[CPEO-BIF] ITRC Integrated DNAPL Site Strategy released

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

[Please excuse duplicate postings. - LS]

The Interstate Technology Regulatory Council has just released its  
Integrated DNAPL Site Strategy, which addresses in a systematic way  
the cleanup of the nation's most challenging groundwater  
contamination sites.


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (initial paragraphs)

Sites contaminated by chlorinated solvents present a daunting  
environmental challenge. Chlorinated solvents are prevalent and  
persistent groundwater contaminants, found at tens of thousands of  
sites worldwide. They also are among the most difficult groundwater  
contaminants to remediate, especially at sites with dense, nonaqueous- 
phase liquid (DNAPL) still present in the source zone. Restoring  
sites contaminated by chlorinated solvents to typical regulatory  
criteria (low parts-per-billion concentrations) within a generation  
has proven exceptionally difficult, although there have been  
successes. Site managers must recognize that complete restoration of  
many of these sites will require prolonged treatment and involve  
several remediation technologies. To make as much progress as  
possible within a generation (approximately 20 years) requires a  
thorough understanding of the site, clear descriptions of achievable  
objectives, and use of more than one remedial technology. Making  
efficient progress requires an adaptive management strategy and may  
also require transitioning from one remedy to another as the optimum  
range of a technique is passed. Targeted monitoring should be used,  
and reevaluation should be done periodically. Managers must implement  
effective and adaptive treatments that integrate more than one remedy  
to address complex contamination scenarios.

The ITRC Integrated DNAPL Site Strategy (IDSS) Team intends this  
guidance document to assist site managers in developing an integrated  
DNAPL site management strategy containing five key features:

* a conceptual site model (CSM) based on reliable characterization  
methods and an understanding of the subsurface conditions that  
control contaminant transport, reactivity, and distribution
* remedial objectives and performance metrics that are clear,  
concise, and measureable
* treatment technologies applied in sequence or in parallel designed  
to optimize performance and take advantage of potential synergistic  
effects
* monitoring strategies based on interim and final cleanup  
objectives, the selected treatment technology and approach, and  
remedial performance goals
* reevaluating the strategy repeatedly and even modifying the  
approach when objectives are not being met or when alternative  
methods offer similar or better outcomes at lower cost

This document describes key concepts and recent developments in each  
of these areas to help managers develop successful integrated  
strategies for chlorinated-solvent sites....




To download the 4.4 MB, 209-page document, go to
http://www.itrcweb.org/documents/IntegratedDNAPLStrategy_IDSSDoc/ 
IDSS-1.pdf

--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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