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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