Comment period on Ecology’s SHARP tool developed to implement changes to MTCA Cleanup Regulations

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MTCA Cleanup Regulations Practitioners:

We’ve developed a new site hazard assessment and ranking process (SHARP). To support this process, we also developed the new SHARP Tool. We plan to use this Tool to identify which contaminated sites pose the greatest risk to people and other living things. We invite you to comment on the draft SHARP Tool and Manual through April 16, 2023.

We developed the new SHARP Tool to implement our proposed changes to the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) Cleanup Regulations. These changes are also available for public comment through April 16, 2023. To download and learn how to comment on the proposed rule changes, visit our rulemaking webpage.

What is SHARP? 

SHARP provides a method for Ecology to assess and rank threats to human health and the environment posed by a contaminated site based on information readily available at the time of assessment. SHARP replaces the outdated Washington Ranking Method (WARM), which hasn’t been updated since 1992. SHARP satisfies the requirements of MTCA and will play a key role in our work to improve environmental equity under the HEAL Act.

The SHARP Tool calculates scores for potential exposure to contamination in soil, groundwater, surface water, sediment, and indoor air. It also estimates the severity of exposure. Since SHARP uses only readily accessible information, we can calculate ranking scores fairly quickly. Unlike the WARM process, we’ll be able to re-rank sites as new or better information becomes available. 

How will Ecology use SHARP?

Ecology will use SHARP to: 

  • Assess and rank the threats to human health and the environment posed by all contaminated sites.
  • Identify whether the population threatened may include a vulnerable population or an overburdened community.
  • Prioritize remedial actions and allocate agency resources among and within all contaminated sites.
  • Reflect changes in threats posed by a site based on new information or changes in site conditions.
  • Better inform the public about the threats posed by contaminated sites.

What are our next steps?

After reviewing your comments, we will finalize the SHARP Tool and convert it to a computer application. We plan to do that by the anticipated effective date of the proposed rule changes, January 1, 2024. After we have finalized the Tool, we plan to develop policies about how we will use the site hazard rankings to prioritize sites and allocate resources.

For more information, please visit our site ranking webpage, or read our blog about the new process.

Eileen Webb
Environmental Remediation Coordinator
Toxics Cleanup Program
Eileen.Webb@ecy.wa.gov
360-763-2305