The Superfund Basic Research Program (SBRP), in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation (OSRTI) presents "Phytoremediation." This series of online seminars will focus on the science of incorporating phytoremediation into hazardous waste site remediation plans.

This, the first of three sessions, will feature Dr. David Tsao, BP Corporation North America, Inc. and Dr. Jerald Schnoor, SBRP-University of Iowa.

Dr. Tsao's presentation will provide an overview of phytotechnologies, a broad set of technologies that utilize plant-derived processes to remediate or contain contaminants in soil, sediments, surface, or groundwater. The various applications of phytotechnologies have become attractive alternatives to conventional cleanup technologies due to relatively low capital costs, the inherently aesthetic nature of planted sites, and many other advantages. Dr. Tsao will also touch on the limitations that need to be considered when evaluating the use of phytotechnologies for site-specific applications.

Dr. Schnoor's presentation will focus on plant degradation of airborne PCB congeners, a potential in situ treatment PCBs in soils and groundwater. Laboratory experiments have shown that plants take up PCBs from the hydroponic solution and transform them to hydroxyl-metabolites and dechlorinated PCBs. Dr. Schnoor will describe the green liver model, which explains the fate of organic contaminants inside plant tissues, and will focus on the three phases of PCB metabolism. He will also introduce poplar experiments designed to confirm which genes are responsible for PCB metabolism as well as studies that identify endophytic bacteria and rhizosphere microorganisms that increase the rate of PCB degradation.

The session will be moderated by Kris Geller, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, who is team leader of the "Phytotechnologies Technical Team" for the Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council (ITRC).

The proposal deadline for the Environmental Protection Agency's Brownfields Assessment, RLF and Cleanup Grants is quickly approaching. This National outreach session will review the evaluation criteria and selection process for the grants, but will dedicate most of the time to Questions and Answers from applicants. EPA encourages participants to think of questions they have ahead of time and come prepared to contribute to the discussion.

A Systematic Approach for Evaluation of Capture Zones at Pump and Treat Systems presents a systematic approach for the evaluation of capture zones at pump and treat systems, and provides an overview of a recently published USEPA document on the topic (EPA 600/R-08/003, January 2008). The target audience for the course is project managers who review those analyses and/or make decisions based on these types of analyses. This course will highlight:

• The importance of capture zone analysis during ground water remediation, particularly for sites requiring containment
• Key concepts of capture, such as "target capture zones" and "converging lines of evidence"
• Typical errors made in capture zone analysis

• Step 1: Review site data, site conceptual model, and remedy objectives
• Step 2: Define site-specific Target Capture Zone(s)
• Step 3: Interpret water levels
  • Potentiometric surface maps (horizontal) and water level difference maps (vertical)
  • Water level pairs (gradient control points)
Step 4: Perform calculations (as appropriate based on site complexity)
• Estimated flow rate calculation
• Capture zone width calculation
• Modeling (analytical and/or numerical) to simulate water levels, in conjunction with particle tracking and/or transport modeling
• Step 5: Evaluate concentration trends
• Step 6: Interpret actual capture based on steps 1-5, compare to Target Capture Zone(s), and assess uncertainties and data gaps

In July, EPA held its annual National Association of Remedial Project Managers meeting in Portland, OR and one of our most attended sessions was on Green Remediation (GR). Because of its success, members of EPA's Technical Support Project, led by the Engineering Forum, have taken this full-day session and are bringing back a number of the same talks as online seminars this fall and winter. There will be three sessions, each 1.5 hours long. EPA's definition of GR includes the practice of considering the environmental effects of a remediation strategy (i.e., the remedy selected and the implementation approach) early in the process, and incorporating options to maximize the net environmental benefit of the cleanup action. Some practices are quite "mature," such as construction site best management practices including stormwater runoff management and construction and demolition (C&D) debris recycling. Others are still emerging, including the use of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar to power remedial systems. Over the three sessions, the online training will introduce you to the key technical, policy, and application aspects of GR.

All groundwater samplers or sampling methodologies attempt to collect a well-water sample which is representative of the groundwater adjacent to the well. The ITRC Passive Sampler Team has defined a passive groundwater sampler as one that is able to acquire a sample from a discrete position in a well without active media transport induced by pumping or purge techniques. Passive sampling is synonymous with no-purge sampling and can be used as a substitute or replacement for any current groundwater sampling technology. Passive samplers have been used in every state in the U.S. and in many other countries. Passive samplers are relatively easy to use; eliminate purge-water production (therefore, there is little or no disposal cost); reduce field sampling variability resulting in highly reproducible data; decrease field labor and project management costs for long-term monitoring; allow rapid field sample collection; sample discrete intervals in a well; are practical for use where access is difficult or discretion is desirable; can be deployed in series to provide a vertical contaminant profile; and have virtually no depth limit.

This training supports the understanding and use of the ITRC Protocol for Use of Five Passive Samplers to Sample for a Variety of Contaminants in Groundwater (DSP-5, 2007). The five technologies included in this document include diffusion samplers (Regenerated Cellulose Dialysis Membrane Sampler and Rigid Porous Polyethylene Sampler), equilibrated grab samplers (Snap Sampler™ and HydraSleeve™ Sampler); and an accumulation sampler (GORE™ Module). The training starts with information common to all five samples then focuses on each sampler as instructors describe the sampler and explain how it works; discuss deployment and retrieval of the sampler; highlight advantages and limitations; and present results of data comparison studies.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) sites and some Superfund and U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) sites are contaminated with radionuclides. Radioactive contamination is also an issue potentially faced by Homeland Security. Characterization of radionuclides is an expensive and time-consuming process. Using real-time technologies to complete initial screening and characterization of radionuclide contamination results in more timely and cost-effective characterizations. Real-time technologies can also direct excavation resulting in more timely and cost-effective cleanups. The result is earlier protection of human health and the environment.

This training introduces state regulators, environmental consultants, site owners, and community stakeholders to ITRC's Technology Overview document Real-Time Measurement of Radionuclides in Soil: Technology and Case Studies (RAD-4, 2006), created by ITRC's Radionuclides Team. This training provides information on the basics of real-time measurement systems (detector types and platforms, location control and mapping technologies, surface and subsurface applications and limitations), how the technologies and data are used (characterization, remediation and closure, decision support, sources and types of uncertainty), acceptance issues (QA/QC, decision framework, uncertainty), and case studies. The purpose is to provide a solid background understanding of the technology itself and the context within which it is used.

Many sites with chlorinated organic contamination in groundwater have gone through extensive remedial evaluations and actions. After years of operating high energy processes, their effectiveness has begun to diminish without remedial objectives being met. Other effective remedial alternatives can be applied; however, there are difficulties transitioning these sites from these high energy systems to other low energy remedial alternatives and eventually to Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA).

This training on the ITRC Technical and Regulatory Guidance for Enhanced Attenuation: Chlorinated Organics (EACO-1, 2008) describes the transition (the bridge) between aggressive remedial actions and MNA and vise versa. Enhanced attenuation (EA) is the application of technologies that minimize energy input and are sustainable in order to reduce contaminant loading and/or increase the attenuation capacity of a contaminated plume to progress sites towards established remedial objectives. Contaminant loading and attenuation capacity are fundamental to sound decisions for remediation of groundwater contamination. This training explains how a decision framework which, when followed, allows for a smooth transition between more aggressive remedial technologies to sustainable remedial alternatives and eventually to Monitored Natural Attenuation. This training will demonstrate how this decision framework allows regulators and practitioners to integrate Enhanced Attenuation into the remedial decision process.

As our experience and knowledge grows around the implementation of MNA, the EA process will be considered an important management tool for optimizing site remedies and moving sites to final completion. This approach is consistent with the current regulatory environment and can be accommodated within a broad range of regulatory programs such as CERCLA and State dry cleaner regulations. This new framework and decision process will accelerate the environmental clean-up progress on a national scale and reduce overall costs, while still providing protection to human health and the environment.

For reference during the training class, participants should download and print a copy of the decision flow chart, Figure 2-1 on page 10 of the ITRC Technical and Regulatory Guidance for Enhanced Attenuation: Chlorinated Organics (EACO-1, 2008) and available as a 1-page PDF at http://www.cluin.org/conf/itrc/eaco/ITRC-EACO-DecisionFlowchart.pdf.

Treatment of dissolved-phase chlorinated ethenes in groundwater using in situ bioremediation (ISB) is an established technology; however, its use for DNAPL source zones is an emerging application. This training course supports the ITRC Technical and Regulatory Guidance document In Situ Bioremediation of Chlorinated Ethene: DNAPL Source Zones (BioDNAPL-3, 2008). This document provides the regulatory community, stakeholders, and practitioners with the general steps practitioners and regulators can use to objectively assess, design, monitor, and optimize ISB treatment of DNAPL source zones. The objective is to provide adequate technology background for the user to understand the general and key aspects of ISB for treatment of chlorinated ethene DNAPL source zones. It is not intended to be a step-by-step instruction manual for remedial design, but describes technology-specific considerations for application of ISB of DNAPL source zones.

For this training and guidance document, a DNAPL source zone includes the zone that encompasses the entire subsurface volume in which DNAPL is present either at residual saturation or as "pools" that accumulate above confining units. The DNAPL source zone includes regions that have come into contact with DNAPL and may be storing contaminant mass as a result of diffusion of DNAPL into the soil matrix. Even though DNAPLs may be present in both the unsaturated and saturated zones, the discussion of ISB of DNAPL source zones in this training and guidance document focuses on treatment of DNAPL source zones within the saturated zone.

Two goals of any DNAPL source treatment technology are to 1) reduce the mass of contaminants within the source area and 2) prevent migration of contaminants above unacceptable levels. The enhanced ISB technology reduces source mass and controls flux through the enhanced dissolution and desorption of DNAPL constituents into the aqueous phase, and subsequent microbially mediated degradation processes. Although enhanced ISB of DNAPL source zones has been demonstrated in the field at a few chlorinated solvent sites, expectations for rapid depletion of the source zone must be realistic. This training and guidance provide detailed requirements necessary to support the realistic determination of goals for ISB of a DNAPL source zone.

The decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) of radiologically-contaminated facilities presents numerous challenges. Many tasks are involved, each of which requires adherence to a complex array of federal and state regulations and policies, attention to health and safety issues for workers and the public, monitoring and management of schedules and costs, and interaction with a potentially large number of stakeholders who have an interest in the present activities and future plans for sites undergoing D&D. Since large-scale D&D operations at nuclear facilities began in the 1970s, one of the most noticeable advances has been dramatic decreases in decommissioning cost. This change is the result of a combination of accumulated decommissioning operational experience reducing the high initial cost estimates (which were high due to uncertainties and poorly defined boundaries), evolution of regulatory guidance, and continuously-developing technologies.

A large body of knowledge has already been accumulated on D&D operations. At the present time, approximately 90 commercial power reactors, 250 research reactors, 100 mines, 5 reprocessing facilities, and 14 fuel fabrication plants have been retired from operation, with some having been fully dismantled. In addition, the largest environmental cleanup projects ever undertaken are in progress or have recently been completed at several large DOE facilities in the nuclear weapons complex. Technologies developed for the D&D portions of these cleanups are part of the lessons learned from these projects.

This training introduces regulators, cleanup contractors, site owners/operators, and technology providers to ITRC's Technical/Regulatory Guidance, Decontamination and Decommissioning of Radiologically-Contaminated Facilities (RAD-5, 2008), created by ITRC's Radionuclides Team. The curriculum is composed of four modules as follows:

Module 1: Introduction and Regulatory Basis for D&D

Module 2: Factors for Implementing D&D

Module 3: Preliminary Remediation Goal (PRG) Calculators

Module 4: Case Studies and Lessons Learned

The design and construction of the ecological end-use as an integrated component of the remediation system will realize pronounced benefits. Ecological elements considered at the inception of planning for environmental remediation at Superfund, RCRA, and Brownfield sites can be a cost-effective and an efficient way to restore, create, and improve wildlife habitat or the ecological system of the site. Incorporation of ecological elements can benefit multiple stakeholders, such as regulatory agencies, the regulated community (industry), local communities, and the general public.

This training is based on the ITRC Technical and Regulatory Guideline: Planning and Promoting Ecological Land Reuse of Remediated Sites (ECO-2, 2006). The document presents a process to promote ecological land reuse activities considering natural or green technologies instead of more traditional remedies. The guidance demonstrates that natural or ecological end-uses are valuable alternatives to conventional property development or redevelopment. It contains the principal decision points in a flow diagram format and discusses the practicality of applying natural or green technologies to traditional remediation processes.

Natural and green technologies have the attributes to improve the ecology of the site as long as it is coincident with the intent of the lands use and does not jeopardize the elimination or reduction of the human or environmental risk. Ecological benefits and a process for calculating their value are included in the guidance and reviewed in this training.