The Site Evaluation and Removal Branch operates under a cooperative agreement
with the US EPA to
assess uncontrolled and unregulated hazardous waste sites in NC and prioritize
these sites
for federal Superfund response action. Under Superfund, a site may be defined as any
unregulated or uncontrolled source from which hazardous substances have been or
threaten to
be released into the environment. Once discovered, these sites are placed on EPA's CERCLA inventory (CERCLIS) and assessed to determine their relative risk to public
health and
the
environment. Sites posing an immediate risk may warrant a removal action by EPA to
remove
the threat of acute exposures or imminent releases of hazardous substances. Sites
posing the
greatest long-term threat are placed on EPA's National Priorities List (NPL) and are
thereby
eligible for long-term remedial action under Superfund. This Branch conducts all
site assessment activities from site discovery through expanded site inspections
and recommends the worst sites for listing on the NPL.
CERCLIS sites are screened for NPL listing using nationally established criteria set
out
in EPA's Hazard Ranking System. Sites are evaluated based on the likelihood of
hazardous
substance release, characteristics of wastes on site, and their potential impacts on
target
populations and sensitive environments should contaminants migrate through air,
surface
water, groundwater or soil exposure pathways. Currently, there are approximately 900
sites in
NC listed on CERCLIS, many of which have already been determined to
warrant
no further action by EPA. Twenty-three sites have been added to the NPL. In addition,
this Branch also assesses
those sites which have the highest potential for imminent threat to the public health,
determine whether the site poses an imminent threat, and if warranted, request and
coordinate assistance form the US EPA Emergency Response and Removal Branch,
Region
IV, Atlanta. Branch
activities are conducted using federal funds from US EPA and support 16.15 positions
in the
Superfund Section. |
