Virginia DEQ
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Federal law requires states to investigate and clean up hazardous chemicals that pose an unacceptable risk at Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous waste facilities.
Virginia’s program is driven by aspirational goals announced in 2004 that were focused on meeting certain cleanup measures by the year 2020. These goals targeted achieving 95 percent completion of three important milestones:
- Human exposures under control
- Migration of contaminated groundwater under control
- Remedy construction
Current human exposures are under control at 100 percent of the 121 baseline facilities in Virginia. Migration of contaminated groundwater is under control at 98 percent of the baseline facilities, and construction of final remedies are complete at 88 percent.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established a new 2030 Vision, Mission and Goals for the RCRA Corrective Action program. Corrective Action cleanups support healthy and sustainable communities, where people and the environment are protected from hazardous contamination.
DEQ's RCRA Corrective Action Program requires investigation and cleanup of hazardous releases that pose an unacceptable risk at RCRA hazardous waste facilities. The program is implemented in accordance with the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984. The Commonwealth of Virginia was authorized to administer RCRA Corrective Action and works in partnership with EPA to implement the program through hazardous waste management permits, facility lead agreements, EPA administrative orders and DEQ Remedy Consent Orders.
In October 2022, the EPA signed a Memorandum of Agreement with DEQ to set forth the manner in which Virginia and EPA will coordinate the state’s Hazardous Waste Program. EPA’s authorization of Virginia's corrective action program does not alter the corrective action authorities granted to the Commonwealth. These authorities include DEQ's Voluntary Remediation Program, Remedy Consent Orders and other enforcement authorities, such as the Uniform Environmental Covenants Act.