Message #50: April 2001

Welcome to TechDirect. Since the March 1 message, TechDirect has 345 new subscribers for a total of 10,356. If you feel the service is valuable, please share TechDirect with your colleagues. Anyone interested in subscribing to TechDirect may do so on CLU-IN at http://clu-in.org/techdirect . All previous TechDirect messages are archived there.

Mention of non-EPA documents or presentations does not constitute a U.S. EPA endorsement of their contents, only an acknowledgment that they exist and may be relevant to the TechDirect audience.

Live Internet Seminars

The EPA Technology Innovation Office, ITRC and other partners are hosting a number of free two-hour Live technical seminars over the Internet in March. Space is still available, but you must register to participate - see http://clu-in.org/studio . It does not get much easier to access new information on clean-up approaches - no travel, no time away from the office. Upcoming seminars include:

Field Analytical Technologies for VOCs in Groundwater: April 10
Permeable Reactive Barriers for Chlorinated Solvent, Inorganic, and Radionuclide Contamination: April 11 and 12
ITRC Natural Attenuation of Chlorinated Solvents in Groundwater: April 17 and 19

EPA Intern Program Class of 2001 - Time sensitive, Act now. The EPA Intern Program (EIP) is a full-time, permanent, entry-level employment and career development program at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These are not summer or temporary positions. This year, EPA plans to hire approximately 25 Interns as GS-7 Environmental Protection Specialists. Selected interns will join an intensive, two-year program to help them jump-start their careers and develop their potential for future advancement within the agency. The EPA seeks recent graduates with a B.A. or B.S. in a wide variety of fields. APPLICATIONS MUST BE POST-MARKED BETWEEN APRIL 2 AND 20. Application materials and vacancy announcements are available between April 2-20 at http://www.usajobs.opm.gov . For more information, contact the Program Manager at langlie.jamie@epa.gov

New Documents

Treatment Technologies for Site Cleanup: Annual Status Report (ASR), Tenth Edition (EPA 542- R-01-004). The Tenth Edition documents, as of the summer of 2000, the status of treatment technology applications at more than 900 soil and groundwater cleanup projects in the Superfund program, selected RCRA corrective action sites, US DOE, and US DoD sites. The report updates the projects included in the ASR 9th Edition, and information on projects derived from 96 Records of Decision signed in 1998 and 1999. The Report is based on the analysis of almost 2,300 Records of Decision signed since 1982 at 1,451 National Priority list sites. The Tenth Edition of the ASR has been released in hard copy, html, and pdf versions. All three can be accessed or ordered (hard copy) at http://clu-in.org/asr . The html version includes new features such as downloadable spreadsheets with the data for several of the figures. Specific site information for each technology application will be incorporated into our on-line technology database available at http://www.epareachit.org .

Brownfields Technology Primer: Requesting and Evaluating Proposals that Encourage Innovative Technologies for Investigation and Cleanup (EPA 542-R-01-005). This report was published by the U.S. EPA Technology Innovation Office. It expands on the guide for assessing contractor capabilities that was previously prepared by the EPA Brownfields Technology Support Center. The primer emphasizes techniques for soliciting proposals that encourage contractors to use innovative technologies. It also includes tips and questions to consider when interviewing contractors to assess their capabilities in the use of innovative technologies (February 2001, 57 pages). View or download at http://clu-in.org/techpubs.htm. For hard copies, contact (800) 490-9198 or (513) 489-8190 or fax to (513) 489-8695.

Updated Citizen Guide Series. The EPA Technology Innovation Office (TIO) recently updated several of the popular Citizen's Guide Fact Sheets. The two page fact sheets provide a general description on individual clean up approaches that can be used at contaminated waste sites. The fact sheets cover five questions about each clean up approach: What is it?, How does it work?, Is it safe?, How long will it take?, and Why use it?. The following titles, with an April 2001 publishing date, are now available at http://www.cluin.org/techpubs.htm. For hard copies, contact (800) 490-9198 or (513) 489-8190 or fax to (513) 489-8695. In the upcoming months, TIO and the Superfund Program plan to publish an additional 17 fact sheets on various clean up approaches.

Updated CD ROM. Innovative Remediation and Site Characterization Technologies Resources (EPA 542-C-01-001). This was produced by the EPA Technology Innovation Office. The resources on this CD ROM provide information to help remediation professionals evaluate site assessment and clean-up alternatives (January 2001). To obtain the free CD ROM, contact (800) 490- 9198 or (513) 489-8190 or fax to (513) 489-8695.

A Risk-Management Strategy for PCB-Contaminated Sediments. This report was published by the National Research Council's Committee on Remediation of PCB-Contaminated Sediments. It provides an overview of the current knowledge about the inputs, fates and effects of PCBs; recommends a risk based framework for assessing remediation technologies and risk management strategies; elaborates on this framework as it applies to PCB-contaminated sediments specifically; and provides recommendations for research that should enhance the nation's ability to manage PCB-contaminated sediments effectively (March 2001). This report can be read online or hard copies can be purchased through the National Academy Press. See http://www.nap.edu/books/0309073219/html/ .

Breaking Barriers to the Use of Innovative Technologies: State Regulatory Role in Unexploded Ordnance Detection and Characterization Technology Selection (UXO-1). This report was published by the Interstate Technology Regulatory Cooperation (ITRC) workgroup. It contains is an analysis of case studies from states having experience in remediating UXO- contaminated sites. The report supports early and meaningful state regulatory involvement in the selection of innovative unexploded ordnance characterization and remediation technologies. The report also offers recommendations to ensure the appropriate participation of states in the selection of technologies for characterizing and remediating UXO-contaminated sites (December 2000, 59 pages). View or download from http://www.itrcweb.org/ds122700UXOStudies.pdf . For hard copies, send your mailing address with the document number and title to Elaine Specht at Elaine_Specht@wpi.org.

Engineering and Design - Requirements for the Preparation of Sampling and Analysis Plans (EM 200-1-3). This Engineer Manual was published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It provides guidance for the preparation of project-specific sampling and analysis plans (SAP) for the collection of environmental data. In addition, default sampling and analytical protocols are included which may be used verbatim or modified based upon project- specific data quality objectives (DQOs). The goal of this manual is to promote consistency in the generation and execution of sampling and analysis plans and thus to help generate chemical data of known quality for its intended purpose (February 2001). Document can be downloaded in its entirety or by section at http://www.usace.army.mil/usace-docs/eng-manuals/em200-1-3/ .

New MTBE Treatment Case Studies and Web Site. EPA has developed a useful tool for researching technologies used to treat methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE)-contaminated drinking water and sites. This new searchable website developed by the Technology Innovation Office and Office of Underground Storage Tanks contains 18 case studies and summarizes technology performance and cost at an additional 20 sites. The case studies and summaries document the pilot- and full-scale use of air stripping and sparging, carbon adsorption, in situ and ex situ bioremediation, in situ chemical oxidation, soil vapor and dual phase extraction, and pump-and- treat. Site data includes contaminants and media treated, technology scale and description, MTBE concentrations, period of operation, cost, contacts, and references. See http://www.ttclients.com/mtbe . EPA would like to expand the web site to include additional case studies. If you have information on the treatment of MtBE at pilot or full-scale, contact Linda Fiedler at 703-603-7194, fiedler.linda@epa.gov.

Conferences and Symposia

Assessment and Remediation of Contaminated Sites in Arctic and Cold Climates (ARCSACC), Edmonton Alberta, May 7-8 . The focus of this bi-annual workshop relates to cold temperature site clean-up, and the unique problems (and solutions) associated with it. The last workshop held in 1999 was highly successful with 180 attendees and 31 papers presented (proceedings are still available). It provided a great opportunity to get a large number of people interested in this particular field in one place at one time. For agenda and registration information, see http://www.civil.ualberta.ca/arcsacc/ .

Field Screening Europe 2001, Karlsruhe, Germany, May 14-16. The objective of this conference and exhibition is the continuation of discussions about on-site analysis together with methods, techniques and technologies in Field Screening. Among these questions are the development of all inclusive reconnaissance strategies, problems of measurement in heterogeneous media using, among others, new geotechnical and geophysical instruments, the application of chemical and physical in-situ measurement techniques will also be discussed in this event. The conference offers opportunities for dialogues between researchers and developers, between users in the field, service providers and environmental authorities. For more information, please visit http://wwwrz.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de/~rd03/FZU/conferences/fse2001/.

2001 National Site Assessment Conference, Portland OR, May 21-24. This annual conference is sponsored by the U.S. EPA. It is an opportunity for EPA, State, Tribes, and other Federal agencies to review accomplishments, recent and pending changes in legislation, funding, policies, and guidance. Speakers representing a broad site assessment spectrum share ideas and expertise on how to address evolving site assessment needs. For agenda and registration information, see http://www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/siteasmt/sa_conf/index.htm .

EPA Forum on Managing Contaminated Sediments at Hazardous Waste Sites, Alexandria, VA, May 30 - June 1. This conference, sponsored by the U.S. EPA Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, will allow stakeholders to express their opinions on EPA program policies and guidance that address sediment remediation; identify the key site information and data that should be collected and evaluated in order to make informed site-specific cleanup decisions; identify issues that need to be resolved, additional data that needs to be gathered and evaluated, and research that needs to be performed; and share information and lessons learned as a result of managing contaminated sediments. For more information, contact Joan Fisk at (703) 603-8791 or fisk.joan@epa.gov.