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Superfund Remediation
Superfund Cleanup
The Superfund cleanup process begins with site discovery or notification to EPA of possible releases of hazardous substances. Sites are discovered by various parties, including citizens, State agencies, and EPA Regional offices. Once discovered, sites are entered into the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Information System (CERCLIS), EPA's computerized inventory of potential hazardous substance release sites. EPA then evaluates the potential for a release of hazardous substances from the site. The Preliminary Assessment (PA) and Site Inspection (SI) are used by EPA to accomplish this. EPA then inputs the information into the Hazard Ranking System (HRS).
The HRS is the principal mechanism EPA uses to place uncontrolled waste sites on the National Priorities List (NPL). It is a numerically based screening system that uses information from initial, limited investigations - the preliminary assessment and the site inspection - to assess the relative potential of sites to pose a threat to human health or the environment.
Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study
After a site is listed on the NPL, a remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) is performed at the site. The remedial investigation serves as the mechanism for collecting data to: characterize site conditions; determine the nature of the waste; assess risk to human health and the environment; and conduct treatability testing to evaluate the potential performance and cost of the treatment technologies that are being considered. The FS is the mechanism for the development, screening, and detailed evaluation of alternative remedial actions. The RI and FS are conducted concurrently - data collected in the RI influence the development of remedial alternatives in the FS, which in turn affect the data needs and scope of treatability studies and additional field investigations. This phased approach encourages the continual scoping of the site characterization effort, which minimizes the collection of unnecessary data and maximizes data quality.
Record of Decision
The Record of Decision (ROD) is a public document that explains which cleanup alternatives will be used to clean up a Superfund site. The ROD for sites listed on the NPL is created from information generated during the Remedial Investigation/Feasibilty Study (RI/FS).
Remedial Design/Remedial Action
Remedial Design (RD) is the phase in Superfund site cleanup where the technical specifications for cleanup remedies and technologies are designed. Remedial actions (RA) are long-term cleanups designed to prevent or minimize the release of hazardous substances and to reduce the risk and danger to public health or the environment. Remedial actions follow the remedial design phase of the Superfund cleanup process and are a part of the actual construction or implementation phase of the cleanup. The RD/RA is based on the cleanup specifications described in the Record of Decision (ROD). An example of a remedial action is to remove hazardous material from groundwater using pump and treat technologies.
Construction Completes
EPA has developed the construction completions list (CCL) to simplify its system of categorizing sites and to better communicate the successful completion of cleanup activities. Sites qualify when:
- any necessary physical construction is complete, whether or not final cleanup levels or other requirements have been achieved; or
- 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.
Post Construction Completion
The goal of Post Construction Completion activities is to ensure that Superfund response actions provide for the long-term protection of human health and the environment. EPA's Post Construction Completion activities also involve optimizing remedies to increase effectiveness and/or reduce cost without sacrificing long-term protection of human health and the environment.
EPA uses these steps to determine and implement the appropriate response to threats posed by releases of hazardous substances. Releases that require immediate or short-term response actions are addressed under the Emergency Response program of Superfund.
Visit the Superfund Cleanup Process website for the step-by-step process for identifying and cleaning up Superfund sites.Region 4 Remedial Staff Contacts
Alabama, Florida, Georgia & MississippiKentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina & Tennessee Superfund cleanup site databases
- (CERCLIS, ERNS, Enviromap) for active and non-active cleanups, record of decisions, maps for your area, and emergency responses.
- Provides activities, contacts, AR indexes, and locations in the eight Southeast region states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.