Glossary - Site Remediation Terms
The record for each site listed is composed of a series of fields that contain specific information about each site. To help the reader interpret the information provided in this on-line data base, the alphabetical list below gives definitions and descriptions for the fields.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Address | The actual street listing associated with the Remediation Site. With city and zip, constitutes the complete physical address for the site. |
| Assessment of Environmental Problems | Summary of events and/or conditions at the Remediation Site that either have impacted the environment or pose an environmental threat. |
| Assessment of Health Problems | Summary of events and/or conditions at the Remediation Site that either have impacted or pose a threat to public health. |
| City | The actual municipal entity (according to zip code) where the Remediation Site is located. With street address and zip, constitutes the complete physical address for the site. |
| Class Code | Statutory or Administrative Classification of an Inactive Hazardous Waste Site - represents both a measure of threat to the environment and/or public health posed by existing site conditions, and the status of remedial efforts at the site. |
| Confirmed Hazardous Waste Disposal | Identifies specific hazardous waste materials confirmed to be present at the Remediation Site. |
| County | The particular County where the Remediation Site is located. New York State has sixty-two Counties. |
| Current Owner Name | Currently known or reported owner or owners of the Remediation Site. |
| Current Owner Address | Known or reported address of the current owner or owners of the Remediation Site. |
| Engineering Control (EC) | Means any physical barrier or method employed to actively or passively contain, stabilize, or monitor contamination, restrict the movement of contamination to ensure the long-term effectiveness of a remedial program, or eliminate potential exposure pathways to contamination. Engineering controls include, but are not limited to, pavement, caps, covers, subsurface barriers, vapor barriers, slurry walls, building ventilation systems, fences, access controls, provision of alternative water supplies via connection to an existing public water supply, adding treatment technologies to such water supplies, and installing filtration devices on private water supplies. |
| EPA ID | The set of alpha-numeric characters assigned to a given parcel of property by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA or EPA) for consideration under the Federal Superfund Program. The EPA Id for the Remediation Site serves as a cross-reference between the Federal Superfund and State Superfund Programs. |
| Hazardous Waste Disposal Period | Known or reported time when wastes were being deposited at the Remediation Site. |
| Institutional Control (IC) | Means any non-physical means of enforcing a restriction on the use of real property that limits human and environmental exposure, restricts the use of groundwater, provides notice to potential owners, operators, or members of the public, or prevents actions that would interfere with the effectiveness of a remedial program or with the effectiveness and/or integrity of operation, maintenance, or monitoring activities at or pertaining to a remedial site. |
| Latitude | Geographic position of the Remediation Site with respect to the Earth's Equator; expressed in degrees, minutes, and seconds. Used together with a measurement of longitude to identify a specific location on the earth's surface. |
| Longitude | Geographic position of the Remediation Site with respect to the Prime Meridian; expressed in degrees, minutes, and seconds. Used together with a measurement of latitude to identify a specific location on the earth's surface. |
| Oversight Document | Means any document the Department issues pursuant to each Remedial Program to define the role of a person participating in the investigation and/or remediation of a site or area(s) of concern. Examples for the various programs are:
BCP (after approval of the BCP application by Department) - Brownfield Site Cleanup Agreement. ERP (after approval of the ERP application by Department) - State Assistance Contract. Federal Superfund Sites - Federal Consent Decrees, Administrative Orders on Consent or Unilateral Orders issued pursuant to CERCLA. Response Program - Order on Consent, or Stipulation pursuant to Article 12 of the Navigation Law (and the ECL). SSF Program - Administrative Consent Order, Record of Decision. VCP (after approval of the VCP application by Department) - Voluntary Cleanup Agreement. RCRA Corrective Action Sites- Federal Consent Decrees, Administrative Orders on Consent or permit conditions issued pursuant to RCRA. |
| Owner(s) during disposal | Known or reported owner or owners of the Remediation Site during the hazardous waste disposal period. |
| Property Owner | Means, for purposes of an IC/EC certification, the actual owner of a property. If the site has multiple properties with different owners, the Department requires that the owners be represented by a single representative to sign the IC/EC Certification. |
| Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP) |
Means a person, including a firm headed by such person, who possesses sufficient specific education, training, and experience necessary to exercise professional judgment to develop opinions and conclusions regarding the presence of releases or threatened releases to the surface or subsurface of a site or off-site areas, sufficient to meet the objectives and performance factors for the areas of practice identified by this guidance. Such a person must:
|
| Qualitative Exposure Assessment | Means a qualitative assessment to determine the route, intensity, frequency, and duration of actual or potential exposures of humans and/or fish and wildlife to contaminants. |
| Quantity | Known or reported amount of a specific hazardous waste material confirmed to be present at the Remediation Site. |
| Region | Geographic area of New York State where the Remediation Site is located. Nine Regions have been established by the NYSDEC. (The reader is directed to the NYSDEC Regional Office Map and Directory that shows the location of each Regional Office, illustrates the area of the State served by each Regional Office, and provides an appropriate telephone number and address for each Regional Office.) |
| Remedial Party | Means a person implementing a remedial program at a remedial site pursuant to an order, agreement or State assistance contract with the Department. |
| Site Code | A six digit number, sometimes followed by a letter, that uniquely identifies each Inactive Hazardous Waste Disposal Site. Site Codes are assigned by the NYSDEC. |
| Site Description | Details about the Remediation Site |
| Site Management(SM) | Means the activities undertaken as the last phase of the remedial program at a site, which continue after a Certificate of Completion is issued. Site management is conducted in accordance with a site management plan, which identifies and implements the IC/ECs required for a site, as well as any necessary monitoring and/or operation and maintenance of the remedy. |
| Site Management Plan (SMP) | Means a document which details the steps necessary to assure that the institutional and engineering controls required for a site are in-place, and any physical components of the remedy are operated, maintained and monitored to assure their continued effectiveness, developed pursuant to Section 6 of DER-10, Technical Guidance for Site Investigation and Remediation. |
| Site Name | The name assigned by the NYSDEC to an individual Inactive Hazardous Waste Disposal Site. |
| Site Owner | Means the actual owner of a site. If the site has multiple owners of multiple properties with ICs and/or ECs, the Department requires that the owners designate a single representative for IC/EC Certification activities. |
| Site Type | The overall physical nature of the disposal area or features of the Remediation Site |
| Zip | The five digit code assigned by the United States Postal Service for a particular address (in this case, one associated with the Remediation Site). With street address and city, constitutes the complete physical address for the site. |
Common terms and acronyms that may appear in a Site Record include:
| Acronym | Description |
|---|---|
| 6NYCRR | Title 6 of the Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations. |
| ACT | Actual, used to describe status of tracking dates. |
| AG | Attorney General of the State of New York |
| ARAR | Applicable or Relevant and Appropriate Requirements |
| ATSDR | Federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. |
| BCP | Brownfield Cleanup Program |
| BHC | Benzene hexachloride (synonymous with 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachlorocyclohexane; gammexane; and hexachlorocyclohexane) |
| BTX | Benzene, toluene, and xylene |
| C&D | Construction and Demolition Debris |
| CERCLA | Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, also known as Federal Superfund |
| C.O. | Consent Order, or Order on Consent, an enforceable order of the New York State Commissioner of Environmental Conservation |
| COC | Certificate of Completion |
| DEC | New York State Department of Environmental Conservation |
| DEE | Division of Environmental Enforcement, DEC |
| DER | Division of Environmental Remediation, DEC |
| DER-10 | DER Technical Guidance for Site Investigation and Remediation |
| DMM | Division of Materials Management, DEC |
| DOE | United States Department of Energy |
| DOH | New York State Department of Health |
| DOT | New York State Department of Transportation |
| DPW | Department of Public Works (city, village, county) |
| ECDEP | Erie County Department of Environment and Planning |
| EC | Engineering Control (see definition section) |
| ECL | Environmental Conservation Law |
| EMC | Environmental Management Council (advisory group at the county level) |
| EPA | United States Environmental Protection Agency (synonymous with USEPA) |
| EP Toxicity | A chemical test used to measure the leaching potential of certain hazardous substances |
| EQBA | New York State Environmental Quality Bond Act of 1986 |
| ERP | Environmental Restoration Program |
| FER | Final Engineering Report |
| FSF | Federal Superfund (see CERCLA) |
| GW | Groundwater |
| HRS | Hazard Ranking System, a ranking system used by the EPA to establish the National Priorities List for federal Superfund cleanups |
| IC | Institutional Control (see definition section) |
| IC/EC | Institutional/Engineering Controls |
| IGP | Internal Guidance Procedure |
| IRM | Interim Remedial Measure, a remedial action that can be conducted without extensive investigation and evaluation; may be used for both emergency and non-emergency situations |
| MCL | Maximum Contaminant Limit |
| MEK | Methyl ethyl ketone (synonymous with 2-butanone, ethyl methyl ketone, and methyl acetone |
| MIBK | Methyl isobutyl ketone (synonymous with 4-methyl-2-pentanone, hexone, isobutyl methyl ketone, and isopropyl-acetone) |
| MW | Monitoring Well, a well used to observe groundwater conditions |
| MTA | Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York City |
| MTBE | Methyl tert-butyl ether (synonymous with methyl t-butyl ether; methyl-1,1-dimethyl ethyl ether; t-butyl methy ether; tert-butyl methyl ether; and 2-methoxy-2-methylpropane ) |
| NFTA | Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority |
| NPL | National Priorities List, used by the federal Superfund to designate inactive hazardous waste sites eligible for Federal Superfund cleanup |
| NYCDOS | New York City Department of Sanitation |
| NYCRR | New York Codes, Rules and Regulations, the official compilation of state regulations. Environmental regulations are cited as 6NYCRR. |
| NYSDEC | New York State Department of Environmental Conservation |
| NYSDOH | New York State Department of Health |
| OGS | New York State Office of General Services |
| O&M | Operation and Maintenance |
| OU | Operational Unit |
| Part 212 | 6NYCRR Part 212, New York State Regulations for Air General Emission Sources |
| Part 360 | 6NYCRR Part 360, New York State Regulations for Solid Waste Facilities |
| Part 364 | 6NYCRR Part 364, New York State Regulations for Solid Waste Transportation |
| Part 371 | 6NYCRR Part 371, New York State Regulations regarding Identification of Hazardous Wastes |
| Part 373 | 6NYCRR Part 373, New York State Regulations for Hazardous Waste Facilities |
| Part 375 | 6NYCRR Part 375, New York State Regulations for Environmental Remediation Programs |
| Part 703 | 6NYCRR Part 703, New York State Regulations regarding Groundwater |
| P. A. | Preliminary Assessment, the first stage in evaluating and classifying an Remediation Site for Federal Superfund eligibility |
| PAHs | Polynuclear (or polycyclic) aromatic hydrocarbons, organic chemicals formed during the combustion of fossil fuel. A partial list of PAH compounds includes: benz[a]anthracene; benzo[a]pyrene; benzo[b]fluoranthene; benzo[ghi]perylene; benzo[j]fluoranthene; benzo[k]fluoranthene; dibenz[a,h]anthracene; fluoranthene; indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene; and pyrene. |
| PCBs | Polychlorinated biphenyls (synonymous with Aroclor; Chlorextol; Dykanol; Pyranol; and other Trade names), a group of synthetic organic chlorinated compounds. |
| PCE | 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethylene (synonymous with carbon bichloride; carbon dichloride; ethylene tetrachloride; perchloroethylene; perclene; tetrachloroethene; and tetrachloroethylene). |
| P.E. | Professional Engineer - An individual or firm licensed, or otherwise authorized under Article 145 of the Education Law of the State of New York, to practice engineering. |
| Perc | Another term for PCE |
| Phase I | A preliminary investigation conducted by DEC of site location and history |
| Phase II | A preliminary investigation conducted by DEC of site conditions that may include evaluations of the groundwater, surface water and soils at and near the site |
| PLN | Planned, used to describe status of tracking dates. |
| PM | DER Project Manager |
| PNAs | Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, a class of organic compounds formed during the combustion of fossil fuel (see PAHs) |
| POTW | Publicly Owned Treatment Works, local facilities for treatment of sewage waste |
| ppb | Abbreviation for parts per billion, used to express contaminant concentration(1 ppb equals 1 part out of 1,000,000,000 parts) |
| ppm | Parts per million (1 ppm equals 1 part out of 1,000,000 parts) |
| ppt | Parts per trillion (1 ppt equals 1 part out of 1,000,000,000,000 parts) |
| PR | Periodic Review |
| PRAP | Proposed Remedial Action Plan, a publicly-available document prepared by DEC to lay out steps for site remediation |
| PRDCF | Periodic Review Data Collection Form |
| PRE | Periodic Review Evaluation |
| PR End Date | Date completed PR Evaluation is approved by the Project Manager's Supervisor |
| PRP | Potentially Responsible Party - a person, firm or unit of government that may be financially responsible for site remediation |
| PRR - Periodic Review Report | Report produced by RP or site ownder and sent to site PM. The report is to document status of the site, including certification of IC/ECs. |
| PRR 45-Day Reminder Notice | Notice sent to RP or site owner requesting PRR and IC/EC certification package which are used by site PM to complete a site PR evaluation |
| PRR Response Letter | Letter sent by site PM to RP or site owner detailing accepting or not accepting PRR |
| PR Start Date | Due date for the Periodic Review Report (includes the IC/EC Certification) |
| PSA | Preliminary Site Assessment, a publicly-available document prepared by DEC to document site conditions and the initial site investigation to determine State Superfund eligibility |
| QEP | Qualified Environmental Professional (see definition section) |
| RA | Remedial Action |
| RAMP | Remedial Action Management Plan |
| RCRA | Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which is administered in New York State by DEC's Division of Environmental Remediation |
| RD/RA | Remedial Design / Remedial Action, a publicly-available technical document prepared by DEC to report the Remedial Investigation and decision factors for remediation; summarized in the Proposed Remedial Action Plan |
| RI/FS | Remedial Investigation / Feasibility Study, a publicly-available document prepared by DEC to document the investigation determining the nature and extent of contamination at the site and feasible methods for remediation |
| ROD | Record of Decision, a publicly-available document prepared by DEC to document the department's decision on how the site will be handled |
| RP | Responsible Party, designated by DEC as having at least some financial responsibility for site remediation |
| RTK | Community Right To Know program, created under NYS Executive Order No. 33 |
| SARA | Federal Superfund Amendments Reauthorization Act |
| S.I. | Site Investigation (USEPA) |
| Site Closeout | Closeout occurs when all investigation and/or remediation has been completed, and the DER no longer has any oversight responsibility for the site. |
| SM End Date | Date of letter approving closeout (termination) of Site Management. |
| SM Start Date | Date the COC is issued. COC is issued when RA of the final OU is complete. |
| SPDES | State Pollutant Discharge and Elimination System, New York's water pollution control permit program |
| SSF | State Superfund |
| STP | Sewage Treatment Plant |
| SW | Surface Water |
| SWMU | Solid Waste Management Unit |
| SVOCs | Semi-volatile Organic Compounds, a class of chemicals whose presence suggests the presence of hazardous waste; since some of these chemicals occur naturally, their presence is not conclusive evidence of contamination |
| TCA | 1,1,1-trichloroethane (synonymous with chloroethene; methyl chloroform; methyltrichloromethane; and alpha-trichloroethane) |
| TCDD | 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (synonymous with 2,3,7,8-TCDD and dioxin) |
|
TCDF |
2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran (synonymous with 2,3,7,8-TCDF) |
| TCE | Trichloroethylene (synonymous with acetylene trichloride; ethylene trichloride; trichloroethene; 1,1-dichloro-2-chloroethylene; and 1,1,2-trichloroethylene) |
| TCL | Target Compound List |
| TCLP | Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure |
| THC | Total Halogenated Compounds |
| Title 3 | The section of the Environmental Quality Bond Act of 1986 that authorizes Grants to Municipalities |
| TOCs | Total Organic Compounds, a rough indicator of the toxicity of contaminants; many organic compounds occur naturally |
| TSDF | Hazardous waste Treatment, Storage or Disposal Facility |
| USEPA | United States Environmental Protection Agency (synonymous with EPA) |
| USGS | United States Geological Survey |
| VOCs | Volatile Organic Compounds |
| WWTP | Waste Water Treatment Plant |
