Objective: The objective of this project is to develop a Department of Defense (DoD) guidance document for monitored natural recovery (MNR) at contaminated sediment sites. It will establish the principles and evaluation criteria for comprehensively and cost-effectively evaluating MNR as a remedial option at contaminated sediment sites. The guidance will be validated by applying it to case studies from two well-studied sites (Hunters Point Shipyard, California, and Lake Hartwell, South Carolina), by using it to develop site-specific guidance for MNR characterization at a Navy site, and by conducting a formal peer review. This guidance will formalize a DoD framework for properly designing and implementing MNR and for predicting long-term MNR performance and potential human health and ecological risk reductions, providing remedial project managers (RPM) and site owners with improved tools for more cost-effective sediment characterization and remediation. Technology Description: Monitored natural recovery generally calls for a weight-of-evidence approach that includes such metrics as sediment deposition, reduced contaminant mobility, chemical or biological transformation, erosion and dispersion of particle-bound contaminants, and risk reduction. The guidance to be developed will discuss how to assess and validate the sufficiency of natural recovery processes to achieve acceptable risk reduction within a desired time frame. It also will discuss how to incorporate potential impacts of major events (e.g., 100- or 500-year storms, sea level rise, and human activity [e.g., channel dredging]) into decision making, and it will provide requirements for monitoring after natural recovery is implemented. The guidance also will address costs associated with site characterization, interpretation, modeling, and assessment in support of MNR. Notably, MNR investigations can be very cost effective because information gained also supports the evaluation of more aggressive technologies such as capping, dredging, and using novel amendments. As in the case of terrestrial groundwater contamination where natural attenuation plays a role at virtually all petroleum and chlorinated solvent release sites, one can expect some form of natural recovery to be included in the mix of technologies used at most contaminated sediment sites. Expected Benefits: The primary beneficiaries of this guidance for MNR at contaminated sediment sites will be DoD RPMs. The guidance also is expected to benefit environmental scientists and engineers, private site owners, and regulators. Knowledge will be transitioned to the broader DoD community through technical reports, presentations, and publications. Thorough and consistent evaluation of the physical, chemical, and biological processes that contribute to MNR can reduce environmental risk to DoD site owners and RPMs. (Anticipated Project Completion - 2008) Principal Investigator: Dr. Victor Magar ENVIRON International Corporation 123 North Wacker Drive, Suite 250 Chicago, IL 60606 Telephone: (312) 853-9430, Ext. 243 Fax: (312) 853-9025 E-mail: vmagar@environcorp.com DoD Liaison: Dr. Bart Chadwick SPAWAR Systems Center San Diego Code 2362 53475 Strothe Road San Diego, CA 92152 Telephone: (619) 553-5333 Fax: (619) 553-3097 E-mail: bart.chadwick@navy.mil |
