Hazardous Waste Management System; Testing and Monitoring Activities

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) is amending its hazardous waste regulations for testing and monitoring activities. This amendment adds new and revised methods as Update III to the Third Edition of the EPA-approved test methods manual ``Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods,'' EPA Publication SW-846 and deletes several obsolete methods from SW-846 and the RCRA regulations. It also incorporates SW-846, Third Edition, as amended by Updates I (July 1992), II (September 1994) and IIA (August 1993 as part of the wood surface protection rule), IIB (January 1995, clarifying the temperature requirement for pH measurements of highly alkaline wastes), and III (December 1996). The intent of this action is to provide state-of-the-art analytical technologies for RCRA-related testing, thus promoting cost effectiveness and flexibility in choosing analytical test methods, as well as clarifying the RCRA Program's approach to working towards the Performance Based Measurement System (PBMS). Incorporation by reference was approved for the updates on the following dates: Update I, August 31, 1993, Update II, January 13, 1995, Update IIA, January 4, 1994 as part of the wood surface protection rule, and Update IIB, April 4, 1995, clarifying the temperature requirement for pH measurements of highly alkaline wastes.