Following are short descriptions of each of the remediation programs. Review the following program descriptions to determine which program has jurisdiction over your site. Click on the program name for more detailed information about the program. Contact Remediation Division staff at 512-239-2200.

Dry Cleaner Remediation Program

The TCEQ has been tasked with the responsibility of implementing the standards set forth by House Bill 1366 which became law on September 1, 2003. The passage of this new law established new environmental standards for dry cleaners and a remediation fund to assist with remediation of contamination caused by dry cleaning solvents.
Contact: Dry Cleaner Registration at 512/239-2160
Dry Cleaner Remediation at 512/239-2200
TCEQ Small Business and Local Government Assistance Program toll-free at 1-800-447-2827

Petroleum Storage Tanks

The Remediation Division oversees the cleanup of petroleum substance and hazardous substance releases from regulated underground and aboveground storage tanks, termed leaking petroleum storage tanks (LPSTs).

PST State-Lead Program

The PST State-Lead Program directs state contractors to conduct corrective action at leaking petroleum storage tank (LPST) sites that cannot be addressed by owners/operators.

RCRA and Industrial and Hazardous Waste Sites

The Remediation Division oversees the cleanup of sites with soil and groundwater contamination from industrial and municipal hazardous and industrial non-hazardous wastes.

Superfund Site Assessment, Discovery, and Cleanup Program

The Remediation Division manages Superfund sites, or provides management assistance to EPA on RP-lead Superfund sites, after the site is identified as being eligible for listing on either the state Superfund registry or the federal National Priorities List (NPL).

Voluntary Cleanup Program

The Texas VCP provides administrative, technical and legal incentives to encourage the cleanup of contaminated sites in Texas. The VCP offers an incentive for property owners and developers to clean up property, by providing a certificate of completion issued following cleanup activities. This certificate provides a release of liability from the State of Texas for non responsible parties such as future owners and lenders.

Brownfields Program

The TCEQ administers a grant provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to perform Brownfields site assessments for local governments and non-profit organizations who are not responsible parties. In addition the TCEQ works in close partnership with other state and local redevelopment agencies and stakeholders, to facilitate cleanup, transferability and revitalization of Brownfields through the development of regulatory, tax and technical assistance tools. In addition to the specific programs mentioned here, the TCEQ is available at no cost to local governments and non-profit organizations to provide technical advice, education and project partnering for Brownfields redevelopment projects.

Innocent Owner/Operator Program (IOP)

The IOP provides a process for current owners and operators of property to be certified as "innocent" with an Innocent Owner/Operator Certificate (IOC), when they can prove that their property became contaminated from an off-site source. Unlike the VCP release of liability, the IOC does not carry forward to future owners/operators. Future innocent owners or operators must individually apply and be certified as innocent. A person is only eligible for the certification if they own or operate on the property.

Natural Resource Trustee Program

The Natural Resource Trustee Program's mission is to evaluate injury to natural resources as a result of discharges of oil or releases of hazardous substances and to seek restoration of the injured resources when appropriate. The state and federal trustees in Texas work closely with responsible parties and response agencies to implement habitat restoration projects rather than seeking monetary damages in litigation.

Municipal Setting Designations

An MSD is an official state designation given to property within a municipality or its extraterritorial jurisdiction that certifies that designated groundwater at the property is not used as potable water, and is prohibited from future use as potable water because that groundwater is contaminated in excess of the applicable potable-water protective concentration level. The prohibition must be in the form of a city ordinance, or a restrictive covenant that is enforceable by the city and filed in the property records.