Summary: Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed its review of hazardous waste management at an Air Force base in Oklahoma concerning the following areas: (1) reducing hazardous waste generation through treatment and recycling; (2) problems associated with the full and effective utilization of an industrial waste treatment plant; and (3) improvements which are needed in the monitoring and control of hazardous waste disposal. GAO found that the Air Force base was: (1) disposing of much of its hazardous wastes off-base without treating or recycling them; and (2) disposing, in injection wells, waste chemicals that could be treated at its industrial waste treatment plant. GAO commented on the problems that the industrial waste treatment plant has, including operational and maintenance problems, and noted that the base has taken several actions to correct these problems. GAO also determined that: (1) better monitoring and inspection of the base hazardous waste contractor and hazardous waste manifests are needed; (2) better spill containment is needed to prevent dumping at the base; and (3) the base and the Department of Defense need to be more involved in the selection of hazardous waste disposal sites.
