Regulatory Drivers
In 1975, the Department of Defense (DoD) began a pilot program to investigate
past hazardous waste disposal at DoD facilities.
These are the regulatory and administrative
programs that drive environmental cleanup at MCAS Cherry Point :
In 1976, Congress passed the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). One aspect of
RCRA is to manage the present and future disposal of hazardous waste
with respect to human health and welfare.
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Step 1
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Step 2 |
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Step
3 |
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Step
4 |
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Step 5 |
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Corrective Action Process (CAP) |
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RCRA
Facility Assessment (RFA) |
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RCRA
Facility Investigation (RFI) |
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Corrective Measures Study (CMS) |
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Corrective Measures Implementation (CMI) |
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RCRA Facilities are generally brought into the corrective action
process at the time EPA (or authorized state) is considering a
permit application for the facility or when a release justifying
action under RCRA is identified. |
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The RFA serves as a screening step to determine whether
activities at the site may have generated hazardous wastes and
their potential for release. Areas evaluated in the RFA
are referred to as Solid Waste Management Units (SWMUs) or Areas
of Concern (AOCs). This includes review of available
information of historical activities at the site, visual site
inspections, and confirmatory sampling. After review of the RFI,
the EPA or lead agency generally develops a schedule of
compliance for further studies and actions that must be taken at
the site. |
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During the RFI, soil and water samples are taken to assess the
potential for corrective measures. The purpose of the RFI is to
determine the nature, extent, direction, and rate of migration
of hazardous waste. The results of the RFI will be used to
determine the need for the next step in the RCRA process, the
Corrective Measures Study (CMS), or to support the
recommendation of no further action. |
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The CMS portion of the RCRA corrective action process is to
identify and evaluate potential remedial actions to be taken at
the site. |
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The CMI
process develops the specific design for the selected remedy and
the implementation (construction, operations, and maintenance)
of the remedy. |
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