| Abstract |
This study by EPA originates from the Land Disposal Program Flexibility Act (LDPFA), an amendment to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) enacted in 1996. The LDPFA exempts certain decharacterized wastes from provisions of the RCRA land disposal restrictions. 'Decharacterized' wastes are hazardous wastes that have had their hazardous characteristics-that is, ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity-removed through dilution or other treatment. The LDPFA exemption allows decharacterized wastes to be either: (1) placed in surface impoundments that are part of wastewater treatment systems whose ultimate discharge is regulated under the Clean Water Act (CWA), or (2) disposed of in Class 1 nonhazardous injection wells regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Because of concerns regarding constituents that might remain in the wastes after removal of the characteristic, Congress required, in the LDPFA, that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conduct a study 'to characterize the risks to human health or the environment associated with managing decharacterized wastes in CWA treatment systems' and to 'evaluate the extent to which risks are adequately addressed under existing State or Federal programs and whether unaddressed risks could be better addressed under such laws or programs.' |
