Summary

In response to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the: (1) nature and extent of hazardous waste problems at the Federal Aviation Administration's Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center; and (2) actions the Center took to clean up contamination.

GAO found that: (1) state and local regulatory agencies cited the Center several times between 1984 and 1987 for various hazardous waste violations, including toxic substances discharges, leaking fuel storage tanks, an abandoned radioactive materials burial site, and improper documentation of waste shipments; (2) the Center installed a pretreatment system and spill containment structures to prevent hazardous discharges into sewer systems; (3) the Center began to remove and replace the fuel tanks and to train its personnel in complying with waste-handling requirements; (4) the Center developed a 5-year plan to protect the environment and clean up any contamination resulting from its operations; (5) the Center reported two sites to the Environmental Protection Agency as candidates for the Superfund Program; and (6) cognizant regulatory officials believed that adequate funding and proper implementation of the plan would permanently solve the Center's contamination problems.