CCI Environmental Compliance 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which federal law governs the disposal of solid and hazardous waste at construction sites and requires manifest tracking for hazardous waste shipments?
- Clean Air Act (CAA)
- Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) (Correct answer)
- Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)
- Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
Correct answer: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
RCRA governs solid and hazardous waste management, including the uniform hazardous waste manifest system for tracking shipments.
Question 2: When a construction project involves demolition of a pre-1980 building, inspectors must be concerned about which two common hazardous materials?
- Radon and mercury
- Asbestos-containing materials (ACM) and lead-based paint (LBP) (Correct answer)
- PCBs and chlorofluorocarbons
- Benzene and formaldehyde
Correct answer: Asbestos-containing materials (ACM) and lead-based paint (LBP)
Pre-1980 buildings commonly contain ACM in insulation/tiles and LBP in painted surfaces, both requiring special handling during demolition.
Question 3: Under OSHA's Lead in Construction Standard (29 CFR 1926.62), the action level for airborne lead exposure is:
- 10 µg/m³ as an 8-hour TWA
- 30 µg/m³ as an 8-hour TWA (Correct answer)
- 50 µg/m³ as an 8-hour TWA
- 100 µg/m³ as an 8-hour TWA
Correct answer: 30 µg/m³ as an 8-hour TWA
The OSHA action level for lead in construction is 30 µg/m³ as an 8-hour TWA, triggering medical surveillance and exposure monitoring requirements.
Question 4: A wetland delineation is performed on a construction site. Which three parameters are used to define a jurisdictional wetland under the Army Corps of Engineers methodology?
- Slope, proximity to water, and vegetation density
- Hydric soils, wetland hydrology, and hydrophytic vegetation (Correct answer)
- Water depth, floodplain location, and soil pH
- Drainage area, impervious cover, and canopy cover
Correct answer: Hydric soils, wetland hydrology, and hydrophytic vegetation
The three-parameter approach requires hydric soils, wetland hydrology, and hydrophytic vegetation to be present for jurisdictional wetland determination.
Question 5: Which regulatory tool allows a developer to impact wetlands by demonstrating that impacts will be avoided, minimized, and compensated through mitigation?
- Section 402 NPDES Permit
- Section 404 Permit from the Army Corps of Engineers (Correct answer)
- RCRA Permit
- Title V Air Permit
Correct answer: Section 404 Permit from the Army Corps of Engineers
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to issue permits for discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the US, including wetlands.
Question 6: During grading operations, a contractor accidentally severs an underground fuel tank line, causing a diesel spill. Under which regulation must the spill be reported if it reaches a navigable waterway?
- RCRA Section 3010
- Clean Water Act Section 311 / Oil Pollution Act (Correct answer)
- CERCLA Section 103
- EPCRA Section 304
Correct answer: Clean Water Act Section 311 / Oil Pollution Act
CWA Section 311 and the Oil Pollution Act require immediate reporting of oil spills to navigable waters to the National Response Center.
Question 7: What is the primary purpose of a sediment basin on a construction site?
- To collect and store clean water for dust suppression
- To allow suspended sediment particles to settle out of stormwater before discharge (Correct answer)
- To divert stormwater away from active construction areas
- To store excavated soil temporarily before final grading
Correct answer: To allow suspended sediment particles to settle out of stormwater before discharge
A sediment basin slows stormwater flow, allowing suspended sediment to settle out before the water is discharged from the site.
CCI Environmental Compliance 3
Which federal law governs the disposal of solid and hazardous waste at construction sites and requires manifest tracking for hazardous waste shipments?