The mission of the industrial and hazardous waste (IHW)
corrective action program is to oversee the cleanup of sites
contaminated from industrial and municipal hazardous and industrial
nonhazardous wastes. Our goals are to:
- Ensure that sites are assessed and remediated to levels that
protect human health and the environment;
- Verify that waste management units or facilities are taken out
of service and closed properly; and
to
- Facilitate revitalization of
contaminated properties.
To achieve these goals, we work with representatives of many
different types of facilities, including industrial and hazardous
waste permitted and non-permitted facilities. We also work
closely with federal facilities.
Legal Authority
Cleanups and waste management unit closures come into this
program if they are regulated under
30 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapter 335 
,
relating to industrial solid waste and municipal hazardous
waste management. Depending on the types of waste managed,
quantity, and management methods, federal requiremements of 40 Code
of Federal Regulations (CFR) 264 or 265 may also apply.
The current cleanup standards are given in the Texas
Risk Reduction Program (TRRP) rules of
30 TAC Chapter 350 ,
effective September 23, 1999 (24TexReg7415). Although there was a
transition period from the previous 1993 "Risk Reduction Standards"
of 30 TAC Chapter 335 Subchapter S, the majority of cleanups are
now being done under TRRP.
Considerations When Planning Projects
These sets of regulations are fairly broad. One way to approach
cleanup projects and navigate through the rules is to keep these
basic questions in mind: "For this facility, unit or area:
- ...am I doing a facility/unit closure or a cleanup?...or
both?"
- ...what is/was the source of contamination? Was hazardous waste
involved?"
- ...why am I doing the closure/cleanup? What's my motivation?
(Examples: Self-implemented action under state rule? Action
required by permit? Enforcement action?)"
Although these are not the only issues to consider when planning
or evaluating a project, understanding the basic context will help
guide your work and will also help in communicating with the
TCEQ.
