NORM & TENORM WASTE MANAGEMENT
Wellsite to licensed disposal, managed end-to-end
Hilltop manages naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) and technologically enhanced NORM (TENORM) waste from oil & gas drilling and production across the Appalachian Basin. We handle every step — from wellsite characterization through processing, profiling, and final disposal at a licensed facility.
Nuclear Plant Decommissioning
NRC Regulatory Collaboration
Multi-State Permitted
Full Chain-of-Custody
Explore The Program
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Waste Streams We Handle
Waste Streams We Handle
NORM-bearing waste management tailored for drilling and production operations:
Drill Cuttings
Sludge & Filter Cake
TENORM-Contaminated Soil
Scale Deposits
High-Activity Solids & Sludges
Processing & Treatment
Processing & Treatment
At dedicated NORM and TENORM processing facilities, incoming materials are characterized, treated, and prepared for transfer to licensed disposal facilities — each tailored to its physical form and activity level.
Radiological Characterization
Mechanical Dewatering
Chemical Stabilization
Profiling & Manifesting
Radiological Worker Protection
Radiological Controls, Built Into Daily Operations
Our RSO holds a B.S. in Physics and has directed radiation safety programs across nuclear decommissioning, oil & gas, and industrial remediation for nearly a decade — bringing that same commercial-nuclear discipline to every NORM/TENORM project.
- Nuclear station decommissioning experience: Pilgrim (MA), Vermont Yankee (VT), and Crystal River (FL)
- Direct collaboration with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the U.S. federal nuclear regulator) and Pennsylvania DEP on program compliance and foreign material reporting
- ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) program experience, including free-release surveys and decommissioning cost estimates
- Radiological surveys and disposal of low-level radioactive waste soil across multiple East Coast sites
Every worker who handles NORM waste goes through site-specific radiological training covering Radium-226, Radium-228, and associated decay products, plus the exposure pathways that matter in an oil and gas waste environment: inhalation of resuspended dust, direct gamma exposure, and skin contamination from brine or scale. Protection follows a defined sequence, from entry screening through exit decontamination:
Regulatory Framework & Compliance
Navigating a Complex, State-Specific Regulatory Space
Most states exempt oil and gas waste from hazardous waste regulation under RCRA Subtitle C, but TENORM exceeding landfill thresholds requires separate management under state-specific radiological programs. Hilltop maintains the state permits and authorizations required to receive, process, and transfer NORM and TENORM waste, and monitors disposal facility acceptance criteria as they change.
Ohio
Regulatory authority sits with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
West Virginia
Its own permit and notification requirements for NORM/TENORM handling.
Pennsylvania
Its own permit and notification requirements for NORM/TENORM handling.
Service Area & Facilities
Serving Operators Across the Appalachian Basin
Hilltop serves operators throughout the Appalachian Basin, and also accepts properly manifested NORM and TENORM waste shipments from outside the region — contact us to discuss transport and transfer requirements.