[CPEO-BIF] "Measuring the Success of DNAPL Source Zone Treatments"

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

For Immediate Release
Contact: Roseanne Black, roseanne_black@wpi.biz

Measuring the Success of DNAPL Source Zone Treatments

The Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council's DNAPLs Team announces 
publication of Strategies for Monitoring the Performance of DNAPL Source 
Zone Remedies. The document is intended for state environmental 
regulators and others interested in learning about approaches to 
performance monitoring while implementing various in situ technologies 
for the treatment of dense, nonaqueous-phase liquids (DNAPLs).

The environmental problems associated with DNAPLs are well known-they 
can be extremely difficult to locate in the subsurface, small amounts of 
DNAPLs can contaminate large volumes of a groundwater, they are not 
amenable to conventional groundwater extraction and treatment 
technologies, and restoration of DNAPL sites to drinking water standards 
or maximum contaminant levels is considered unattainable. These problems 
are the foundation of many technical and regulatory barriers to DNAPL 
cleanup attempts.

Since 1999, ITRC's DNAPLs Team has been trying to ease some of these 
barriers by informing the regulatory community of developments in 
innovative approaches to DNAPL source zone characterization and 
remediation. The team has written four previous documents, providing an 
overview of the problem and guidance for site characterization, 
technology selection, and implementation.

Despite the ever-increasing number of field applications of DNAPL 
removal technologies, many unanswered questions remain regarding the 
effectiveness of these technologies and how best to measure their 
performance with respect to site-specific remedial objectives. 
Currently, there is no clear consensus based on objective guidelines as 
to the best way to evaluate treatment performance and balance 
performance objectives against site-specific stratigraphy, measurement 
uncertainties, regulatory acceptance, and cost. The best approach is for 
site owners, regulators, and stakeholders to understand the options 
available and the benefits and limitations of each so that informed 
decisions can be made. The primary purpose of this document, designated 
DNAPLs-5, is to provide that knowledge base. It presents a number of 
ways in which the success or failure in treating a DNAPL source zone has 
been measured and contains several succinct case studies that cover 
remedial goals and objectives, performance monitoring and verification, 
and lessons learned.

Strategies for Monitoring the Performance of DNAPL Source Zone Remedies 
and other ITRC products can be downloaded from the ITRC Web site at 
www.itrcweb.org by clicking on "Guidance Documents." To receive a 
hard-copy ITRC document in the mail, e-mail your request to itrc@wpi.biz.

ITRC is a state-led group that works to overcome regulatory barriers to 
the deployment of innovative environmental technologies. ITRC 
participants come from state regulatory agencies, federal agencies 
concerned with environmental cleanup, environmental consulting firms, 
and technology vendors. These diverse experts work together in technical 
teams to develop documents and training to help regulators develop 
consistent, streamlined approaches to regulating innovative 
technologies. ITRC products also help environmental consultants improve 
the way innovative technologies are deployed.

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Roseanne Black
WPI
2020 Kraft Drive, Suite 2200
Blacksburg, VA 24060
(540) 557-6101
roseanne_black@wpi.biz



--
Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org


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