Region 8
Serving Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming and 27 Tribal Nations
Site Assessment
National Information
Regional Information
Contents
- What is Site Assessment?
- EPA Region 8 Site Assessment Contacts
- Site Assessment Basics
- Other Resources
The Superfund cleanup process begins with site discovery or notification to EPA of possible releases of hazardous substances. Sites are discovered by various parties, including citizens, State agencies, and EPA Regional offices. Once discovered, sites are sent to the appropriate group or groups to investigate. Usually, the site is investigated by Site Assessment for a possible non-time critical site or Emergency Response for a possible time critical response. Once in Site Assessment, the SAM, Site Assessment Manager, evaluates the potential for a release of hazardous substances from the site through these steps in the Superfund cleanup process:
- Preliminary Assessment (PA),Site Inspection (SI) & Expanded SI - investigations of site conditions
- HRS Scoring - A numerical screening mechanism used to qualify sites for possible inclusion on the National Priorities List
- NPL Site Listing Process - list of the most serious sites identified for possible long-term cleanup. There is extensive public involvement to reiew other options and gather support for listing.
- After listing the site leaves the Site Assessment group and goes to a Remedial Project Manager, RPM, for a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS), who determines the nature and extent of contamination as well as risk.
- Records of Decision (ROD) - explains which cleanup alternatives will be used at NPL sites. This step has extensive public input on the cleanup decision.
- Remedial Design/Remedial Action (RD/RA) - preparation and implementation of plans and specifications for applying site remedies
- Construction Completion - identifies completion of cleanup activities
- Post Construction Completion - ensures that Superfund response actions provide for the long-term protection of human health and the environment. Included here are Long-Term Response Actions (LTRA), Operation and Maintenance, Institutional Controls, Five-Year Reviews, Remedy Optimization, and NPL Deletion
EPA uses these steps to determine and implement the appropriate response to threats posed by releases of hazardous substances. Releases that require immediate or short-term response actions are addressed under the Emergency Response program of Superfund.
EPA Region 8 Site Assessment Contacts
Margaret Williams, Site Assessment Manager for Utah
williams.margaret@epa.gov
303-312-6943 Sabrina Forrest, Site Assessment Manager for Colorado and South Dakota
forrest.sabrina@epa.gov
303-312-6484 Gwen Christiansen, NPL Coordinator and Site Assessment Manager for Montana
christiansen.gwen@epa.gov
406-457-5032 Vacant
Site Assessment Manager for Wyoming and North Dakota
Site Assessment Basics
How are sites discovered? Hazard Ranking System (HRS) National Priorities List (NPL) For more information:
You can query for current site assessment information as well as active sites past the site assessment stage