Round 3-9: Delete Clean Parcels from the NPL
Reform Description
Building on Reform 2-4d, Clarifying NPL Sites, this reform encourages EPA Regions to delete from the NPL portions of sites that are clean and available for productive use.
Listing a property on the NPL may affect the value of that property and the surrounding area -- whether or not all of the property or adjacent property is contaminated. To help encourage redevelopment, EPA is working to provide the Regions with the flexibility to clarify uncontaminated areas of NPL sites.
As part of this initiative, EPA has produced guidance that outlines the procedures for issuing assurances, followup consultation, and coordination concerning uncontaminated areas (see Documents below). EPA has also developed tools such as the "Soil Screening Guidance" (see Reform 2-8 Documents) to identify portions of sites that do not warrant Federal attention.
This reform aims to:
- Map and track partial deletions at NPL sites; and
- Facilitate redevelopment of uncontaminated portions of sites.
Reform Status
Implementation of this reform is complete.EPA continued to promote the use of partial deletions at NPL sites.
Results
EPA issued a policy change to allow partial deletions in November 1995, and signed the "Procedures for Partial Deletions at NPL Sites" on April 30, 1996 (see Documents below). The latter guidance does not outline partial deletion procedures, as they are identical to deletion procedures for entire sites. More recently, the January 2000 "Close Out Procedures for National Priorities List Sites, Chapter 6 - Partial Deletion" further delineated the process and documentation necessary for partial deletions.
As of May 2001, clean parcels were deleted at 23 NPL sites (listed below), and notices of intent to delete clean parcels were issued at three other sites.
The links provided below point to Regional NPL Fact Sheets. You may also want to check the OSRTI partial deletions page for the most current list of partial deletions, with links to NPL site narratives and Federal Register notices.
Sites with partial deletions:
- American Cyanamid Co., Bound Brook, NJ
- Bypass 601 Ground Water Contamination, Concord, NC
- Celanese Corp. (Shelby Fiber Operations), Shelby, NC
- Commencement Bay, Nearshore/Tideflats, Pierce County, WA
- General Electric Co./Shepherd Farm, East Flat Rock, NC
- Geneva Industries/Fuhrman Energy, Houston, TX
- Hanford 100-Area (USDOE), Benton County, WA
- Harbor Island (Lead), Seattle, WA
- Koppers Co., Inc. (Morrisville Plant), Morrisville, NC
- Lakewood Site, Lakewood, WA
- Para-Chem Southern, Inc., Simpsonville, SC
- Prewitt Abandoned Refinery, Prewitt, NM
- Saegertown Industrial Area, Saegertown, PA
- Sangamo Weston/Twelve-Mile/Hartwell PCB, Pickens, SC
- South Andover Site, Andover, MN
- Treasure Island Naval Station, San Francisco, CA
- California Gulch, Leadville, CO
- Agriculture Street Landfill, New Orleans, LA
- Materials Technology Laboratory (USARMY), Watertown, MA
- Fort George G. Meade, Odenton, MD
- Motor Wheel, Inc., Lansing, MI
- Cimarron Mining Corp., Carrizozo, NM
- Mound Plant (USDOE), Miamisburg, OH
- Rocky Mountain Arsenal (USARMY), Adams County, CO
- RSR Corporation, Dallas, TX
- French Ltd., Crosby, TX
Success Stories
Commencement Bay, Nearshore/Tideflats, Tacoma, WA
Cleanup progress in several areas of the Commencement Bay, Nearshore/Tideflats site eliminated the threat to public health or the environment and allowed EPA Region 10 to publish a Notice of Intent to Delete in the August 28, 1996, Federal Register. The first partial site deletion was completed on October 29, 1996. Sections of the original site now have great potential for economic redevelopment. [FY97 Success]
Documents
NOTE: Also see OSRTI's Notice of Policy Change page.
Title: Notice of Policy Change: Partial Deletion of Sites Listed on the National Priorities List
Date: November 1, 1995
Document #: 60 FR 55466
Synopsis: This policy authorizes EPA to delete clean parcels from the NPL.
Title: Procedures for Partial Deletions at NPL Sites
Date: April 30, 1996
Document #: EPA 540-R-96-014, OSWER 9320.2-11, NTIS PB96-963222
Synopsis: This guidance defines the requirements for partial deletions at NPL sites.
Title: Close Out Procedures for National Priorities List Sites
Date: January 2000
Document #: EPA 540-R-98-016, OSWER Directive 9320.2-09A-P, PB98-963223
Synopsis: This guidance describes the process for accomplishing remedial action completion, construction completions and site deletion for final NPL sites.