Air and Water Pollution - Quiz 7

Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)

authorizes EPA to track 80,000+ chemicals

• produced or imported

EPA can:

• require testing

• ban manufacture or import

*essentially a tracking system

excludes:

• food, drugs, cosmetics, pesticides

Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA)

mandate that a publicly accessible toxic chemical database be developed/maintained by toxic release inventory (TRI)

Pollution Prevention Act (PPA)

mandate that a publicly accessible toxic chemical database be developed/maintained by toxic release inventory (TRI)

Toxic Release Inventory (TRI)

chemicals reported by industry

• 600+

companies must report annually how much of each chemical is:

• recycled

• combusted for energy recovery

• treated for destruction

• disposed of/otherwise released on/off site

dictated by volume

mandated by congress

Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)

sets PELs

• permissible exposure limits

Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER)

Site Characterization

identify:

• source

• type

• concentration

• extent of contamination

• pathways

• effects

use history, field sampling, analysis

*phase 1 assessment

Three Stages of Site Characterization: Stage 1

history

• helps develop site plan

• prospective buyer protection

Three Stages of Site Characterization: Stage 2

site investigation

lab analysis

evaluate data

Three Stages of Site Characterization: Stage 3

determine extent of contamination

Identify cleanup alternatives

implement cleanup activities

EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant

Chattanooga - Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency

$200k

• inventory

• perform phase I/II

• facilitate community involvement

• develop cleanup and redevelopment plans

*economic driver

Phase I

detective work

• maps, interviews, records, GIS, photos, etc

protects buyer

sources of records

• building permits, zoning, fire department, state records, etc

• surrounding property

• FOI - Freedom of Information

can provide “innocent purchaser defense”

Phase II

develop comprehensive sampling plan

health and safety plan

• site specific

• HAZWOPER training

• decontamination

• emergency response

field team

• EPA mandated

• site specific

• site manager, field team leader, etc

community relations plan

Sampling Plan

details all plans necessary for the job

• history, objectives, regulations, sampling procedures, health/safety plan, etc

legally required for EPA regulated actions such as:

• Environmental Impact Statements (EIS)

• CERCLA - remedial investigatiosn

• RCRA - corrective actions

Sampling Questions to Address

types of samples

sampling locations

how many samples

how to collect

Sampling Protocol

collecting, packaging, labeling, preserving, transporting, storing and documenting

RCRA

• dictates remedial activity at current industrial site

CERCLA

• dictates remedial activity at “uncontrolled” site

Field Sampling Plan

site history

objectives

• based on history; specific

sample location and frequency

naming system

equipment

handling and analysis

Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) Description

sampling procedure

sample chain of custody

• sample id, receipts, log books

calibration procedures

analytical procedures

data review

lob QC procedures

QA = approved method

QC = verify

Sample Types

biased

• is there any contamination?

unbiased

• how wide spread is contamination?

grab

• single samples

• measure temporal/spatial variability

composite

• mixed samples

• cant detect low concentrations/specific location

Types of Samples

media

• air, water, soil, biota

waste samples

• drum, effluent, waste piles, etc

homogeneous

• toxicants uniform throughout

• simple random sampling

• systematic random sampling

heterogeneous

• toxicants stratified

• stratified random sampling

  • water w L/DNAPL

Obtaining Representative Samples

grid size and number determined by needs

• precision

• price

minimum numbers needed to statistically characterize

• method SW-846 (EPA document)

• need preliminary samples

  • mean, variance, regulatory threshold all play role in sample size

• random points then chosen

Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC)

used to ensure accuracy, precision, completeness

QC precision and accuracy check:

• collocated or split samples

  • precision

• blanks

  • rinsate

  • field

  • trip

• false positive v false negative

3 Main Wetland Regulation Questions

is it a wetland?

does the wetland need a permit?

how do we describe what is a connection?

Is it a wetland?

three criteria

• hydrology

• hydrophytic vegetation

• hydric soils

Does the wetland need a permit?

army corps of engineers

• go off federal guidelines; use Rivers and Harbors Act and CWA

• care about areas between wetlands and navigable waters

tdec

• use state guidelines; dont care about areas between wetlands and navigable waters

how do we describe what is a connection?

could be ephemeral, have surface water connection, ecological nexus, etc

Former Prior Converted Wetlands

areas that have historically been wetlands, but converted prior to CWA

• must be converted back to functioning wetland

• are only areas that can become wetland banks

Wetland Mitigation Banks

only be created through restoring wetlands

permitted through regulatory agencies

mitigation credits

• unit of exchange based on acreage for amount/quality of habitat bank site improves

2:1

• every acre you disturb, must restore 2 acres

should restore wetland close to where you disturbed it

inneragency review team (IRT)

• list of regulatory agencies that agree on wetland restoration projects

• tdec, epa, usfws, etc

After Restoration

7 years monitoring tree diversity, keeping invasives out, checking hydrology, etc

• then 15 years biannual monitoring

Conservation Easement

restriction put on deed that guarantees wetland stays a wetland