Superfund Hazard Ranking System Training Course: Table of Contents

Section 1: Regulatory Context of the Hazard Ranking System

1. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)
2. The Hazard Ranking System (HRS)
3. Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA)
4. Hazardous Substances
5. HRS Definitions of Site and Source
6. CERCLA Definition of Release
7. Statutory and Policy Exclusions
8. Policy Considerations in Listing Sites
9. Questions and Answers

Section 2: Site Assessment Process

1. Preliminary Assessment
2. Site Inspection
3. NPL Listing Process
4. Hazard Ranking System
5. HRS Scoring Package
6. The Documentation Record
7. Preparing the Documentation Record

Section 3: HRS Structure

1. Pathways
2. Site Score
3. Pathway Score
4. Likelihood of Release
5. Waste Characteristics
6. Targets

Section 4: Source Characterization

1. What is a Source?
2. Source Characterization
3. Source Identification Types
4. Source Boundaries and Dimensions
5. Association of Hazardous Substances with Sources
6. Containment
7. Questions and Answers

Section 5: Waste Characteristics

1. Calculating Substance-Specific Factors
2. Calculating Hazardous Waste Quantity
3. Calculating Waste Characteristics
4. Questions and Answers

Section 6: Likelihood of Release

1. Observed Release
2. Potential to Release
3. Questions and Answers

Section 7: Targets

1. Level of Contamination
2. Actual Contamination
3. Determining Level of Contamination
4. I and J Indices
5. Questions and  Answers

Section 8: GROUND WATER - Aquifers

1. Definitions
2. Identifying and Evaluating Aquifers

Section 9: GROUND WATER - Likelihood of Release

1. Definitions
2. Calculating Likelihood of Release
3. Potential to Release
4. Questions and Answers

Section 10: GROUND WATER - Waste Characteristics & Targets

1. Waste Characteristics
2. Targets
3. Questions and Answers

Section 11: SURFACE WATER - Likelihood of Release

1. Eligible Surface Water Bodies
2. Hazardous Substance Migration Path
3. Likelihood of Release
4. Questions and  Answers

Section 12: SURFACE WATER - Drinking Water Threat

1. Waste Characteristics
2. Targets
3. Actual Contamination
4. Potential Contamination
5. Nearest Intake
6. Population
7. Resources
8. Questions and Answers

Section 13: SURFACE WATER - Human Food Chain Threat

1. Waste Characteristics
2. Documenting the Presence of a Fishery
3. Targets
4. Actual Contamination
5. Food Chain Individual
6. Food Chain Population
7. Estimating Fishery Production
8. Questions and Answers

Section 14: SURFACE WATER - Environmental Threat

1. Distinctive Features of the Threat
2. Selecting the Most Hazardous Substance for the Threat
3. Waste Characteristics
4. Targets: Sensitive Environments
5. Targets: Wetlands
6. Benchmarks and Levels of Contamination
7. Levels of Contamination by Threat
8. Questions and Answers

Section 15: SURFACE WATER - Ground Water to Surface Water Component

1. Hazardous Substance Migration Path
2. Likelihood of Release
3. Waste Characteristics
4. Targets
5. Potential Contamination of Targets
6. Conclusion

Section 16: AIR - Likelihood of Release

1. Observations
2. Likelihood of Release

Section 17: AIR - Waste Characteristics & Targets

1. Waste Characteristics
2. Targets

Section 18: SOIL EXPOSURE - Resident Population Threat

1. Overview of the Pathway
2. Areas of Observed Contamination
3. Likelihood of Exposure
4. Waste Characteristics
5. Level of Contamination for Human Targets
6. Targets
7. Questions and Answers

Section 19: SOIL EXPOSURE - Nearby Population Threat

1. Overview of the Threat
2. Areas of Observed Contamination
3. Likelihood of Exposure
4. Waste Characteristics
5. Travel Distance for Nearby Targets
6. Nearby Targets
7. Questions and Answers

Section 20: Radionuclides

1. Radionuclide Exclusion
2. Likelihood of Release
3. Waste Characteristics
4. Targets