ON 5/1/83, ~3,750 METAL CYLINDERS AND 17 DRUMS WERE PLACED ON PROPERTY OF G.L. & B. MOORE IN HAMPTON, VA. CYLINDERS WERE OWNED BY MR. MOORE, HAVING BEEN BOUGHT FROM THE DEPART- MENT OF DEFENSE. CYLINDERS & DRUMS CONTAINED VARIOUS CHEMICALS, INCLUDING 24 GASES & OTHER LIQUIDS. NUMBER OF GASES WERE FLAMMABLE, & SEVERAL SUBSTANCES IN CYLINDERS WERE INCOMPATIBLE WITH EACH OTHER. SOME OF CYLINDERS WERE UNDER HIGH PRESSURE, AND SOME WERE DETERIORATING. ADDITIONALLY, SEVERAL OF CYLINDERS CONTAINED HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES, SUCH AS AMMONIA, PROPANE AND CHLORINE, WHICH WERE LEAKING. MR. MOORE HAD PLACED CYLINDERS IN COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL AREA, AND A NEIGHBOR NOTICED ONE OF CYLINDERS WAS HISSING. ON 6/7/83, CITY OF HAMPTON ISSUED NOTICE TO MR. MOORE TO REMOVE CYLINDERS AND CLEANUP LOTS, BASED ON CITY'S DETERMIN- ATION THAT CYLINDERS WERE STORED IMPROPERLY & POSED THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH. A FEW DAYS LATER, HAMPTON FIRE DEPT ORDERED MR. MOORE TO REMOVE CYLINDERS FROM SITE W/IN 48 HRS. MR MOORE TOOK NO ACTION TO CLEAN UP SITE; COMMONWEALTH OF VA REQUESTED EPA ASSISTANCE. EPA RESPONSE TEAM ARRIVED ON SITE ON 5/16 & DETERMINED THAT IMMENENT HAZARD EXISTED. DETERMINATION WAS BASED ON ANALYSIS OF CONTENTS OF SOME OF CYLINDERS, WH/ SHOWED FLAM- MABLE AND INCOMPATIBLE MATERIALS, & OBSERVATION THAT SOME OF CYLINDERS WERE LEAKING. THIS POSED IMMEDIATE THREAT TO NEARBY RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES AND BUSIN