Stringent environmental laws and regulations expose WSDOT to full responsibility for proper handling and disposal of hazardous materials whether the original source is from WSDOT activities, from a tenant, or inherited when property is acquired. For that reason, the Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Program was created to provide statewide assistance to regional environmental and project offices in order to facilitate regulatory compliance.
The HazMat program provides Investigations and Services statewide and is involved throughout the entire transportation project life cycle. Look at a table (pdf 48 kb) to see how hazardous material services are integrated throughout the entire transportation project delivery process.
Certifications and specific qualifications are required to provide Hazardous Materials Investigations and Services. The Hazardous Materials Program Manager qualifies as an “Environmental Professional” in accordance with EPA’s new All Appropriate Inquiry rule (40 CFR 312). Staff have field experience following EPA's SW846 procedures and have certifications and training for the 40-hour Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPWER), State Site Assessor, Lead Awareness Training and AHERA Building Inspector certifications.
The program manages On-call environmental consultants who provide a wide variety of services when in-house resources are not available. The program also coordinates the use of WSDOT mandatory General Administration (GA) State Contracts for the Disposal of Contaminated Solid and Liquid Waste (Contract 00301 - currently expired and expected to be reissued in 2008), Hazardous Waste Handling and Disposal Services (Contract 03505), Environmental Drilling Services (Contract 11403), and Environmental Analytical Laboratory Services (01807). To access the GA contracts, go to the General Administration State Procurement website at https://fortress.wa.gov/ga/inet/pca/pcacont.htm
The program provides hazardous material guidance in chapter 447 and 620.08 of the Environmental Procedures Manual and develops and provides training to WSDOT staff.
The program helps manage solid waste. In order to avoid costly disposal in permitted landfills, opportunities to reuse demolition debris and building materials should always be considered to reduce construction costs and avoid unnecessarily filling the limited space in landfills. WSDOT construction projects have great recycling opportunities for purchasing recycled products and reusing waste materials.