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The focus of the Enhanced Attenuation: Chlorinated Organics (EACO) team is the development of 'next generation' regulatory and technical guidance for monitored natural attenuation and the enhancement of passive remediation projects. In addition, the team will develop and provide training on the guidance developed. The EACO Team will collaborate with the Department of Energy and its Monitored Natural Attenuation and Enhanced Passive Remediation (MNA/EPR) team to develop two key documents. The first planned project is an evaluation document on the successes and failures of in-situ bioremediation and MNA projects. The second project is a technical/regulatory guidance document intended to assist state regulators, community stakeholders and the regulated community in their evaluation of key issues that are inherent with the selection of natural attenuation and the enhancement of passive remediation of organics and chlorinated solvents in contaminated soil and groundwater. Once the documents are complete, the ITRC team will develop and provide the planned training. Chlorinated solvent and other organic contamination exists nationwide and worldwide. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management Program (EM) is responsible for cleanup of 5,700 known contaminated groundwater separate occurrences at sites across the U.S, many of which contain chlorinated solvents. Chlorinated solvents have also been used for years as cleaning materials in many industries, including the dry cleaning industry. Unfortunately, the disposal of these materials has been uncontrolled for years. As more states implement specific programs to address soil and groundwater contamination, it has become evident that these contaminants are found throughout our communities. Since many chlorinated solvents are known human carcinogens, they have the potential for wide reaching impact on the public health. One major regulatory 'stumbling block' – at both the state and federal levels – is the definition of 'successful closure' and how, or if, closure can be achieved through the use of MNA and enhancement of passive bioremediation remedies. Most regulators accept that technologies have been developed for addressing the sources of contamination and the aqueous plumes; however, these technologies do not always address lower-concentration residual-contamination and the dilute fringe of contaminant plumes. It is this form of contamination – low-concentration residual and fringe – that must be addressed in order to obtain closure. MNA and passive bioremediation-enhanced technologies do address the low-concentration and dilute fringe areas of contaminated plumes and should be explored as ways to provide a closure pathway. One of the main goals of the ITRC EACO team is to collect and assimilate existing scientific knowledge with innovative technologies to develop technical protocols that can provide improved methodology for implementing and monitoring MNA and passive-bioremediation-enhanced remedies. Promulgation of applicable scientific protocol can encourage regulators and the entire environmental market to develop and use tools necessary for successful characterization, long-term monitoring, and remedy implementation. Successful closure of sites can affect and accelerate the national environmental clean-up progress while at the same time, reducing overall costs, and providing protection of human health and the environment. |
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