WAC 173-340-330   Hazard ranking and the hazardous sites list.  (1) Purpose. The department shall maintain a list of sites where remedial action has been determined by the department to be necessary. This list, called the hazardous sites list, shall fulfill the department's responsibilities under RCW 70.105D.030 (2)(b) and (3). From this list, the department shall select those sites where action is anticipated and include those in the biennial program report under WAC 173-340-340.

     (2) Hazard ranking.

     (a) The department shall give a hazard ranking to sites placed on the list. The purpose of hazard ranking is to estimate, based on the information compiled during the site hazard assessment, the relative potential risk posed by the site to human health and the environment. This assessment considers air, groundwater, and surface water migration pathways, human and nonhuman exposure targets, properties of the substances present, and the interaction of these variables.

     (b) The department shall evaluate each site on a consistent basis using the procedure described in the "Washington Ranking Method Scoring Manual," publication number 90-14, dated April 1992. The sediment component of a site shall be scored using the procedures described in "Sediment Ranking System," publication number 97-106, dated January 1990, and "Status Report: Technical Basis for SEDRANK Modifications," publication number 97-107, dated June 1991. The ranking procedure and major amendments to the manual shall be reviewed by the science advisory board established under chapter 70.105D RCW. Information obtained in the site hazard assessment, plus any additional data specified in these publications, shall be included in the hazard ranking evaluation.

     (3) Site Register. The department shall periodically provide notification of the results of hazard ranking in the Site Register. The department shall make available hazard ranking results for each site to the site owner and operator and any potentially liable person known to the department before publication in the Site Register.

     (4) Reranking. The department may at its discretion re-rank a site if, before the initiation of state action at the site, the department receives additional information within the scope of the evaluation criteria which indicates that a significant change in rank may result.

     (5) Listing.

     Sites shall be ranked and placed on the hazardous sites list if, after the completion of a site hazard assessment, the department determines that further action is required at the site. The list shall be updated at least once per year. Placement of a site on the hazardous sites list does not, by itself, imply that persons associated with the site are liable under chapter 70.105D RCW.

     (6) Site status. The hazardous sites list shall reflect the current status of remedial action at each site. The department may change a site's status to reflect current conditions. The status for each site shall be identified as one of the following:

     (a) Sites awaiting further remedial action;

     (b) Sites with remedial action in progress;

     (c) Sites where a cleanup action has been conducted but confirmational monitoring is underway;

     (d) Sites with independent remedial actions; or

     (e) Other categories established by the department.

     (7) Removing sites from the list.

     (a) The department may remove a site from the list only after it has determined that:

     (i) For sites where the selected cleanup action does not include containment, all remedial actions except confirmational monitoring have been completed and compliance with the cleanup standards has been achieved at the site;

     (ii) The listing was erroneous; or

     (iii) For sites where the selected cleanup action includes containment, if all of the following conditions have been met:

     (A) All construction and operation of remedial actions have been adequately completed and:

     (I) Only passive maintenance activities such as monitoring, inspections and periodic repairs remain; or

     (II) For municipal solid waste landfills only, a closure plan meeting the substantive requirements in chapter 173-351 WAC has been approved by the department as part of a remedial action under this chapter and the only remaining active maintenance activities are methane gas control, the operation of leachate collection and treatment systems, and/or surface water diversion;

     (B) Sufficient confirmational monitoring has been done to demonstrate that the remedy has effectively contained the hazardous substances of concern at the site;

     (C) All required performance monitoring has been completed;

     (D) Any required institutional controls are in place and have been demonstrated to be effective in protecting public health and the environment from exposure to hazardous substances and protecting the integrity of the cleanup action;

     (E) Written documentation is present in the department files that describes what hazardous substances have been left on site, where they are located, and the long term monitoring and maintenance obligations at the site;

     (F) When required under WAC 173-340-440, financial assurances are in place; and

     (G) For sites with releases to groundwater, it has been demonstrated the site meets groundwater cleanup levels at the designated point of compliance.

     (b) A site owner, operator, or potentially liable person may request that a site be removed from the list by submitting a petition to the department. The petition shall include thorough documentation of all investigations performed, all cleanup actions taken, and adequate compliance monitoring to demonstrate to the department's satisfaction that one of the conditions in (a) of this subsection has been met. The department may require payment of costs incurred, including an advance deposit, for review and verification of the work performed. The department shall review such petitions; however, the timing of the review shall be at its discretion and as resources may allow.

     (8) Record of sites. The department shall maintain a record of sites that have been removed from the list under subsection (7) of this section. The record shall identify which sites have institutional controls under WAC 173-340-440 and which sites are subject to periodic review under WAC 173-340-420. This record will be made available to the public upon request.

     (9) Relisting of sites. The department may relist a site that has previously been removed if it determines that the site requires further remedial action.

     (10) Notice. The department shall provide public notice and an opportunity to comment when the department proposes to remove a site from the list. Additions to the list, changes in site status, and removal from the list shall be published in the Site Register.



[Statutory Authority: Chapter 70.105D RCW. 01-05-024 (Order 97-09A), § 173-340-330, filed 2/12/01, effective 8/15/01; 90-08-086, § 173-340-330, filed 4/3/90, effective 5/4/90.]