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Basic Information about Cleanups
EPA conducts and supervises investigation and cleanup actions at a variety of sites where oil or hazardous chemicals have been released into the environment or when there is a threat of such releases of these substances. Cleanup activities also may take place at active and abandoned waste sites, federal facilities and properties, and where above and underground storage tanks have leaked. Cleanups may be done by EPA, other federal agencies, states or municipalities, or the company or party responsible for the contamination. Cleanup may also refer to the reuse and redevelopment of sites, such as under the Brownfields initiative whereby abandoned or under-used commercial and industrial sites are cleaned of environmental contamination and reclaimed for productive use.
- Superfund
- Federal Facilities
- Brownfields
- Underground Storage Tank System Releases
- RCRA Corrective Action
- Oil Spills
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 (view CERCLIS Hazardous Waste Sites). EPA then evaluates the potential for a release of hazardous substances from the site through these steps in the Superfund cleanup process:
- Preliminary Assessment/Site Inspection (PA/SI) — investigations of site conditions
- HRS Scoring — screening mechanism used to place sites on the National Priorities List (Introduction to the HRS)
- NPL Site Listing Process — list of the most serious sites identified for possible long-term cleanup
- Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) — determines the nature and extent of contamination
- Records of Decision (ROD) — explains which cleanup alternatives will be used at NPL sites
- Remedial Design/Remedial Action (RD/RA) — preparation and implementation of plans and specifications for applying site remedies
- Construction Completion — identifies completion of cleanup activities
- Post Construction Completion — ensures that Superfund response actions provide for the long-term protection of human health and the environment
- Operation and Maintenance (O&M) — conducted after site actions are complete to ensure that all actions are effective and operating properly
- NPL Site Deletions — removal of sites from the NPL (How Sites are Deleted from the NPL)
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.
When possible, EPA prefers to have those responsible for the hazardous waste release clean it up. EPA uses its Superfund settlement and enforcement authorities to compel responsible parties to do the site investigations and cleanup. EPA uses these same authorities to recover from the responsible parties what it spends on site investigations and cleanup. More information on Superfund Enforcement.
Federal Facilities Cleanup
The U.S. Government operates thousands of facilities across the country, from military bases to nuclear weapons plants, fuel distribution facilities, natural parks and wildlife refuges, office buildings, laboratories and many others. Federal agencies and their respective facilities generally must comply with all Federal environmental statutes and regulations plus all applicable State, Tribal, and local requirements.
One of the most important environmental issues for Federal facilities is cleaning up past pollution such as environmental contamination, hazardous and radioactive wastes, munitions and explosives, or other toxic substances. EPA's Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse program provides technical and regulatory oversight during the cleanup process at Federal facilities to ensure the protection of human health and the environment, effective program implementation, and meaningful public involvement. Such facilities include Federal Superfund sites, base realignment and closure facilities, and formerly used defense sites.
Under Presidential Executive Orders, the heads of Federal agencies are responsible for cleaning up environmental contamination at their facilities. EPA's Federal Facilities Cleanup Enforcement program is responsible for negotiating agreements with Federal facilities which provide the technical, legal, and management framework under which a cleanup is conducted. Additionally, CERCLA Section 120(c) requires EPA to establish and maintain a "Federal Agency Hazardous Waste Compliance Docket" which contains information on Federal facilities while engaging in hazardous waste activities or having the potential to release hazardous substances into the environment. The docket shall contain information submitted under RCRA Sections 3005, 3010, 3016, and Section 103 of CERCLA.
Brownfields Cleanup
In recent years, many manufacturing plants and military bases have closed or relocated. Often, new development on these "brownfield" sites is made difficult by real or perceived environmental contamination. Through the Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment Program, EPA helps states, tribes, communities, and other organizations to:
- environmentally assess existing properties
- prevent further contamination
- safely clean up polluted properties, and
- design plans to re-use them.
For more information on the Agency's grants and redevelopment programs.
In an effort to remove perceived barriers to the redevelopment of brownfields, Congress amended CERCLA in 2002. These "Brownfields Amendments" provide, among other things, important liability protections for certain landowners. EPA has developed a number of enforcement discretion policies laying out how the Agency intends to implement the Amendments in a manner that balances the protection of human health and the environment, and the redevelopment of brownfields. More information on Brownfields cleanup enforcement.
Cleaning Up Underground Storage Tank System Releases
An underground storage tank system (UST) is a tank and any underground piping connected to the tank that has at least 10 percent of its combined volume underground. The federal UST regulations apply only to underground tanks and piping storing either petroleum or certain hazardous substances.
Until the mid-1980s, most USTs were made of bare steel, which is likely to corrode over time and allow UST contents to leak into the environment. Faulty installation or inadequate operating and maintenance procedures also can cause USTs to release their contents into the environment.
The greatest potential hazard from a leaking UST is that the petroleum or other hazardous substance can seep into the soil and contaminate groundwater, the source of drinking water for nearly half of all Americans. A leaking UST can present other health and environmental risks, including the potential for fire and explosion.
Click UST for further information on EPA regulatory program.
EPA and the states are responsible for enforcing the UST requirements under Subtitle I of the Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA). UST cleanup enforcement is achieved by conducting inspections to identify violations, ensuring that violations are promptly corrected and imposing penalties, as appropriate, or through the issuing of corrective action orders. More information on UST enforcement.
RCRA Corrective Action
Accidents or other activities at facilities that treat, store or dispose of hazardous wastes have sometimes led to the release of hazardous waste or hazardous constituents into soil, ground water, surface water, or air. Prior to HSWA, cleanup of such releases focused primarily on protecting groundwater from special kinds of RCRA-regulated land disposal units that received hazardous wastes after July 1982. HSWA made it clear that owners or operators of treatment, storage or disposal (TSD) facilities are responsible for investigating and, as necessary, cleaning up releases at or from their facilities, regardless of when the releases occurred. EPA refers to this cleanup of TSD facilities under these statutory authorities as RCRA Corrective Action.
More information about cleanups under the RCRA Corrective Action Program
RCRA Corrective Action enforcement may be accomplished through several mechanisms. TSD facility owners may sign a voluntary agreement to cleanup their facility. EPA may issue an order to compel compliance with a permit, require investigation of contamination, or implement a cleanup action. EPA may even issue an order based on a situation that may present an imminent and substantial endangerment to health or the environment. More information on RCRA cleanup enforcement.
Cleaning up Oil Spills
To address the potential environmental threat posed by petroleum and non-petroleum oils, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established a program designed to prevent oil spills. The program has reduced the number of spills to less than 1% of the total volume handled each year. The program is also designed to prepare for and respond to any oil spill affecting the inland waters of the United States. EPA's oil program has a long history of responding to oil spills, including several major oil spills, and the lessons learned have helped to improve our country's prevention and response capabilities. The Oil Spill Program is administered through EPA headquarters and the 10 EPA Regions.
For more information on cleaning up oil spills.
Oil cleanup enforcement is available under both the Oil Pollution Act and the Clean Water Act. Enforcement is directed at parties responsible for oil spills or threatened oil spills. It may include administrative cleanup orders and/or judicial actions for injunctive relief. Oil regulatory enforcement includes administrative and judicial penalty actions for oil spills and violations of the spill prevention control and countermeasure (SPCC) program and other regulatory requirements. More information on oil cleanup enforcement.