Northwest District Office Division of Environmental Response & Revitalization

The Division of Environmental Response & Revitalization (DERR), Northwest District Office (NWDO) is dedicated to cleaning up contaminated sites in Northwest Ohio, making them safe again and returning them to productive use. In NWDO, the Division is comprised of the Remedial Response Section, the Emergency Response Section and the Corrective Action Section. Other sections housed in Columbus are: the Assessment, Clean up and Reuse Section and the Site Assistance and Brownfield Revitalization Section.

The work done in DERR is based on the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986. This law provides broad authority to investigate and remediate otherwise uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. Additional regulatory authority is derived from Ohio Revised Code (ORC) 3734, OTC 6111, and Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) 3745, as well as a variety of other laws and regulations that are utilized as applicable or relevant and appropriate requirements (ARARs). As examples, DERR may utilize the Division of Air Pollution Control's Install/Operate process, Water Quality Criteria, Maximum Contaminant Levels, Solid Waste and Hazardous Waste laws to address a site depending on site-specific conditions.

Remedial Response

The Remedial Response Section oversees the investigation and cleanup of abandoned and uncontrolled hazardous waste sites and works with U.S. EPA to oversee the cleanup of Superfund (CERCLA) sites. This includes assessing and prioritizing sites, identifying parties responsible for cleanups, and overseeing the cleanup process.

Key Definitions

• Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) - Two distinct but related studies that are usually performed concurrently, together referred to as the RI/FS. The RI Study is designed to define the type and extent of contamination at the site; define risks to human health and the environment posed by the site; and establish criteria for cleaning up a site. The FS evaluates the potential cleanup alternatives and their applicability and effectiveness, based on data collected during the RI.
   
• Baseline Risk Assessment - An evaluation of the risks to humans and the environment posed by a site.
   
• Preferred Plan - The plan that evaluates the preferred remediatl alternative chosen by Ohio EPA to remediate the site in a manner that best satisfies the evaluation criteria.
   
• Decision Document - A statement issued by the Ohio EPA giving the Director's selected remedy for a site and reasons for its selection.
   
• Remedial Design/Remedial Action (RD/RA) - The actual design and implementation of the site remedy.
   
• Operation and Maintenance (O&M) - Long-term measures taken at a site, after the initial remedial actions, to assure that a remedy remains protective of human health and the environment.
   
• Interim Action or "Removal" - A measure undertaken to alleviate an immediate threat posed by a site to human health and/or the environment.
   
• ARARs - Applicable or relevant and appropriate requirements.  Those rules which strictly apply to remedial activities at the site, or those rules whose requirements would help achieve the remedial goals for the site.
   

What We Don't Do

• Petroleum underground storage tank -Ohio Department of Commerce, State Fire Marshal Division, Bureau of Underground Storage Tank Regulations (BUSTR)
• PCBs (U.S. EPA)
• Right-To-Know (Ohio EPA, Division of Air Pollution Control, Columbus)
• Spill Prevention, Countermeasure and Containment (SPCC) - U.S. EPA
  

Last Update 03/29/12

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