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Superfund: Post Construction Completion
Post construction completion (PCC) activities make sure Superfund response actions provide for the long-term protection of human health and the environment. PCC is the term used for several activities generally undertaken at sites following the construction of response actions. These activities include operation and maintenance (O&M) and long-term response actions (LTRAs), institutional controls, five-year reviews, and site deletion from the National Priorities List (NPL). Construction completions and remedial action project completions are also covered below as related sub-topics.
Bayou Bonfouca Superfund site ground water pump and treatment station where construction has been completed.On this page:
- LTRA and O&M
- Remdial Action Project Completions and Construction Completions
- Institutional Controls
- Five Year Reviews
- NPL Deletion
Long-Term Response Action and Operation & Maintenance
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Included here is information and guidance on PCC topics including LTRA and O&M. For information and guidance on PCC topics such as CCs, RAPCs, FYRs, ICs and NPL Deletion go to Other PCC Topics.
Guidance and Informational Documents
These documents include guidance and policy documents as well as general fact sheets and information related to general PCC, O&M and LTRA.
To access the documents listed on this page, please use the document search tool below. Searching by document title or Superfund terms will generate a table of relevant results.
Note: Not all documents may be available at this time. EPA continues to update its website to enhance public access to Superfund-related information.
| Topic | Title and Information |
|---|---|
| O&M | Operational and Functional Determination and the Transfer of Fund-lead Vapor Intrusion Mitigation Systems to the State (PDF)(4 pp, 972 K, ) OSWER 9200.2-72. |
| O&M | Directive on Paying for Remedy Repairs or Modifications during the State-Funded Period of Operation and Maintenance (O&M) (PDF)(4 pp, 1 MB, 04/2007) OSWER 9375.2-12 |
| O&M | O&M Report Template for Ground Water Remedies (With Emphasis on Pump and Treat Systems) (PDF)(58 pp, 1.4 MB, 04/2005) OSWER 9283.1-22FS, EPA 542-R-05-010 |
| O&M | Guidance for Monitoring at Hazardous Waste Sites: Framework for Monitoring Plan Development and Implementation (PDF)(64 pp, 1 MB, 04/2004) OSWER 9355.4-28 |
| O&M | Operation and Maintenance in the Superfund Program (PDF)(11 pp, 197 K, 05/2001) OSWER 9200.1-37FS, EPA 540-F-01-004. |
| LTRA | Transfer of Long-Term Response Action (LTRA) Projects to States (PDF)(11 pp, 162 K, 07/2003) OSWER 9355.0-81FS, EPA 540-F-01-021. |
| LTRA | Policy on Recalculating the Long-Term Response Action (LTRA) Ten-Year Time Period (PDF)(4 pp, 115 K, 06/09/2006) OSWER 9355.0-109 |
| PCC | Final Implemetation of the National Strategy to Manage Post Construction Completion Activities at Superfund Sites (PDF)(9 pp, 485 K, 02/2012) OSWER 9355.0-105A |
| PCC | National Strategy to Manage Post Construction Completion Activities at Superfund Sites (PDF)(15 pp, 270 K, 10/2005) OSWER 9355.0-105 |
| PCC | Superfund Post Construction Completion: An Overview (PDF)(15 pp, 117 K, 06/2001) OSWER 9355.0-79FS, EPA 540-F-01-009. |
| PCC | Superfund Post Construction Completion Activities (PDF)(1 pg, 22 K, 06/2001) OSWER 9355.0-80FS, EPA 540-F-01-010. |
| PCC | Post Construction Completion Considerations in Superfund State Contracts (PDF)(9 pp, 2.3 MB, 08/2008) OSWER 9242.2-19 |
| O&M | Recommended Annual O&M/Remedy Evaluation Checklist For Contaminated Sediment Remedies (September 2008)(10 pp, 358 K, September 2008, OSWER 9355.0-118 ) |
| O&M | Recommended Annual O&M/Remedy Evaluation Checklist (April 2008) (27 pp, 793 K, April 2008, OSWER 9355.0-87 ) |
Long-Term Response Action
The National Contingency Plan (NCP), 40 CFR 300.435(f)(3), states: "For fund-financed remedial actions involving treatment or other measures to restore ground- or surface-water quality to a level that assures protection of human health and the environment, the operation of such treatment or other measures for a period of up to ten years after the remedy becomes operational and functional will be considered part of the remedial action." The 10-year period between the “operational and functional” determination and the start of O&M is defined as an LTRA. “Operational and functional” is described in the NCP, 40 CFR 300.435(f)(2): "A remedy becomes 'operational and functional' either one year after construction is complete, or when the remedy is determined concurrently by EPA and the state to be functioning properly and is performing as designed, whichever is earlier. EPA may grant extensions to the one-year period, as appropriate." Ground water pumping and treatment and monitored natural attenuation remedies with objectives of aquifer restoration are the most common LTRA remedies.
Operation and Maintenance
O&M is an important component of a Superfund response, ensuring that the remedy performs as intended. Actions range from maintaining engineering containment structures (e.g., landfill covers) to operating ground water remediation systems. Generally, O&M is the responsibility of potentially responsible parties (PRPs), states or other federal agencies. EPA is responsible for ensuring that the work is performed adequately. EPA also retains funding and operating responsibility for Fund-financed ground water restoration systems for up to 10 years prior to transferring these systems to the states for O&M.
Post Construction Completion Topics
PCC activities include O&M and LTRAs (covered above), as well as institutional controls, five-year reviews and site deletion from the NPL. Construction completions and remedial action project completions are also covered below.