Louisiana RECAP Programs

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) has developed a Risk Evaluation/Corrective Action Program (RECAP) to address risks to human health and the environment posed by the release of chemical constituents to the environment. This is LDEQ's primary statutory mandate for remediation activities. It is clear in Louisiana's Environmental Quality Act that risk to human health and the environment must be evaluated in the remedial decision-making process.

RECAP uses risk evaluation to: (1) determine if corrective action is necessary for the protection of human health and the environment, and (2) identify constituent levels in impacted media that do not pose unacceptable risks to human health or the environment, i.e., RECAP Standards. RECAP consists of a tiered framework composed of a Screening Option and three Management Options. This tiered approach allows site evaluation and corrective action efforts to be tailored to site conditions and risks. As the Management Option level increases, the approach becomes more site-specific and, hence, the level of effort required to meet the objectives of the Option increases. Although the level of effort required for each Option varies, each Option achieves a common goal: protection of human health and the environment.

There are numerous reasons for establishing RECAP; chief among them is the necessity to ensure that risks are properly evaluated to protect human health and the environment. Absent the establishment of such a program, the Department will expend considerably more resources to ensure that risk is evaluated properly, the regulated community will not have a clear understanding of the Department's requirements, and the general public will be uncertain as to the criteria used by the Department for remedial decisions. In addition, LDEQ finds it necessary to establish clear and consistent guidelines across media-based program lines for the remediation of releases to air, land, and water. RECAP will ensure that remediation standards are developed consistently, that all parties are treated equally, and that risk to human health and the environment is the primary consideration when remedial decisions are made.

RECAP is consistent with the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) guidance on risk assessment. However, RECAP establishes policy decisions for the State of Louisiana that are left open to interpretation in EPA guidance. These policy issues include appropriate risk level, exposure concentration, groundwater use, land use, points of exposure, and points of compliance. The written establishment of the Department's position on these issues will reduce transaction costs, not only for the regulated community, but also the Department. In addition, by clearly establishing the... More

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