Five-year reviews are required whenever a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) response action results in hazardous materials above levels that allow for unlimited use and unrestricted exposure remaining on site. A five- year review is intended to evaluate whether the remedial action remains protective of human health and the environment.
Five-year reviews answer three primary questions:
- Is the remedy functioning as intended by the decision documents?
- Are the exposure assumptions, toxicity data, cleanup levels and remedial action objectives used at the time of the remedy selection still valid?
- Has any other information come to light that could call into question the protectiveness of the remedy?
Since 1998, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has conducted hundreds of five-year reviews for our customers. By using capable in-house technical staff, with quality assurance support from the Environmental and Munitions Center of Expertise (EM CX), the Army Corps of Engineers has provided thorough and cost-effective reviews.
The cost to conduct a five-year review ranges from $30,000 to $150,000, depending on site complexity. This includes senior staff labor and travel.
Download the CERCLA Five-Year Review Fact Sheet (PDF)
CERCLA 5-Year Review fact sheet
(as of September 2024)