Risk Based Closure; What Is It and Is It Right For Your Situation?

Written by Steve Henshaw, P.G., President & CEO, EnviroForensics, in collaboration with Jeff Carnahan, L.P.G., Vice President – Director of Technical Services, EnviroForensics
As seen in the June 2012 issue of Cleaner & Launderer

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More and more often, people are talking about “Risk Based Closures”.  It sounds ominous and complicated, but because so many people are throwing the term around, it seems like everyone is supposed to know what it is.

In general terms, a “Risk Based Closure” is nothing more than the process of getting the regulatory body that is overseeing the cleanup of a contaminated property to agree with the responsible party that the contamination on the property no longer poses a risk to human health or the environment.  The result of this process is the issuance of a letter by the regulatory agency stating that “No Further Action” is necessary on the property.

“Risk Based Closures” are nothing new and have been used for decades.  After all, in most instances, some amount of contamination will still remain after remedial actions have been completed.  It is unrealistic, if not impossible to remove every molecule of contamination at a site. Continue reading “Risk Based Closure; What Is It and Is It Right For Your Situation?”