The number of final and deleted construction complete National Priorities List (NPL) sites where, for the entire site,
(1) All cleanup goals in the Record(s) of Decision or other remedy decision document(s) have been achieved for media that may affect current and reasonably anticipated future land uses of the site, so that there are no unacceptable risks; and
(2) All institutional or other controls required in the Record(s) of Decision or other remedy decision document(s) have been put in place.
Special Notice Issued: Issuance under CERCLA Section 122 of a Special Notice Letter to potentially responsible parties (PRPs). The issuance of a Special Notice Letter by EPA triggers a suspension in negotiations. Special Notice Letters can be issued for removal, remedial investigation/feasibility study, and remedial design/remedial action negotiations.
Start Date: The official date a removal or response action has begun at a site.
State: The name of the state in which a site is located or an incident occurs.
State Consent Decree: Judicial agreement between a state and the potentially responsible parties (PRPs) fully or partially settling a claim under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The settlement may be for response work, cost recovery, or both.
State Deferral: The EPA region has entered into an agreement with a state to defer from listing on the National Priorities List (NPL) an NPL-caliber site or a site proposed to the NPL. The state uses its own authority to compel and oversee potentially responsible party (PRP) response or implements a response using its own resources.
State Enforcement Management Assistance: Federal compensation of state administrative costs for participation in enforcement planning or implementation activities.
State Order: Administrative order signed by the state and the potentially responsible parties (PRPs). The order may be for response work, cost recovery or both.
State Support Agency Cooperative Agreement: Federal compensation of state administrative costs of participation in site-specific remedial planning or implementation activities.
Study and Remedy Selection: A number of studies are undertaken at a site to determine site conditions, the nature and extent of contamination, the criteria that will be required to clean up the site, preliminary alternatives for cleanup actions, and technical and cost analyses of the alternatives. The two most common studies are called the Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study.
The remedy selected at a site is the method that EPA has determined will best address, correct, or remediate the contamination concerns at the site. The remedy selected at a site is documented in a Record of Decision (ROD) document. The ROD provides the justification for the remedial action (treatment) chosen in the Record of Decision. It also contains site history, site description, site characteristics, community participation, enforcement activities, past and present activities, contaminated media, the contaminants present, scope and role of response action, and the remedy selected for cleanup.
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Technical Assistance: Technical assistance is support provided by a third party to EPA regions to conduct response activities. Third parties that may provide assistance include U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), U. S. EPA laboratories, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Superfund Technical Assistance and Response Team (START), and Response Action Contracts (RAC) contractors.
Technical Assistance Grant: Technical Assistance Grants of up to $50,000 are provided to citizens' groups to obtain assistance in interpreting information related to cleanups at Superfund sites or those proposed for the National Priorities List. Grants are used by such groups to hire technical advisors to help them understand the site-related technical information for the duration of response activities.
Technical Outreach Services to Communities: A grant awarded to a community for technical assistance in dealing with Superfund issues at non-NPL sites. This action is a component of community involvement.
Temporary Restraining Order: Legal action by judge to prohibit action by responsible parties.
Titles: Description of the position held by the EPA Contact.
Topographical Mapping: The process of creating a topographical map for the site.
Treatability Study: The field efforts to support the evaluation of alternatives to determine applicability for the site.
Types of Contaminants: Individual contaminants are classified into contaminant groups based on their chemical structure and physical properties. Some major contaminant groups include: Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), Metals, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), and Pesticides.
Types of Documents: Documents maintained in EPA's on-line databases that if available, may provide further information for a site.
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Underground Storage Tank Removal: Response action that requires expeditious attention to reduce imminent and substantial dangers to human health, welfare, or the environment or an emergency response required within hours or days to address acute situations involving actual or potential threat to human health, the environment, or real or personal property due to the release of a hazardous substance from an underground storage tank.
Unilateral Admin Order: Administrative order issued by EPA that can direct potentially responsible parties (PRPs) to conduct removal, remedial investigation/feasibility study, remedial design/remedial action, and cost recovery activities.
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What are active and archived sites?: Active CERCLIS sites are sites at which site assessment, removal, remedial, enforcement, cost recovery, or oversight activities are being planned or conducted under the Superfund program.
The Archive designation indicates the site has no further interest under the Federal Superfund Program based on available information. EPA may perform a minimal level of assessment work at a site while it is archived if site conditions change and/or new information becomes available. The Archive designation is removed and the site is returned to the CERCLIS inventory if more substantitive assessment and/or any cleanup work is necessary under the Federal Superfund program.
Withdrawn from the National Priorities List: EPA withdraws a site from consideration on the National Priorities List voluntarily or for legal reasons.
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