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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
ITRC Vapor Intrusion Pathway: A Practical Guideline - July 19.
The ITRC Vapor Intrusion Team developed the ITRC Technical and
Regulatory Guidance document Vapor Intrusion Pathway: A
Practical Guideline (VI-1, 2007), companion document Vapor
Intrusion Pathway: Investigative Approaches for Typical
Scenarios (VI-1A, 2007), and this Internet-based training course
to be used by regulatory agencies and practitioners alike. This
training course provides an overview of the vapor intrusion
pathway and information on the framework (evaluation process),
investigative tools, and mitigation approaches. The training
course uses typical scenarios to illustrate the process. For
more information and to register, see http://www.itrcweb.org or
http://clu-in.org/studio .
Phytostabilization of Mine Tailings in Arid and Semi-Arid
Environments - July 25. This seminar is sponsored by the NIEHS
Superfund Basic Research Program (SBRP), in conjunction with the
University of Arizona SBRP and EPA Region 9. In arid and
semi-arid parts of the world, including parts of the western
United States, mine tailings and their associated contaminants
are prone to wind dispersion and water erosion. These problems
are extensive and can persist for decades because these sites
lack normal soil stabilization processes including the
establishment of a plant cover and the associated development of
soil structure. These sites can have profound health and
environmental consequences especially for children in nearby
communities or for sensitive riparian or wildlife refuge areas.
Dr. Raina Maier, University of Arizona Dept. of Soil, Water and
Environmental Sciences, is investigating phytostabilization -
the establishment of a vegetation cover using the native plants
- to minimize dispersion and erosion processes. For more
information and to register, see http://clu-in.org/studio .
New Documents and Web Resources
Interim Guiding Principles for Good Samaritan Projects at Orphan
Mine Sites and Transmittal of CERCLA Administrative Tools for
Good Samaritans. This joint memorandum was issued by the U.S.
EPA. This guidance is intended to assist the Regions in the
implementation of the Good Samaritan Initiative and focuses on
administrative tools developed under CERCLA. As EPA gains more
experience implementing this Initiative, the Agency may revise
this guidance and the attached administrative tools June 2007,
24 pages). View or download at
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resource ...
d/cercla-goodsam-principles-mem.pdf .
From Bench to Backyard: EPA Patents at Work Protecting Human
Health and the Environment. This document was published by the
U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development. The U.S. EPA
Federal Technology Transfer Act (FTTA) Program facilitates the
transfer of environmental research and technologies into the
marketplace. This catalog describes some of the innovative ideas
that help clean your air, water and land, and contribute to a
healthy environment (December 2006, 20 pages). For further
information on the broad spectrum of technologies available for
licensing and further development, please visit
http://www.epa.gov/osp/ftta.htm .
Characterization and Fate of Gun and Rocket Propellant Residues
on Testing and Training Ranges: Interim Report 1 (ERDC TR-07-1).
This report was published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory. The
objectives of the research described in this report are to
characterize the deposition and accumulation of propellant
residues at the various types of firing points at military
firing ranges, develop process descriptors to allow estimation
of environmental transport rates of individual energetic
chemicals from these residues, and collect lysimeter and
groundwater monitoring well samples to experimentally assess
off-site transport of residues (January 2007, 226 pages). View
or download at
http://www.crrel.usace.army.mil/librar ...
07-1.pdf .
Field Demonstration and Validation of a New Device for Measuring
Water and Solute Fluxes at CFB Borden (ESCTP 0114). This Cost
and Performance Report was published by the DoD Environmental
Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP). In 2001
ESTCP funded a project (CU-0114) to demonstrate and validate a
new monitoring technology known as the passive flux meter (PFM).
This device provides direct in situ measurements of both
subsurface water and contaminant fluxes. The focus of this
project was to demonstrate and validate the PFM for measuring
simultaneously the groundwater and contaminant fluxes in
contaminated aquifers. This report presents results of PFM
demonstration/validation from a series of controlled field
experiments conducted at the CFB Borden Demonstration Site in
Ontario, Canada (November 2006, 152 pages). View or download at
http://www.estcp.org/viewfile.cfm?Doc= ...
df .
In-Situ Substrate Addition to Create Reactive Zones for
Treatment of Chlorinated Aliphatic Hydrocarbons (ESTCP 9920).
This Cost and Performance Report was published by the DoD
Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP).
The objectives of the demonstrations were to show the ability
to remediate contaminants in the subsurface over a relatively
short time period and to gather information for estimating
long-term treatment effectiveness, life span, and costs. The
results of the demonstrations were used to develop a protocol
using ERD technology at Department of Defense (DoD) facilities
(Suthersan, 2002). Also important in these demonstrations was to
show that the degradation of CAHs does not 'dead-end' at
undesirable by-products such as cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cis-DCE)
and vinyl chloride (March 2007, 93 pages). View or download at
http://www.estcp.org/viewfile.cfm?Doc= ... .
Technical Protocol for Evaluating the Natural Attenuation of
MtBE (API Publication 4761). This document was published by the
American Petroleum Institute. It provides guidance to those
interested in assessing MtBE natural attenuation, and those with
the responsibility of reviewing such work. This manual is
designed to: Present the basic scientific principles relevant to
the evaluation of MtBE natural attenuation; Develop a framework
for assessing the feasibility of incorporating MtBE natural
attenuation into an overall site strategy; Identify those data
that can be used to assess MtBE natural attenuation; Provide a
concise technical reference for relevant chemical properties,
analytical methods, and field sampling techniques; Provide
protocols and guidance for data interpretation; and Provide
guidance on the presentation of natural attenuation
data/information to facilitate regulatory and other stakeholder
review and
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