EPA RCRA ID: VAD074747908
On this page:
- Cleanup Status
- Facility Description
- Contaminants at this Facility
- Institutional/Engineer Controls
- Enforcement and Compliance
- Related Information
- Contacts for this Facility
Cleanup Status
Note: The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) is the lead agency for managing cleanups at this facility.
Virginia Tech’s activities related to the storage and management of hazardous waste since 1980 resulted in releases to the soil and groundwater. EPA identified a total of 21/node/127295 SWMUs and 9 AOCs at the Site. To address such releases, Virginia Tech entered into an Administrative Order on Consent (Consent Order; Docket No. RCRA-03-2010-0396CA) with the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 3 (EPA) on September 29, 2010. The Consent Order required the Facility to perform interim measures, a RCRA Facility Investigation, and a Corrective Measures Study. Based on a review of all available information, site visits, and discussions with Facility representatives, EPA determined that the only known soil and/or groundwater impacts were at SWMU 1 (Former Physical Plan/Quarry Area), SWMU 2 (Closed Sanitary Landfill, Solid Waste Permit No. 109), and AOC 5 (Power Plant Underground Storage Tanks [USTs]). Contaminated soil and waste from prior activities at SWMU 1 were removed from the area, and soil and groundwater investigations were conducted. SWMU 2 is a closed, solid waste landfill that was issued Solid Waste Permit No. 109 (SWP109) in 1973 and received general University solid waste until June 30, 1989. AOC 5 was constructed in 1973 to store backup fuel in two cast-in-place concrete USTs. Subsurface releases were discovered, resulting in excavation and removal of free product. The USTs were demolished and removed in 2017.
A Statement of Basis (SB) dated January 5, 2015 addressed remedies for multiple SWMUs including SWMUs 1 and 2 but with the exception of AOC 5 as investigations in the area had not been completed at the time of this SB. Land restrictions for SWMUs 1 and 2 include restrictions on residential use, groundwater use, and earth-moving activities. The proposed remedy for SWMU 2 also included natural attenuation with continuation of the groundwater monitoring program. The SB noted that No Further Action (NFA) was proposed for the 19 SWMUs and 8 AOCs that have been investigated and either remediated or determined to pose no unacceptable risk. A SB dated November 7, 2017 noted that no further corrective action or land use controls were necessary for AOC 5. The EPA did not receive any comments for either SB during their respective public notice periods. The Final Decisions and Response to Comments (FDRTCs) were released on April 9, 2015 and December 19, 2017 for the 2015 SB and 2017 SB, respectively. The 2010 Consent Order was terminated on February 15, 2018 due to satisfactory completion of the requirements in the Order. The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors adopted a resolution on September 10, 2012 that incorporated the use limitations of the FDRTC.
On August 11, 2025, Virginia DEQ conducted a Long-Term Stewardship Assessment to assess whether the remedy was implemented and protective of human health and the environment. The evaluation found no outstanding items with compliance of engineering and institutional controls as defined within a 2012 Board of Visitors Resolution.
Cleanup Actions or environmental indicators characterizing the entire facility are shown below. It is not intended as an extensive list of milestones/activities. This listing, and all the data on this page, come from EPA’s RCRAInfo and are refreshed nightly to this page. For this table and the Cleanup Activities Pertaining to a Portion of the Facility table that follows, a blank in the Status column could mean the action either has not occurred or has not been reported in RCRAInfo.
Cleanup Activities Pertaining to the Entire Facility
| Action | Status | Date of Action |
|---|---|---|
| Human Exposure Under Control Human Exposure Under Control(CA725) | ||
| Groundwater Migration Under ControlGroundwater Migration Under Control (CA750) | ||
| Remedy DecisionRemedy Decision (CA400) | ||
| Remedy ConstructionRemedy Construction (CA550) | ||
| Ready for Anticipated Use Ready for Anticipated Use (CA800) | ||
| Performance Standards AttainedPerformance Standards Attained (CA900) | ||
| Corrective Action Process TerminatedCorrective Action Process Terminated (CA999) |
For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Cleanup Activities Pertaining to a Portion of the Facility
| Action | Area Name | Date of Action |
|---|
For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Facility Description
Link to a larger, interactive view of the map.
Virginia Tech is still an active university. Virginia Tech is located in a rural residential and agricultural area in Blacksburg, Montgomery County, Virginia, 42 miles southwest of Roanoke, Virginia. Founded in 1872 as a land-grant college named Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College, Virginia Tech is now a comprehensive, innovative research university with more than 100 campus buildings, a 2,600-acre main campus, off-campus educational facilities in six regions, and a 1,800-acre agricultural research farm near the main campus. The Facility also includes the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center and the Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport, which are located adjacent to the main campus. 230+acres CRC, 310 acre airport
Since the release of the 2015 and 2017 FDRTCs, the New Classroom Building and the Hitt Building were constructed in 2015 and 2023, respectively, within the area of SWMU 1. There are no plans for additional construction at SWMU 1 according to the Campus Master Plan, which extends to 2047. SWMU 2 is continuing to be monitored under its permit (SWP109) through DEQ’s Solid Waste Program in the Blue Ridge Regional Office. AOC 5 currently has 2 16,000-gal Aboveground Storage Tanks (ASTs) onsite.
Contaminants at this Facility
Primary contaminants at the Facility include volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), and RCRA metals .
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
Multiple institutional and engineering controls exist at the facility using different mechanisms. Institutional controls for SWMU 1 that restrict land and groundwater use are implemented through a Virginia Tech Board of Visitors resolution adopted September 10, 2012. Institutional controls for SWMU 2 that include long-term monitoring and maintenance of the landfill are implemented through SWP109. Engineering controls for SMWU 2 that include the landfill cap and the groundwater monitoring program along with associated operations and maintenance are also implemented through SWP109.
Institutional and Engineering Controls help ensure human exposure and groundwater migration are under control at a cleanup facility. Where control types have been reported by states and EPA in EPA’s RCRAInfo, they are shown below. Not all control types are needed at all facilities, and some facilities do not require any controls. Where there are blanks, the control types may not be needed, may not be in place, or may not be reported in RCRAInfo.
Are Controls in Place at this Facility?
| Control(s) Type | Control(s) in Place? | Areas Subject to Control(s) | Documents available on-line: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Institutional ControlsNon-engineering controls used to restrict land use or land access in order to protect people and the environment from exposure to hazardous substances remaining in the site/or facility. (CA 772) | Informational DevicesInformational Devices (ID) | |||
| Governmental Controls (GC) | ||||
| Enforcement and Permit Tools (EP) | ||||
| Proprietary ControlsProprietary Controls (PR) | ||||
Engineering ControlsEngineering measures designed to minimize the potential for human exposure to contamination by either limiting direct contact with contaminated areas or controlling migration of contaminants. (CA 770) | Groundwater ControlGroundwater Control (GW) | |||
Non-Groundwater | ||||
For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Enforcement and Compliance at this Facility
EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) provides detailed historical information about enforcement and compliance activities at each RCRA Corrective Action Site in their Enforcement and Compliance Historical Online (ECHO) system.
RCRA Enforcement and Compliance Reports from ECHO
Related Information
For more information about this facility, see these other EPA links:
- RCRA information in EPA’s Envirofacts database
- Information about this facility submitted to EPA under different environmental programs as reported in EPA’s Facility Registry Services
- Alternative Names for this facility as reported by EPA programs in EPA’s Facility Registry Services
- Cleanups in My Community provides an interactive map to see EPA cleanups in context with additional data, and lists for downloading data
- Search RCRA Corrective Action Sites provides a search feature for Corrective Action Sites
Documents, Photos and Graphics
Contacts for this Facility
EPA Region implements and enforces the RCRA Corrective Action program for and federally recognized tribes.
For further information on this corrective action site, use the Contact Information for Corrective Action Hazardous Waste Clean Ups listings that are accessible through Corrective Action Programs around the Nation.