La. Admin. Code tit. 33 § VI-507

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 11, November 20, 2024

Section VI-507 - Remedial Investigation

A. A remedial investigation (RI) includes:

1. the determination of the nature and extent of potential threats to human health and the environment through data collection and site characterization; and

2. the development of preliminary RECAP standards.

B. A RI shall be performed at all sites where a removal action is not performed or does not achieve the RECAP standards.

C. To complete a RI the Office of Environmental Assessment, or PRPs as directed by the department, shall provide the following.

1. Remedial Investigation Work Plan. A remedial investigation work plan shall be prepared by the department, or by PRPs as directed by the department. Any plan prepared by PRPs shall be reviewed and approved by the department. The department will provide comments to the PRPs and require revisions as necessary before approving the PRPs' plan. The remedial investigation work plan will conform with the site investigation requirements of RECAP and, at a minimum, include the following:

a. identification of all data needs following the review of existing preliminary evaluation reports and other existing data;

b. identification of all potential exposure pathways/receptors and associated data needs;

c. identification of any existing or potential natural resource damages and associated data needs and notification of the appropriate state and federal trustees;

d. identification of all potentially applicable, relevant, and appropriate state and federal requirements and associated data needs;

e. a site-specific health and safety plan including necessary training, procedures, and requirements;

f. a site-specific sampling and analysis plan that includes the number, type, and location of all samples to be taken and the types of analyses to be conducted during required site characterization activities; and

g. a quality assurance/quality control plan that identifies the quality assurance objectives and the quality control procedures necessary to obtain data of sufficient quality for the RI.

2. Field Investigations. In order to characterize the nature and extent of any threats to human health and the environment posed by the site, the department, or PRPs as directed by the department, shall conduct field investigations. These field investigations shall provide data sufficient to support the development of preliminary RECAP standards and the evaluation of remedial alternatives. Investigations may be conducted in multiple phases in order to focus sampling efforts and increase the efficiency of the investigation. Field investigations shall address the following, as applicable to the site:

a. physical characteristics of the site, including important surface features, soils, geology, hydrogeology, ecology, and meteorology;

b. characteristics or classifications of the air, surface water, and groundwater at the site;

c. characteristics of all contaminated media at the site;

d. characteristics of each contaminant at the site, including concentration, species (when applicable), toxicity, susceptibility to bioaccumulation, persistence, and mobility;

e. extent of the contamination at the site;

f. actual and potential exposure pathways through environmental media;

g. actual and potential receptors;

h. natural resources and sensitive populations or habitats that could be injured; and

i. other factors that impact the remedial alternatives investigated.

3. Establishment of Preliminary RECAP Standards. Preliminary RECAP standards shall be established in accordance with LAC 33:I.Chapter 13.

4. Remedial Investigation Report. Following the completion of the RI, a remedial investigation report shall be prepared by the Office of Environmental Assessment, or by PRPs as directed by the department. Any RI report prepared by PRPs shall be reviewed and approved by the department. The department will provide comments to the PRPs and require revisions as necessary before approving the PRPs report. At a minimum, this report shall include:

a. a scope and description of the investigation;

b. a site background summary;

c. sampling and analysis results;

d. identification of the sources of release;

e. identification of the horizontal and vertical extent of contamination;

f. proposed preliminary RECAP standards; and

g. conclusions and recommendations for further action.

D. The department shall provide, or shall direct PRPs to provide, opportunities for public participation and comment as required in LAC 33:VI.Chapter 8.

La. Admin. Code tit. 33, § VI-507

Promulgated by the Department of Environmental Quality, Office of Environmental Assessment, Environmental Planning Division, LR 25:2187 (November 1999), amended LR 26:2512 (November 2000), amended by the Office of the Secretary, Legal Affairs Division, LR 33:2137 (October 2007), amended by the Office of the Secretary, Legal Division, LR 38:2758 (November 2012), Amended by the Office of the Secretary, Legal Affairs and Criminal Investigations Division, LR 432140 (11/1/2017).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 30:2171 et seq., 2221 et seq., and 2271 et seq.