Generic Remedial Action Objectives (RAOs)

Groundwater

RAOs for Public Health Protection

  • Prevent ingestion of groundwater with contaminant levels exceeding drinking water standards.
  • Prevent contact with, or inhalation of volatiles, from contaminated groundwater.

RAOs for Environmental Protection

  • Restore ground water aquifer to pre-disposal/pre-release conditions, to the extent practicable.
  • Prevent the discharge of contaminants to surface water (if appropriate add: and sediment).
  • Remove the source of ground or surface water contamination.

Soil

RAOs for Public Health Protection

  • Prevent ingestion/direct contact with contaminated soil.
  • Prevent inhalation exposure to contaminants volatilizing from soil

RAOs for Environmental Protection

  • Prevent migration of contaminants that would result in (include all appropriate media: groundwater, surface water, or sediment) contamination.
  • Prevent impacts to biota from ingestion/direct contact with soil causing toxicity or impacts from bioaccumulation through the terrestrial food chain.

Surface Water

RAOs for Public Health Protection

  • Prevent ingestion of water impacted by contaminants.
  • Prevent contact or inhalation of contaminants from impacted water bodies.
  • Prevent surface water contamination which may result in fish advisories.

RAOs for Environmental Protection

  • Restore surface water to ambient water quality criteria for the contaminant of concern.
  • Prevent impacts to biota from ingestion/direct contact with surface water causing toxicity and impacts from bioaccumulation through the marine or aquatic food chain.

Sediment

RAOs for Public Health Protection

  • Prevent direct contact with contaminated sediments
  • Prevent surface water contamination which may result in fish advisories.

RAOs for Environmental Protection

  • Prevent releases of contaminant(s) from sediments that would result in surface water levels in excess of (ambient water quality criteria).
  • Prevent impacts to biota from ingestion/direct contact with sediments causing toxicity or impacts from bioaccumulation through the marine or aquatic food chain.
  • Restore sediments to pre-release/background conditions to the extent feasible.

Soil Vapor

RAOs for Public Health Protection

  • Mitigate impacts to public health resulting from existing, or the potential for, soil vapor intrusion into buildings at a site.

Contact for this Page

Division of Environmental Remediation
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233

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