41    ILLINOIS HAZARDOUS WASTE RESEARCH AND
INFORMATION CENTER:
DEVELOPMENT OF AN INDUSTRIAL AND
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Frederick L. Doll, Industrial Assistance Coordinator
Daniel D. Kraybill, Industrial Assistance Engineer
David L. Thomas, Director
Hazardous Waste Research and Information Center
State Water Survey Division
Savoy, Illinois 61874
INTRODUCTION
The Hazardous Waste Research and Information Center (HWRIC) was established within the
Illinois Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR) in 1984 to address hazardous waste
management problems within Illinois. It was authorized by the Illinois Assembly through Senate Bill
815 and is funded through general revenues and the Hazardous Waste Research Fund. Based in
Champaign, Illinois and administered by the Illinois State Water Survey, it has three basic functions:
RESEARCH— HWRIC funds and performs research to characterize and assess the hazardous waste problem in Illinois and to determine the best solutions to particular hazardous
waste problems.
INFORMATION DISSEMINATION-HV/RIC runs an information clearinghouse and
library specializing in hazardous waste issues. Data on hazardous waste are collected,
analyzed, and disseminated in a variety of formats. Information is generally provided on a
no-charge basis to the citizens of Illinois.
INDUSTRIAL AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE (ITA)-The 1TA program provides
direct technical assistance to citizens and industries in Illinois with hazardous waste management problems.
The 1TA program emphasizes source reduction, recycling, product substitution, and other methods
of reducing the amount of hazardous waste generated within a given plant. It also gives guidance with
regulatory and permitting processes and makes referrals to qualified consultants and service organizations. This paper describes the establishment of the ITA program and discusses its past accomplishments, current activities, and future plans.
PROGRAM INITIATION
Announcements for openings for an ITA Program Coordinator and Industrial Assistance Engineer
were made in the fall of 1984. Interviews began in February of 1985, and the Coordinator was hired in
April. The Industrial Assistance Engineer was hired in late May. Both engineers have extensive
experience with industrial processes and the environmental disciplines.
Survey of Other State Programs
The first major step was to survey similar activities in other states. A listing of similar programs was
developed from material presented at the "Pollution Prevention Pays" Conference held in Raleigh,
North Carolina in April of 1985 [1]. Personnel from these programs and other programs were
contacted and questioned about their state's programs (Table I).
Two general statements can be made from this survey: 1) Most of the programs dealt with environmental concerns in general, but did not focus on hazardous waste management in particular; and 2)
The most effective programs were not associated with any regulatory agency. A location near a large
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