HARRISBURG, Pa. — On November 19, 2016, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection published the Land Recycling Program Technical Guidance Manual for Vapor Intrusion into Buildings from Groundwater and Soil under Act 2 (Document # 261-0300-101, VI Guidance) in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. This new technical guidance will take effect on January 18, 2017.
What This Means for You
The Vapor Intrusion (VI) Guidance was revised to address scientific advancements made since it was first published in 2004. The updated guidelines provide new generic vapor screening levels used in the statewide health standards option of Act 2 and clarify language, definitions, and procedures to eliminate confusion on how to address the VI pathway.
In some cases, the new screening levels are drastically stricter than they have been in the past. The accepted screening levels for trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene and benzene (chemicals commonly encountered at commercial/industrial project sites) have decreased dramatically. This will likely increase the number of sites where vapor sampling could be required and where clients elect to pursue compliance with the site-specific standards option, which remains in the 2017 guidance.
– Final Reports or Remedial Action Completion Reports (RACRs) received by the DEP prior to the effective date of January 18, 2017 and for which VI was evaluated under the old guidelines will not need to update their evaluations
– Projects that have prior reports approved but have not yet submitted an FR or RACR should incorporate the new guidance into their future submissions
– Projects that have already been approved will not have to be resubmitted
How Penn E&R Can Help
Our professionals have recently completed PADEP-sponsored training on the new VI guidance and have successfully completed over 200 Act 2 investigations in our 20 years of operation. We have also completed hundreds of Phase I and Phase II ESA’s for redevelopment clients, developers, financial institutions, law firms, industries, and the energy sector, and we have years of experience in cost-effectively guiding our clients through the Act 2 program to achieve environmental closure and liability protection for their business interests.
If you have any further questions about this new vapor intrusion guidance, how it might affect you, or about the land recycling program, in general, contact us to speak to a Penn E&R professional.
