Message #95: January 2005

Happy New Year! Since the December 1 message, TechDirect gained 143 new subscribers for a total of 20,743. If you feel the service is valuable, please share TechDirect with your colleagues. Anyone interested in subscribing may do so on CLU-IN at http://clu-in.org/techdirect . All previous issues of TechDirect are archived there. The TechDirect messages of the past can be searched by keyword or can be viewed as individual issues.

The purpose of TechDirect is to identify new technical, policy and guidance resources related to the assessment and remediation of contaminated soil 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 Internet Seminars

ITRC Geophysical Prove Out - January 25. Geophysical systems are used to detect surface and subsurface anomalies, (i.e. unexploded ordnance (UXO) and/or discarded military munitions) during geophysical surveys of munitions response sites. These systems are tested, evaluated and demonstrated by a site-specific geophysical prove-out (GPO). Information collected during the implementation of the prove-out is analyzed and used to select or confirm the selection of a geophysical system that can meet the performance requirements established for the geophysical survey. This training introduces the purpose and scope of GPOs, provides examples of goals and objectives associated with GPOs, and presents detailed information needed to evaluate the design, construction, implementation and reporting of GPOs. To register, see, http://www.itrcweb.org or http://clu-in.org/studio .

ITRC Constructed Treatment Wetlands - January 27. This course, developed by the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC), is based on Technical and Regulatory Guidance for Treating Storm Water and Wastewater Using Constructed Treatment Wetlands (WTLND-1). It describes the physical, chemical, and biological mechanisms operating in wetlands treatment systems, the contaminants to which they apply, the characteristics of sites suitable to treatment in this fashion, and relevant regulatory issues. To register, see http://www.itrcweb.org or http://clu-in.org/studio .

ITRC Guidance for Characterization, Design Construction, and Monitoring of Mitigation Wetlands - February 3. There is no single comprehensive guidance for regulators, environmental professionals, or owners to use to appropriately characterize, design, construct, and monitor mitigation wetlands. The Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC) Mitigation Wetlands Team has completed the Technical and Regulatory Guidance: Characterization, Design, Construction, and Monitoring of Mitigation Wetlands to improve the success of wetland mitigation projects. This seminar is based on this report. To register, see http://www.itrcweb.org or http://clu-in.org/studio .

New Documents

Pilot Project to Optimize Pump and Treat Systems at State-Funded Leaking Underground Storage Tank Sites: Summary Report and lessons Learned (EPA 542-R-04-019). This document was produced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Underground Storage Tanks and the Technology Innovation and Field Services Division. It provides summary information on Remedial Site Evaluations (RSEs) performed at three state funded underground storage tank (UST) sites. For each of the three sites, the RSE process included a review of site documents, a site tour to interview State project managers, and preparation of an RSE report (September 2004, 22 pages). View or download at http://cluin.org/techpubs.htm .

Pilot Project to Optimize Ground Water Remediation Systems at RCRA Corrective Action Facilities: Summary Report and Lessons Learned (EPA 542-R-04-018). This document was produced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Solid Waste and the Technology Innovation and Field Services Division. It provides summary information on Remedial Site Evaluations (RSEs) performed at five Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) sites. The RSE reports provided site background, summarized the findings from the site visit, and provided recommendations to improve system effectiveness in protecting human health and the environment, to reduce life cycle costs, for technical improvements, and to improve the likelihood of site closures (September 2004, 26 pages). View or download at http://cluin.org/techpubs.htm .

Radionuclide Biological Remediation Resource Guide (EPA 905-B-04-001). This document was produced by the EPA Region 05 Superfund Division. It provides information on identifying and accessing abstracts and technical papers that will help site cleanup managers evaluate innovative technologies such as bioremediation and phytoremediation for the cleanup of radioactive soils, groundwater and surface water. Specifically, this document identifies a cross section of information intended to aid users in remedial decision-making, including abstracts of field demonstrations, research documents, and information to assist in ordering of publications (journal citations, website citations). In addition, the cross reference and look-up format of this document allows the user to quickly scan abstracts and access the full journal article (August 2004, 68 pages). View or download at http://clu-in.org/techpubs.htm.

RCRA in Focus: Construction, Demolition, Renovation (EPA 530-K-04-005). This publication was issued by the EPA Office of Solid Waste. The publication is intended to provide a basic understanding of the regulatory requirements for hazardous Construction & Demolition waste. Helpful features include information on managing typical hazardous C&D wastes and a hazardous waste requirements checklist for C&D projects. Tips on reducing C&D waste and a fairly extensive list of contacts for the C&D industry are also included (September 2004, 24 pages). View or download at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/id/infocus/rif-c&d.pdf .

Communication on Contaminated Land. This report was published by NICOLE, the Network for Industrially Contaminated Land in Europe. NICOLE recognizes the need for practical guidance on risk communication in the context of sustainable land management. As a follow-up to an earlier NICOLE project on risk communication, this NICOLE booklet provides further practical guidance and examples. Many industrial and service providing companies were willing to share their best practices and communication experiences. Their case studies are described in this booklet along with the key communication lessons distilled from them (December 2004). View or download at http://www.nicole.org .

Proceedings! 2004 U.S. EPA/NGWA Fractured Rock Conference: State of the Science and Measuring Success in Remediation September 13-15, 2004. This conference was a cooperative effort by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) to identify the current state of remediating contaminated ground water in fractured rock settings and make future remediation efforts more effective. Proceedings on CD ROM are available by calling National Ground Water Association (NGWA) at 1-800-551-7379 or fax a request to (614) 898-7786. Abstracts and/or papers for each presentation can be downloaded individually at http://clu-in.org/products/siteprof/2004fracrockconf/start.pdf .

Technology News and Trends December Issue (EPA 542-N-04-006). This periodic newsletter is published by the EPA Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation. This issue contains articles on projects using biopolymer slurries for reactive walls, electrical resistance heating, in situ chemical oxidation, and surfactant flushing projects (December 2004, 6 pages). View or download at http://clu-in.org/techpubs.htm . For hard copies, contact (800) 490-9198 or (513) 489-8190 or fax to (513) 489-8695.

Conferences and Symposia

Long-Term (Groundwater) Monitoring Optimization Seminar, March 30-31, Sacramento. This important new seminar will provide state and federal regulators with information about new quantitative methods of LTMO for groundwater. The U.S. Air Force and other responsible parties have used LTMO techniques at an estimated 50 sites nationwide and are likely to use them at more sites in the future. As a result, it is important for regulators to be familiar with LTMO techniques such that appropriate decisions can be made regarding the optimal location and frequency of groundwater monitoring and approval of changes to groundwater monitoring networks. The seminar will include training on some recently developed LTMO methods, such as the Monitoring and Remediation Optimization System (MAROS), the Geostatistical Temporal-Spatial algorithm or GTS, and the three-tiered monitoring network optimization (MNO) approach. While the seminar is designed primarily for state and federal regulators, federal facilities cleanup managers, potentially responsible parties (PRPs), and contractors are welcome to participate. Capacity for the hands-on training on Day 2 of the seminar is limited. Participation will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and preference will be given to state and federal regulators. SO REGISTER EARLY. For more information and to register, visit http://www.trainex.org .

International Phytotechnologies Conference, Atlanta, April 20-22. Phytotechnologies, using plants for remediation, have been successfully applied in many places. This conference answers the persistent questions of what contaminants can plants clean, how long will it take, and how much money can be saved over conventional technologies. Organized by EPA's ORD and OSRTI, the conference is expected to have over 100 presentations from North and South America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. Topics include: Case Studies of Successful Applications, Measurement Technologies; Decreasing Costs for Existing Sites; Phytotechnologies for Developing Economies; Eco-restoration & Remediation; and Eco-risk. For registration information please see http://www.cluin.org/phytoconf .

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 159 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.