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Making the Program Faster, Fairer, and More Efficient
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Superfund Achieves 5,000th Milestone in Missouri St. Louis, Missouri (1998) -- EPA completes its 5,000th successful removal action at an abandoned drum reclamation plant, making way for potential economic development in the metropolitan area. A fire on the 11-acre Great Lakes Container site in 1995 alerted officials of the potential dangers associated with the site and prompted several environmental investigations. Investigations revealed buried drums of hazardous substances, asbestos, and high levels of lead and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were threatening the environment and the health of nearby residents. EPA conducted an eight-month Removal Action to mitigate these threats, including the removal of 55,000 tons of contaminated soil, collection of 680 drums of hazardous substances, and the treatment of 580,000 gallons of water. |
IMPROVING CLEANUP PROCEDURES
EPA has maintained an ongoing effort to reform and revitalize the Superfund program.
In 1989, the Agency completed A Management Review of the Superfund Program. Also known as the "90-Day Study," the Management Review proposed 50 specific recommendations to immediately control threats to human health, provide for efficient and effective cleanups, develop innovative technologies, encourage community participation, and get responsible parties to pay for cleanups.
In 1990, EPA revised the NCP and the HRS in accordance with SARA. The NCP was revised to provide for broader response actions, increased State and public participation, and stronger enforcement procedures. The HRS was revised to ensure that, to the maximum extent feasible, it accurately assessed the relative degree of risk to human health and the environment posed by sites.
In 1991, EPA convened a 30-Day Task Force to develop options for accelerating the rate of cleanups and to improve how the risks posed by hazardous waste sites are evaluated. The "30-Day Study" culminated in initiatives to:
- Set up aggressive cleanup targets;
- Streamline the Superfund process;
- Address site specific issues that cause delay;
- Accelerate private party cleanups; and
- Review risk assessment and risk management practices.
A year later, EPA introduced the Superfund Accelerated Cleanup Model (SACM). SACM reduced the time and money spent at Superfund sites, while continuing to protect human health and the environment. After SACM, EPA began measures to reduce risk and start cleanups earlier in the process.
In 1993, EPA established the Construction Completions category of sites within the NPL. EPA established this category as a new way to more accurately reflect the work accomplished at Superfund sites. By definition, these are sites where all physical remedy construction has been completed and the site is awaiting official deletion from the NPL. As of October 2000, 757 Superfund sites had all cleanup construction completed.
