Program of the Month
The Virginia Site Assessment team takes soil samples at the Wingfield Pointe subdivision in Chesapeake.
Virginia Site Assessment: Where contamination becomes a national priority
“Making a list and checking it twice” could be the motto for the Virginia Site Assessment program at the Department of Environmental Quality.
The list is the National Priorities List which ranks uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites that will require long-term cleanup efforts.
“We assess a site and determine if it should be on the National Priorities List,” Program Manager Devlin Harris said.
Sites under consideration by the program range from former military installations to paint shops. Once on the list, the site becomes eligible for federal funds to clean up the hazardous waste under the program commonly known as Superfund.
The growing number of sites in need of assessments led to the formation in 2004 of the Virginia program, which also existed from 1984 to 1994. Approximately 200 sites currently need assessments, and an assessment at each site could take more than six months to complete.
The benefit to Virginia having its own program “is that the assessments can happen quicker,” Harris said. This means contamination is cleaned up sooner rather than later.
The program, funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and based at DEQ’s central office in Richmond, is scheduled to be fully operational this summer.
Although only partially staffed with three people since late 2004, the program has already responded to a number of issues, including an incident in Chesapeake during early 2005 when a contractor found buried barrels and other waste materials while digging a swimming pool.
Staff tested for contamination in more than 100 samples, and provided information and support to EPA. In addition, the staff participated in community meetings and worked with the local government.
“It is important to talk to people about what is going on, especially if it is in their backyard,” Harris said.
Training taken by program members makes them well-qualified to conduct sampling like the kind in Chesapeake. They are trained extensively in the classroom and the field for a number of techniques used to sample pollutants of the air, ground water, surface water and soil. In addition, they earn many certifications that qualify them to sample for different types of wastes, ranging from hazardous materials to explosives.
Staff members use the training while conducting investigations and developing site assessments, which range from preliminary to expanded site studies. Their expertise also enables them to support DEQ’s special studies, Harris said.
The program identifies the sites for the assessments based on information from citizens, EPA and DEQ staff in the agency’s seven regional offices.
While some sites may be recommended for the National Priorities List, others may be addressed by DEQ programs such as Virginia Brownfields and Land Renewal, Voluntary Remediation or Corrective Action.
To report pollution, citizens may call the nearest DEQ regional office during normal work hours or the Department of Emergency Management 24 hours a day at (800) 468-8892.
Related links:
National Priorities List sites in Virginia