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TechDirect's purpose is to identify new technical, policy and
guidance resources related to the assessment and remediation of
contaminated soil, sediments and ground water.
Mention of non-EPA documents or presentations does not
constitute a U.S. EPA endorsement of their contents, only an
acknowledgment that they exist and may be relevant to the
TechDirect audience.
Upcoming Live Internet Seminars
Vapor Intrusion Site Issues - November 2, 2009 1:00PM-3:00PM EST
(18:00-20:00 GMT). This two-hour course based on an 8 hour class
delivered at the OSC Readiness conference, teaches techniques
for addressing sites that have vapor intrusion issues
originating from contaminated ground water or soils. The
migration and accumulation of chemical vapors in an indoor
environment may pose a significant risk to human health. The
course will include the following topics: Vapor intrusion
overview including current guidance from EPA, Interstate
Technology Regulatory Council (ITRC), states, and API,; Sampling
procedures: Subslab, soil gas, indoor air, outdoor air; Ground
water issues: Permanent wells, temporary wells, nested wells,
and sampling; Chlorinated site: Behr Site Case Study; Petroleum
site: Hartford Site Case Study; Health issues and screening
levels. The course includes lectures, case studies, and
question and answer sessions. For more information and to
register, see http://clu-in.org/live .
ITRC Quality Considerations for Munitions Response Projects -
November 3, 2009, 2:00PM-4:15PM EST (19:00-21:15 GMT). This
training introduces state regulators, environmental consultants,
site owners, and community stakeholders to Quality
Considerations for Munitions Response Projects (UXO-5, 2008),
created by the ITRC's Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Team. In this
document, quality is defined as 'conformance to requirements.'
To manage quality, the quality requirements of the project must
first be understood. Requirements must be precisely stated and
clearly understood by everyone involved. A plan is then put in
place to meet those requirements. The UXO Team emphasizes taking
a whole-system approach to designing, planning and managing a
munitions response (MR) project to optimize quality. This
training course is intended for an intermediate audience and
assumes a basic understanding of specialized processes
associated with MR projects. For more information and to
register, see http://www.itrcweb.org or http://clu-in.org/live .
Elemental Mercury Basics and Response - November 4, 2009
1:00PM-3:00PM EST (18:00-20:00 GMT). This course provides
information on the misunderstood properties of mercury and
insight into addressing issues related to sites contaminated
with mercury: regulations, response, monitoring, health
concerns, toxicology, and cleanup. The seminar focuses primarily
on complex residential contamination sites. Participants will be
able to download a detailed guidebook and checklist that will
assist them through all phases of a cleanup at a residential
site contaminated with mercury, from initial notification
through final restoration. The seminar will discuss the
complexities of issues associated with mercury cleanups, and the
difficulties responders have encountered and successes they have
achieved. Participants will also be able to download guidance
and examples of mercury outreach and education materials that
have been prepared over the years to better educate responders,
health professionals, and the public. For more information and
to register, see http://www.itrcweb.org or
http://clu-in.org/live .
ITRC Enhanced Attenuation of Chlorinated Organics: A Site
Management Tool - November 5, 2009, 11:00AM-1:15PM EST
(16:00-18:15 GMT). This training on the ITRC Technical and
Regulatory Guidance for Enhanced Attenuation: Chlorinated
Organics (EACO-1, 2008) describes the transition (the bridge)
between aggressive remedial actions and MNA and vise versa.
Enhanced attenuation (EA) is the application of technologies
that minimize energy input and are sustainable in order to
reduce contaminant loading and/or increase the attenuation
capacity of a contaminated plume to progress sites towards
established remedial objectives. Contaminant loading and
attenuation capacity are fundamental to sound decisions for
remediation of groundwater contamination. This training explains
how a decision framework which, when followed, allows for a
smooth transition between more aggressive remedial technologies
to sustainable remedial alternatives and eventually to Monitored
Natural Attenuation. This training will demonstrate how this
decision framework allows regulators and practitioners to
integrate Enhanced Attenuation into the remedial decision
process. For more information and to register, see
http://www.itrcweb.org or http://clu-in.org/live
.
ITRC Phytotechnologies - November 10, 2009, 2:00PM-4:15PM EST
(19:00-21:15 GMT). This training familiarizes participants with
ITRC's Phytotechnology Technical and Regulatory Guidance and
Decision Trees, Revised (Phyto-3, 2009). This document provides
guidance for regulators who evaluate and make informed decisions
on phytotechnology work plans and practitioners who have to
evaluate any number of remedial alternatives at a given site.
This document updates and replaces Phytoremediation Decision
Tree (Phyto-1, 1999) and Phytotechnology Technical and
Regulatory Guidance Document (Phyto-2, 2001). It has merged the
concepts of both documents into a single document. This guidance
includes new, and more importantly, practical information on the
process and protocol for selecting and applying various
phytotechnologies as remedial alternatives. For more information
and to register, see http://www.itrcweb.org or
http://clu-in.org/live .
Green Remediation: Applying Strategies in the Field - November
12 and December 15. In June 2009, EPA held its annual National
Association of Remedial Project Managers meeting in Atlanta, GA,
and for the second year in a row, one of our most attended
sessions was on Green Remediation (GR). And like last year, we
are offering those talks again to an online audience! EPA's
definition of GR includes the practice of considering the
environmental effects of a remediation strategy (i.e., the
remedy selected and the implementation approach) early in the
process, and incorporating options to maximize the net
environmental benefit of the cleanup action. Since last year,
experience has increased and policies are more developed, and
this is a chance to share that with an online audience. EPA's
Technical Support Project, led by the Engineering Forum, has
taken this full-day session and has held one session on October
8th. Tthe other two sessions will follow on November 12th and
December 15th. For more information and to register, see
http://clu-in.org/live .
SERDP Funding Opportunities - November 13, 2009, 1:00PM-2:30PM
EST (18:00-19:30 GMT). This seminar will provide a summary of
the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program
(SERDP) development and opportunities for interested researchers
to conduct research and development. This 'how to play' briefing
will offer essential information for those who wish to
understand new funding opportunities within SERDP. The FY11
SERDP solicitation will be released in late October 2009 and
attendees may use this time to ask general questions about the
solicitation. For more information and to register, see
http://clu-in.org/live .
Introduction to CERCLA 103, EPCRA, and CAA 112(r) - November 16,
2009 1:00PM-3:00PM EST (18:00-20:00 GMT). This class will focus
on regulatory and legislative requirements related to emergency
notification for hazardous chemical releases, community
emergency planning, and chemical accident prevention. The course
provides an overview in the requirements of section 103 of the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liabilities Act (CERCLA), the Emergency Planning and Community
Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), and section 112(r) (the EPA Risk
Management Program and Clean Air Act General Duty Clause) of the
Clean Air Act (CAA). For more information and to register, see
http://clu-in.org/live .
ITRC Survey of Munitions Response Technologies - November 19,
2009, 11:00AM-1:00PM EST (16:00-18:00 GMT). This training
introduces Survey of Munitions Response Technologies (UXO-4,
2006), created by the ITRC's Unexploded Ordinance Team in
partnership with the Strategic Environmental Research and
Development Program (SERDP) and the Environmental Security
Technology Certification Program (ESTCP). The document provides
an overview of the current status of commercially-available
technologies in common usage for munitions response actions,
and, where possible, assess and quantify their performance
capabilities. This training course is intended for an
intermediate to advanced audience and assumes an understanding
of technologies and phases of munitions response. This training
course focuses on the major take-home conclusions of the Survey
of Munitions Response Technologies (UXO-4, 2006) and provides an
understanding of the performance capabilities of available
technologies under real-world site conditions. For more
information and to register, see http://www.itrcweb.org or
http://clu-in.org/live .
Alternative Countermeasures for Oil Spills; a Primer on NCP
Product Schedule - November 23, 2009 1:00PM-3:00PM EST
(18:00-20:00 GMT). this webinar will be a condensed version of
the ACM class scheduled to be presented as an 8-hour workshop at
the 2010 OSC Readiness Training Program. This webinar will
stress the basics of how OSCs can use the NCP Subpart J Product
Schedule in their daily spill planning and response work with
emphasis on how to deal with product vendors before and during a
spill response. Some discussion of the new U.S. Coast Guard
dispersant capabilities rule will be included. For more
information and to register, see http://www.itrcweb.org or
http://clu-in.org/live .
ITRC LNAPL Training Parts 1 and 2 - December 3 and 10, 2009.
Light non-aqueous phase liquids (LNAPLs) are organic liquids
such as gasoline, diesel, and other petroleum hydrocarbon
products that are immiscible with water and less dense than
water. LNAPLs are important because they are present in the
subsurface at thousands of remediation sites across the country,
and are frequently the focus of assessment and remediation
efforts. Part 1 of this training course explains how LNAPLs
behave in the subsurface and examines what controls their
behavior. Part 1 also explains what LNAPL data can tell you
about the LNAPL and site conditions. Relevant and practical
examples are used to illustrate key concepts. Part 2 addresses
LNAPL characterization and site conceptual model development as
well as LNAPL recovery evaluation and remedial considerations.
Specifically, Part 2 discusses key LNAPL and site data, when and
why those data may be important, and how to get those data. Part
2 also discusses how to evaluate LNAPL recoverability. For more
information and to register, see http://www.itrcweb.org or
http://clu-in.org/live .
New Documents and Web Resources
New Cost and Performance Information on Cleanup Technologies.
The Federal Remediation Technologies Roundtable (FRTR) recently
announced the release of 23 new case study and technology
assessment reports. These reports document the cost,
performance, and lessons learned in implementing a wide range of
hazardous waste site cleanup technologies in the field, ranging
from large-scale demonstrations to full-scale applications. The
remediation case studies and general technology assessment
reports and other related FRTR information are available at
http://www.frtr.gov. Visitors
to the Web site can search these
reports by remedial technology, optimization method, and other
criteria. With these new additions, close to 800 reports are
now available in four areas - over 400 cost and performance case
study reports describing the use of remediation technologies;
over 185 reports describing the use of site characterization and
monitoring technologies; more than 125 case studies describing
long-term monitoring/optimization of remediation technologies;
and more than 85 reports describing the assessments of
remediation technologies at hazardous waste sites. View case
study and technology assessment reports at
http://www.frtr.gov/costperf.htm .
Federal Remediation Technologies Roundtable Annual Summary of
Activities: September 2009 (EPA-542-F-09-001). This fact sheet,
produced by the FRTR, summarizes activities of member agencies'
remediation programs and describes recently published cost and
performance case studies and reports. The 2009 fact sheet also
highlights FRTR member agencies' Green Remediation activities,
which was the focus of the December 2008 FRTR meeting. A summary
of that meeting and the presentations on Green Remediation are
posted on the FRTR Web site. Recently, EPA's contaminated site
cleanup programs have released the Principles for Greener
Cleanups (Principles) to improve the decision-making process for
cleanup activities in a way that ensures protection of human
health and the environment and reduces adverse environmental
impacts on communities (http://www.epa.gov/oswer/greencleanups).
In consideration of these Principles, EPA's Superfund Program,
one of five major EPA cleanup programs, has released a Green
Remediation strategy outlining major activities to reduce the
environmental footprint of its cleanups
(http://www.epa.gov/superfund/greenremediation).
View or
download the FRTR fact sheet at http://www.frtr.gov/publib.htm.
For hard copies, contact (800) 490-9198 or (513) 489-8190 or fax
to (513) 489-8695.
EPA Plans to Develop Interim Preliminary Remediation Goals for
Dioxin in Soil. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is
seeking public comment on a plan to develop interim preliminary
remediation goals (PRGs) for dioxin in soil at Superfund sites.
The plan includes a review of current dioxin cleanup guidance
that has been established by the EPA, states and other
countries, including the latest fully peer-reviewed dioxin
toxicity assessments. EPA will release the draft interim PRGs
for public comment in December 2009, and anticipates issuing the
final interim PRGs in June 2010. EPA is currently undertaking a
reassessment of dioxin, the results of which are expected to be
released by the end of 2010. View plan and provide comments at
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/policy/remedy/sfremedy/remedi
ininterimplan.html .
Ground Water Issue: Assessment and Delineation of DNAPL Source
Zones at Hazardous Waste Sites (EPA 600-R-09-119). This document
provides a framework for assessing the presence of dense
non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) and delineating the spatial
extent of the DNAPL source zone, a priority at many sites due to
the increasing use of in situ remediation technologies. The
described strategy expands the applicability of the document to
include both unconsolidated deposits and fractured bedrock, and
encourage an iterative, flexible site investigation approach
(September 2009, 20 pages). View or download at
http://www.epa.gov/ada/download/issue/600r09119.pdf
.
Voluntary Guidelines for Methamphetamine Laboratory Cleanup
(EPA-530-R-08-008). EPA has issued a document providing state
and local governments technical guidance for methamphetamine lab
cleanups. The document is based on an extensive review of the
best available science and practices for cleanup. Other issues
included are best practices for specific items or materials,
sampling procedures, and technical resources. The
Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act of 2007 required EPA to
develop these guidelines, based on the best currently available
knowledge in the field of meth lab remediation. EPA reviewed
state guidance and regulations to develop these voluntary
guidelines. In addition, this document has received extensive
review and refinement from a broad array of stakeholders as well
as feedback from nationally recognized experts in meth lab
remediation (August 2009, 48 pages). View or download at
http://www.epa.gov/oem/meth_lab_guidelines.pdf
.
Statistical Analysis of Groundwater Monitoring Data at RCRA
Facilities - Unified Guidance (EPA 530-R-09-007). The Unified
Guidance provides a suggested framework and recommendations for
the statistical analysis of groundwater monitoring data at
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) facility units
subject to 40 CFR Parts 264 and 265 and 40 CFR Part 258, to
determine whether groundwater has been impacted by a hazardous
constituent release. Specific statistical methods are identified
in the RCRA regulations, but their application is not described
in any detail. The Unified Guidance provides examples and
background information that will aid in successfully conducting
the required statistical analyses. The Unified Guidance draws
upon the experience gained in the last decade in implementing
the RCRA Subtitle C and D groundwater monitoring programs and
new research that has emerged since earlier Agency guidance. It
updates and replaces the earlier 1989 Interim Final Guidance and
the July 1992 Addendum (March 2009, 884 pages). View or download
at
http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/correctiveaction/resources/g
/sitechar/gwstats/unified-guid.pdf .
EUGRIS Corner. New Documents on EUGRIS, the platform for
European contaminated soil and water information. More than 12
resources, events projects and news items were added to EUGRIS 1
- 24 October, 2009. These can be viewed at
http://www.eugris.info/whatsnew.asp . Then select
the
appropriate month and year for the updates in which you are
interested. The following reports were featured on EUGRIS:
Uncontaminated Topsoil A Technical Report on the Use of Both
Naturally Occurring and Manufactured Uncontaminated Topsoil
(2009). The Environment Agency currently considers that all
uncontaminated topsoil, other than topsoil used where it was
produced without needing further treatment, remains waste
until the point at which it is fully recovered and is suitable
for an agreed use without posing a risk to the environment. The
project board asked a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to consider
the feasibility of producing a Quality Protocol that would
enable the point of recovery of topsoil to be moved closer to
the point of its production. This would mean a site-specific
assessment would not be needed to demonstrate that the topsoil
could be used on any site. This report is an output of the
discussions held by the TAG between July 2007 and February 2008.
View or download from
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Busi
... .
The Nano4water Cluster Website (2009). This is a coalition of
research projects, funded by the European Commission following a
Joint Call on nanotechnologies for water treatment
(FP7-ENV-NMP-2008-2). The aim of this action is to support
research and technological development in the field of water
treatment by applying developed or adapted nano-engineered
materials to promising separation, purification and
detoxification technologies. For more information, visit
http://nano4water.eu/index.php?id=34
.
Conferences and Symposia
GreenRemediation, Copenhagen, Denmark, November 9-10, 2009.
Sustainable approaches for decision-making and soil remediation
are more relevant than ever. The objective of the
GreenRemediation Conference is to improve the awareness of green
remediation solutions among environmentalists and decision
makers. Main topics are Policy Drivers, Decision Support Tools
and Sustainable Remediation Technologies. The program includes
presentations from speakers from 9 countries around the world
including organisations like NICOLE, SuRF UK, EU Common Forum on
Contaminated Land and the U.S. EPA. The conference is organized
by the Danish EPA, Information Centre on Contaminated Sites -
DANISH REGIONS, The Capital Region of Denmark and a number of
private organisations. For more information and to register, see
http://www.polytec.dk/GreenRemediation/
.
Brownfields 2009 Conference, New Orleans, LA, November 16-18,
2009. The Brownfields 2009 Conference will see stakeholders from
community, planning, real estate, finance, and policy interests
from across the nation converge to focus on brownfields cleanup,
redevelopment, and a broad range of land revitalization
solutions. Take advantage of learning and networking
opportunities including first-rate educational sessions,
valuable mobile workshops, dynamic plenary speakers, excellent
organizational meetings, and more. For more information and to
register, see http://www.brownfieldsconference.org .
Partners in Environmental Technology Technical Symposium &
Workshop, Washington, DC, December 1-3, 2009. Sponsored by the
Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program
(SERDP), DoD's environmental science and technology program, and
the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program
(ESTCP), this event will provide attendees: (1) plenary session
speakers offering key insights into environmental issues; (2)
concurrent technical sessions and short courses covering the
latest in environmental research results and technical
innovations as well as unique training opportunities; (3) poster
sessions featuring more than 400 technical posters; (4) exhibit
booths offering information about funding opportunities in
related research programs; (5) networking opportunities with
more than 1,000 environmental professionals from the government,
academic, and private sectors; and (6) a session providing a
summary of SERDP and ESTCP funding opportunities to conduct
research and demonstrations. For more information and to
register, see http://www.serdp-estcp.org/symposium2009/ .
Call for Abstracts!! 2010 Conference on Design and Construction
Issues at Hazardous Waste Sites, Philadelphia, PA, April 21-23,
2010. This conference, to be hosted by the U.S. EPA and the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, will facilitate information exchange
among professionals from the private and public sectors
regarding design and construction issues at hazardous waste
sites including effective methods, remediation strategies,
lessons learned, and application of technologies. Abstracts are
due by November 13, 2009. For more information and to submit an
abstract, see https://superfund.usace.army.mil/2010DCHWS .
Call for Abstracts!! ConSoil 2010 - Management of Soil,
Groundwater, and Sediment Salzburg, Austria, September 22-24,
2010. The 11th edition will continue the successful programme of
the ConSoil conferences. The themes of ConSoil 2010 reflect the
latest topics in the management of soil, groundwater and
sediment. ConSoil is the leading platform to exchange news and
knowledge between:scientists, policy makers, consultants /
service providers, administrators, site owners / river basin ,
managers, remediation companies / contractors, banking and
insurance companies. The conference language will be English.
Abstracts are due by December 21, 2009. For more information and
to submit an abstract, see http://www.consoil.de .
NOTE: For TechDirect, we prefer to concentrate mainly on new
documents and the Internet live events. However, we do support
an area on CLU-IN where announcement of conferences and courses
can be regularly posted. Currently there are 95 conferences and
courses featured. We invite sponsors to input information on
their events at http://clu-in.org/courses . Likewise, readers
may visit this area for news of upcoming events that might be of
interest. It allows users to search events by location, topic,
time period, etc.
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