[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 220 (Wednesday, November 16, 1994)] [Unknown Section] [Page 0] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 94-28293] [[Page Unknown]] [Federal Register: November 16, 1994] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-5106-7] Draft Soil Screening Guidance AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency. ACTION: Notice of informational meeting on Draft Soil Screening Guidance. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold an informational meeting on December 1, 1994, to present a document entitled ``Draft Soil Screening Guidance.'' This guidance is intended to serve as a tool to expedite the evaluation of contaminated soils at sites addressed under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly known as Superfund. While the guidance is intended to be used as a screening tool to determine if further study is warranted at a site, it does not represent clean-up standards for a site. Such guidance is not intended to have the force of a regulation and today's notice is not a proposed rule. A subsequent Federal Register notice, forthcoming in several weeks, will announce the availability of and seek public comment on this draft guidance and a supporting Technical Background Document. DATES: An Informational Meeting, open to the public, will be held on December 1, 1994. ADDRESSES: The Informational Meeting will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (EST) at the Sheraton Washington Hotel, 2660 Woodley Road at Connecticut Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20008. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Cooper, Remedial Operations and Guidance Branch, Hazardous Site Control Division, Office of Emergency and Remedial Response (5203G), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, SW., Washington, DC 20460, at (703) 603-8820, or the RCRA/Superfund Hotline at (800) 424-9346 (in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, (703) 412-9810). The Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) Hotline number is (800) 553-7672 (in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, (703) 412-3323). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Introduction The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) responds to uncontrolled releases of hazardous substances under the authority of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980. CERCLA or Superfund, as it is commonly known, requires that the response to hazardous substances be performed in accordance with regulations found in the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan or NCP. The NCP process requires that a remedial investigation be performed to identify the nature and extent of contamination at National Priorities List (NPL) sites. From sampling results, as well as site observations obtained in the field, specific contaminants and exposure pathways of concern are identified and used in a baseline risk assessment performed to determine whether remedial action is warranted.1,2 Today's Federal Register notice announces an informational public meeting to introduce a draft of a new tool called the ``Draft Soil Screening Guidance.'' This guidance may reduce significantly the time it takes to complete soil investigations and cleanup actions, as well as improve the consistency of these actions across the nation. The draft guidance has been written for remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) work at Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites. This guidance on developing soil screening values is expected to assist site managers in quickly identifying contaminated soil of potential concern and in screening out from further consideration those soils that do not warrant additional study. The Draft Soil Screening Guidance will present three methods which may be used to develop risk based, soil screening level values. These values are then compared to on-site soil contaminant levels. The framework provides the three methods for developing soil screening levels, but focuses on a simple, site-specific approach. Areas of a site which fall below such levels may be screened out from further assessment, while areas above the SSL values must undergo further assessment. While the guidance is intended to be used as a screening tool to determine if further study is warranted at a site, it does not represent clean-up standards for a site. The formulae and most of the exposure assumptions upon which the draft guidance is based have been taken from the Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund1,2 and have been widely accepted in the Superfund program for a number of years. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \1\U.S. EPA. 1989. Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund: Volume 1: Human Health Evaluation Manual, Part A, Interim Final. EPA/540/1-89/002. Office of Emergency and Remedial Response, Washington D. C. NTIS PB90-155581/CCE. \2\U.S. EPA. 1991. Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund, Volume 1: Human Health Evaluation Manual (Part B, Development of Risk-Based Preliminary Remediation Goals). Publication 9285.7-01B. Office of Emergency and Remedial Response, Washington, D.C. NTIS PB92-963333. Dated: November 9, 1994. Elliott P. Laws, Assistant Administrator. [FR Doc. 94-28293 Filed 11-15-94; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560-50-P