ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION: Many Uncertainties Affect the Progress of the Spring Valley Cleanup
Abstract
The principal government entities involved at the Spring Valley site are carrying out their roles and responsibilities in cleaning up the site primarily under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program (environmental restoration program), which was established by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1956. Under the environmental restoration program, Defense is authorized to identify, investigate, and clean up environmental contamination at formerly used defense sites. The U.S. Army, through the Corps, is responsible for these activities at Spring Valley and is carrying out the physical cleanup. Defense is required under the environmental restoration program to consult with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has its own authority to act at the site under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980. Under the program, Defense's activities must also be consistent with a statutory provision that addresses, among other things, participation by the affected states-in this case, the District of Columbia. Under the Corps' program guidance for FUDS, the District of Columbia has a role in defining the cleanup levels at the Spring Valley site. According to the District of Columbia's Department of Health, the department assesses the human health risks associated with any exposure to remaining hazards at Spring Valley. In carrying out their roles, these government entities have, over time, formed an active partnership to make cleanup decisions. For example, the Corps leads the effort to identify hazards, but in many cases it uses the recommendations of the District of Columbia and EPA to look for hazards buried at certain sites. The entities are currently reaching agreement as to a cleanup level- that is, how much contamination can be left in the soil without endangering human health and the environment. The partners expect to finalize this decision by early June 2002.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA403133
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office