Superfund

Superfund Related Groundwater Topics

This page includes other information related to Superfund Groundwater.

Brownfields

EPA’s Brownfields program provides grants and technical assistance to communities, states, tribes, and other stakeholders, giving them the resources they need to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields.  For additional information about the Brownfields program, please see:  Brownfields

Technical Support Project: Groundwater Forum

The Groundwater Forum is a group of groundwater scientists that support the Superfund and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) programs in each of the 10 EPA regional offices. The group was organized to exchange up-to-date information related to groundwater remediation issues at Superfund and RCRA sites. Additional participants come from the EPA Laboratory System and EPA headquarters. The forum promotes communication between the regions and the laboratories and has three primary purposes:

  • To bring the current state-of-the-science to each regional office as it is developed through the research efforts at the labs.
  • To focus laboratory resources on research areas important to the groundwater scientists working in each EPA region.
  • To maintain consistency in the interpretation of guidance and application of policy throughout the country.

For more information please visit: Groundwater Forum

Recommendations of the Groundwater Task Force, December 21, 2007 (PDF) (82 pp, 981 K)
The Groundwater Task Force was a temporary group staffed by senior representatives from EPA program offices that have a role in protecting groundwater resources.  Other participants included the Groundwater Forum, the Office of Research and Development, the lead Superfund and RCRA regions, and the states of Georgia, Nebraska and New York.  The Task Force produced a report entitled Recommendations of the Groundwater Task Force (dated December 21, 2007).

Protecting the Nation's Groundwater: EPA's Strategy for the 1990's, The Final Report of the EPA Groundwater Task Force, U.S. EPA Office of the Administrator Publication EPA/21Z-1020, July 1991 (PDF) (80 pp, 1.5 MB)
This report provides Agency policy and implementation principles for EPA's groundwater-related programs. It lays out EPA's groundwater protection principles, the Federal/State relationship, EPA's approach to implementation, Agency policy on use of quality standards in prevention and remediation, groundwater data management recommendations, and an Office of Research and Development Groundwater Research Plan.

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State Source Water Assessment and Protection Programs Guidance Final Guidance, Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water Publication (OGWDW), EPA 816-R-97-009, August 6, 1997
This document provides guidance required by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Amendments of 1996 (P.L. 104-182) for state Source Water Assessment Programs [sections 1453 and 1428(b)] and for Source Water Petition Programs (section 1454). This document describes the elements of an EPA-approvable state Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP) submittal as well as EPA's recommendations for what may be included in a state Source Water Protection (SWP) Program. The document also provides an overview of how source water assessment and protection integrates with other SDWA programs and efforts and how other EPA and federal programs can assist states in developing and implementing assessment and protection programs, and vice versa.

Groundwater Cleanup at Superfund Sites, U.S. EPA Office of the Administrator Publication EPA540-K-96-008, December 1996
This brochure explains some of the approaches EPA uses to clean up groundwater contamination and, most importantly, offers information on how citizens can help reduce and prevent groundwater contamination.

Subsurface Contamination Reference Guide, OSWER Publication EPA540-2-90-011, 11a, and 11b, 13pp. (Includes tables on 2 oversize sheets with publication numbers "11a" and "11b.") October 1990
The guide includes 3 large tables of contaminants commonly found at Superfund sites, their physical and chemical properties, and applicable technologies for in-situ treatment. The guide was developed to provide a source of information on fate and transport properties for a variety of contaminants commonly found in groundwater at Superfund sites. The information may help to focus site investigation efforts and identify early-on potential remediation strategies.

Groundwater Protection Strategy, Office of Groundwater Protection Publication (unnumbered), NTIS Order Number PB88-112107, August 1984 (PDF) (60 pp, 138 K)
This document summarizes the nature and extent of groundwater contamination in the United States, outlines the responsibilities of State, local and Federal government in groundwater protection, and lays out EPA's strategy to fulfill its role by strengthening State programs, addressing current groundwater problems, and creating EPA policies and internal organizations for groundwater protection. This includes the policy that groundwater protection should consider the highest beneficial use for which it has significant value or potential, and defines three classes of groundwater based on value and vulnerability to contamination: Class I, II and III.

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