The Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Denver Post and Philadelphia Post along with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are hosting a series of webinars based on talks given at recent Design and Construction Issues at Hazardous Waste Sites (DCHWS) Symposiums. The mission of the DCHWS symposiums is to facilitate an interactive engagement between professionals from government and the private sector related to relevant and topical issues affecting applications of engineering and science associated with cleaning up hazardous waste sites. The symposiums also serve as a platform to facilitate the exchange of information, encourage dialogue, share experiences, and build and enhance communication among design and construction professionals.

The topic for our prior DCHWS West presentation was reducing cost risk in remedial action budgets using supplemental cost estimating analyses. As discussed during the presentation, the cost estimates for selected remedies in Records of Decision (RODs) that are used for remedial action budgeting often use simplified information (such as scope of work activities and related quantities) as opposed to remedial action (RA) construction cost estimates developed during remedial design. Remedial action budgets developed from the ROD selected remedy cost estimates have inherent limitations due to the use of the estimate (i.e. selecting a remedy through comparisons of alternatives). Due to differing stakeholder perspectives and potential overreliance on the selected remedy cost estimates developed during the ROD, there can be confusion about why the RA cost estimate prepared during Remedial Design is different than the cost estimate in the ROD. Differences between the selected remedy cost estimate in the ROD and the RA cost estimate can lead to difficulties with project execution including the need to request additional funding and/or schedule delays. Based on prior CERCLA project experiences, CDM Smith has developed tools consistent with cost estimating industry standards and EPA guidance that can be used to communicate the reasons for these differences in estimates including Basis of Estimate documents and ROD cost comparison tables. The additional information will focus on case studies and lessons learned from CERCLA projects that led to the development of these tools and explain how they help show the actual differences in remedy scope and related costs as the level of project definition increases during remedial design, for example why cost items that at first glance appear to be similar ("apples to apples") could actually differ ("apples and oranges").

Federal Facility Five-Year Review Webinar is a two-hour webinar course that provides an overview of Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) five-year reviews. By taking this course, participants will achieve the following objectives:

• Understand Five-Year Review purpose and regulatory context
• Learn how to prepare and conduct a five-year review
• Identify the information and data needed to support a protectiveness statement
• Address emerging contaminants and options available to ensure that the federal agencies address these contaminants
• Identify the different scenarios when EPA makes an independent finding of the protectiveness of the remedy
• Learn about similarities and differences between federal and private site five-year reviews

The instructional methodology for this course includes lecture, case studies, and quizzes. There will also be an opportunity for participants to ask questions. The target audience for this course are federal, state, and tribal representatives who work on Federal Facility cleanups. Ideally, students should have a basic understanding the CERCLA process. This course is part of the Federal Facilities Academy training program. Please consider registering for other Federal Facility Academy courses and obtain a certificate upon completion of the entire Federal Facility Academy series (12 courses total).

Military Munitions Policy Webinar is a two-hour webinar course that provides an overview of the Department of Defense (DoD) Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP), munitions policies, and how the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) is applied to munitions sites. By taking this course, participants will achieve the following objectives:

• Learn about DoD MMRP;
• Understand the CERCLA process as applied to a munitions site;
• Understand munitions policies; and,
• Explore EPA Munitions Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

The instructional methodology for this course includes lecture, case studies, and quizzes. There will also be an opportunity for participants to ask questions. The target audience for this course are federal, state, and tribal representatives who work on Federal Facility cleanups. Ideally, students should have a basic understanding of munitions and the CERCLA process. This course is part of the Federal Facilities Academy training program. Please consider registering for other Federal Facility Academy courses and obtain a certificate upon completion of the entire Federal Facility Academy series (12 courses total).

Resolving Issues Before Formal Dispute is a two-hour webinar course that identifies less formal options to address conflict before going to dispute under a federal facility agreement. This webinar provides project management tips and techniques to address disagreements early in the process. By taking this course, participants will achieve the following objectives:

• Identify factors that contribute to conflict when working with team members from different agencies;
• Learn how to prepare a team to handle conflict;
• Explore tips and techniques to improve communication and come to resolution; and,
• Understand when formal dispute should be considered.

The instructional methodology for this course includes lecture, group discussions, case studies, and quizzes. There will also be an opportunity for participants to ask questions. The target audience for this course is federal, state, and tribal representatives who work on Federal Facility cleanups. This course is part of the Federal Facilities Academy training program. Please consider registering for other Federal Facility Academy courses and obtain a certificate upon completion of the entire Federal Facility Academy series (12 courses total).

Role of Superfund Performance Measures is a two-hour webinar course that will identify the role of performance measures, including environmental indicators, how to justify their status, and how to achieve an under-control status at Superfund sites. By taking this course, participants will achieve the following objectives:

• Discover the origin and role of Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Measures;
• Explore the different types of internal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) planning targets reported through the Superfund Enterprise Management System (SEMs) database; and,
• Learn about Environmental Indicators for Human Exposure and Groundwater Migration and how they are determined.

The instructional methodology for this course includes lecture, group discussion, and quizzes. There will also be an opportunity for participants to ask questions. The target audience for this course is federal, state, and tribal representatives who work on Federal Facility cleanups. Ideally, students should have a basic understanding of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) process. This course is part of the Federal Facilities Academy training program. Please consider registering for other Federal Facility Academy courses and obtain a certificate upon completion of the entire Federal Facility Academy series (12 courses total).

Determining ARARs at Federal Facility Sites is a two-hour webinar course that will highlight how to determine Applicable or Relevant and Appropriate Requirements (ARARs) in decision-documents based on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidance, identify commonly used ARARs, and when to involve partners. By taking this course, participants will achieve the following objectives:

• Understand the general procedures for ARAR identification, analysis, and documentation;
• Learn about ARARs under Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) Section 121(d) and associated EPA guidance;
• Identify the three types of ARARs and how they are determined; and,
• Explore CERCLA ARAR waiver criteria and the six waivers identified under CERCLA 121(d).

The instructional methodology for this course includes lecture and quizzes. There will also be an opportunity for participants to ask questions. The target audience for this course is federal, state, and tribal representatives who work on Federal Facility cleanups. Ideally, students should have a basic understanding of ARARs and the CERCLA process. This course is part of the Federal Facilities Academy training program. Please consider registering for other Federal Facility Academy courses and obtain a certificate upon completion of the entire Federal Facility Academy series (12 courses total).

Groundwater Policy and Federal Facilities Overview is a two-hour webinar course that provides an overview of U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) groundwater policies and guidance with emphasis on cleanups at federal facilities. By taking this course, participants will achieve the following objectives:

• Identify EPA groundwater policies;
• Understand groundwater classification and beneficial use in restoration objectives;
• Understand nature and extent considerations from groundwater contaminant plumes;
• Explore applicable or relevant and appropriate requirements (ARARs) commonly associated with groundwater remedies;
• Identify groundwater considerations for monitored natural attenuation (MNA), institutional controls, and technical impracticability waivers; and,


• Discover information on major groundwater policies from other federal agencies, such as Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Energy (DoE).

The instructional methodology for this course includes lecture and quizzes. There will also be an opportunity for participants to ask questions. The target audience for this course is federal, state, and tribal representatives who work on Federal Facility cleanups. Ideally, students should have a basic understanding the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). This course is part of the Federal Facilities Academy training program. Please consider registering for other Federal Facility Academy courses and obtain a certificate upon completion of the entire Federal Facility Academy series (12 courses total).

This webinar will provide participants with guidelines on how to make better presentations to the public, their peers, or management. The webinar will help to improve your presentation skills and provide you with tools and techniques to be an interesting and effective presenter.

What is in it for you:

• More polished platform skills.
• Improved ability to manage content.
• Greater skill using a variety of training methods.
• Enhanced ability to create and use visual aids.
• Ability to manage your audience.

The webinar is intended to help participants increase their comfort in public speaking, control and connect with their audience, handle audience participation, and ultimately deliver the message and take-away points of training courses they are planning to instruct. The webinar will teach participants how to manage nerves, voice, gestures, transitions, visual aids, and content. The webinar also addresses how to manage the audience to include difficult participants, the solicitation of questions, and the response to questions and will include techniques for adapting to diverse audiences.

ProUCL version 5.1.002 (5.1) is the latest update of the ProUCL statistical software package for analysis of environmental data sets with and without nondetect (ND) observations. The ProUCL software is available at https://www.epa.gov/land-research/proucl-software. This final installment of the three part ProUCL e-learning seminar will focus mainly on background dataset analysis and associated background threshold value (BTV) comparisons within the ProUCL software. General discussion points will include

• Background dataset analysis
• Appropriate sample size selection
• UTLs and background threshold values
• Comparison of BTVs to site data

A ProUCL provided background environmental dataset (XLS) will be used as an example throughout the presentation. This dataset is provided here and it is encouraged for attendees to follow along on their local machine.

The second part of a two-part webinar series for developers and local governments interested in redeveloping Superfund sites and putting them back into productive use.

• Hear best practices and lessons learned from developers and local governments who have gone through the process.
• Hear from U.S. EPA, who will answer questions, provide information on available resources and support, and update participants on the latest tools and guidance.
• Share your thoughts and experiences on how U.S. EPA can better support reuse of sites in your community and across the nation.

Optimization activities can improve performance, increase monitoring efficiency, and support contaminated site decisions. Project managers can use geospatial analysis for evaluation of optimization opportunities. Unlike traditional statistical analysis, geospatial methods incorporate the spatial and temporal dependence between nearby data points, which is an important feature of almost all data collected as part of an environmental investigation. The results of geospatial analyses add additional lines of evidence to decision making in optimization opportunities in environmental sites across all project life cycle stages (release detection, site characterization, remediation, monitoring and closure) in soil, groundwater or sediment remediation projects for different sizes and types of sites.

The purpose of ITRC's Geospatial Analysis for Optimization at Environmental Sites (GRO-1) guidance document and this associated training is to explain, educate, and train state regulators and other practitioners in understanding and using geospatial analyses to evaluate optimization opportunities at environmental sites. With the ITRC GRO-1 web-based guidance document and this associated training class, project managers will be able to:

• Evaluate available data and site needs to determine if geospatial analyses are appropriate for a given site
  
• For a project and specific lifecycle stage, identify optimization questions where geospatial methods can contribute to better decision making
  
• For a project and optimization question(s), select appropriate geospatial method(s) and software using the geospatial analysis work flow, tables and flow charts in the guidance document
  
• With geospatial analyses results (note: some geospatial analyses may be performed by the project manager, but many geospatial analyses will be performed by technical experts), explain what the results mean and appropriately apply in decision making
  
• Use the project manager's tool box, interactive flow charts for choosing geospatial methods and review checklist to use geospatial analyses confidently in decision making

Statistical techniques may be used throughout the process of cleaning up contaminated groundwater. It is challenging for practitioners, who are not experts in statistics, to interpret, and use statistical techniques. ITRC developed the Technical and Regulatory Web-based Guidance on Groundwater Statistics and Monitoring Compliance (GSMC-1, 2013, http://www.itrcweb.org/gsmc-1/) and this associated training specifically for environmental project managers who review or use statistical calculations for reports, who make recommendations or decisions based on statistics, or who need to demonstrate compliance for groundwater projects. The training class will encourage and support project managers and others who are not statisticians to:

• Use the ITRC Technical and Regulatory Web-based Guidance on Groundwater Statistics and Monitoring Compliance (GSMC-1, 2013) to make better decisions for projects
  
• Apply key aspects of the statistical approach to groundwater data
  
• Answer common questions on background, compliance, trend analysis, and monitoring optimization

Institutional controls (ICs) are administrative or legal restrictions that provide protection from exposure to contaminants on a site. When ICs are jeopardized or fail, direct exposure to human health and the environment can occur. While a variety of guidance and research to date has focused on the implementation of ICs, ITRC's Long-term Contaminant Management Using Institutional Controls (IC-1, 2016) guidance and this associated training class focuses on post-implementation IC management, including monitoring, evaluation, stakeholder communications, enforcement, and termination. The ITRC guidance and training will assist those who are responsible for the management and stewardship of Ics. ITRC has developed a downloadable tool that steps users through the process of planning and designing IC management needs. This tool can help to create a long lasting record of the site that includes the regulatory authority, details of the IC, the responsibilities of all parties, a schedule for monitoring the performance of the IC, and more. The tool generates an editable Long Term Stewardship (LTS) plan in Microsoft Word.

After attending the training, participants will be able to:

• Describe best practices and evolving trends for IC management at individual sites and across state agency programs
  
• Use this guidance to
  
  • Improve IC reliability and prevent IC failures
    
  • Improve existing, or develop new, IC Management programs
    
  • Identify the pros and cons about differing IC management approaches
• Use the tools to establish an LTS plan for specific sites
  
• Use the elements in the tools to understand the information that should populate an IC registry or data management system.

Connecting the Science to Managing LNAPL Sites - 3-Part Series

The newly updated LNAPLs (Light Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids) 3-part training course series is based on the ITRC guidance: LNAPL Site Management: LCSM Evolution, Decision Process, and Remedial Technologies (LNAPL-3, 2018) and focuses on connecting the science to managing LNAPL sites and helping you:

• Build upon your Understanding of LNAPL Behavior in the Subsurface (Part 1)
  
• Develop your LNAPL Conceptual Site Model and LNAPL Remedial Goals (Part 2)
  
• Select/Implement LNAPL Technologies (Part 3)

Chemical contaminants in soil and groundwater can volatilize into soil gas and migrate through unsaturated soils of the vadose zone. Vapor intrusion (VI) occurs when these vapors migrate upward into overlying buildings through cracks and gaps in the building floors, foundations, and utility conduits, and contaminate indoor air. If present at sufficiently high concentrations, these vapors may present a threat to the health and safety of building occupants. Petroleum vapor intrusion (PVI) is a subset of VI and is the process by which volatile petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) released as vapors from light nonaqueous phase liquids (LNAPL), petroleum-contaminated soils, or petroleum-contaminated groundwater migrate through the vadose zone and into overlying buildings. Fortunately, in the case of PHC vapors, this migration is often limited by microorganisms that are normally present in soil. The organisms consume these chemicals, reducing them to nontoxic end products through the process of biodegradation. The extent and rate to which this natural biodegradation process occurs is strongly influenced by the concentration of the vapor source, the distance the vapors must travel through soil from the source to potential receptors, and the presence of oxygen (O₂) in the subsurface environment between the source and potential receptors.

The ITRC Technical and Regulatory Guidance Web-Based Document, Petroleum Vapor Intrusion: Fundamentals of Screening, Investigation, and Management (PVI-1, 2014) and this associated Internet-based training provides regulators and practitioners with consensus information based on empirical data and recent research to support PVI decision making under different regulatory frameworks. The PVI assessment strategy described in this guidance document enables confident decision making that protects human health for various types of petroleum sites and multiple PHC compounds. This guidance provides a comprehensive methodology for screening, investigating, and managing potential PVI sites and is intended to promote the efficient use of resources and increase confidence in decision making when evaluating the potential for vapor intrusion at petroleum-contaminated sites. By using the ITRC guidance document, the vapor intrusion pathway can be eliminated from further investigation at many sites where soil or groundwater is contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons or where LNAPL is present.

After attending this ITRC Internet-based training, participants should be able to:

• Determine when and how to use the ITRC PVI document at their sites
  
• Describe the important role of biodegradation impacts on the PVI pathway (in contrast to chlorinated solvent contaminated sites)
  
• Value a PVI conceptual site model (CSM) and list its key components
  
• Apply the ITRC PVI 8 step decision process to screen sites for the PVI pathway and determine actions to take if a site does not initially screen out, (e.g., site investigation, modeling, and vapor control and site management)
  
• Access fact sheets to support community engagement activities at each step in the process

ITRC also offers a 2-day PVI focused classroom training at locations across the US. The classroom training provides participants the opportunity to learn more in-depth information about the PVI pathway and practice applying the ITRC PVI guidance document with a diverse group of environmental professionals. Learn more at the ITRC PVI classroom training page.

Remediation at petroleum release sites is often infeasible for technical or cost reasons. Many of these sites could be depleted in typical indicator compounds, such as BTEXN, but still heavily contaminated in terms of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH). The traditional indicator compound approach for managing petroleum contaminants may not fully identify short- and long-term potential environmental concerns, can create delays in project schedules and cost overages for sub-surface utility work or redevelopment. It is important to consider a comprehensive cumulative risk-based approach to more effectively incorporate TPH data in addition to traditional BTEXN data for cleanup and long-term management decisions.

The basis for this training course is the ITRC guidance: TPH Risk Evaluation at Petroleum-Contaminated Sites (TPHRisk-1, 2018). The guidance builds on long-standing and current research and experience, and presents the current science for evaluating TPH risk at petroleum-contaminated sites. The methods and procedures to evaluate human and ecological risk and establish cleanup requirements in the various media at petroleum release sites will assist decision makers in developing and implementing a technically defensible approach. In addition, the guidance provides information and supplemental references to assist practitioners and project managers in the assessment of fate, transport, exposure, and toxicity of TPH. The guidance users will also gain information that may be used in conjunction with classic tiered approaches for risk-based decision making (ASTM 2015b, ITRC Risk 3 2015), including modifications in the assessment and remedial-decision and regulatory framework for TPH impacts through direct comparison to screening levels, site-specific modification of screening levels, and complete site-specific risk assessment for sources, receptors, and pathways, where appropriate.

The target audience for this guidance and training course is:

• Regulators and Program Managers interested in knowing how site management decisions can influence the TPH risk evaluation process.
  
• Risk assessors new to TPH data or those who want additional knowledge and training in the current methods and common practices for collecting and using TPH data in assessments to more accurately determine human health and/or ecological risks at petroleum-contaminated sites.
  
• Stakeholders who are either engaged in redevelopment at former petroleum release sites or folks who are involved in community engagement and revitalization activities.

• Recognize the ITRC document as a go-to resource for evaluating TPH risk at petroleum-contaminated sites
  
• Recognize how TPH -impacted media interacts with the environment and changes over time
  
• Select appropriate analytic method(s) to match site objectives
  
• Apply the decision framework to determine when a site-specific target level may be more appropriate than a generic screening level for TPH

Many state and local regulatory agencies responsible for the cleanup of chemicals released to the environment have adopted regulations, guidance and policies that define default approaches, scenarios, and parameters as a starting point for risk assessment and the development of risk-based screening values. Regulatory project managers and decision makers, however, may not have specific guidance when alternative approaches, scenarios, and parameters are proposed for site-specific risk assessments, and are faced with difficult technical issues when evaluating these site-specific risk assessments. This ITRC web-based document is a resource for project managers and decision makers to help evaluate alternatives to risk assessment default approaches, scenarios and parameters.

ITRC's Decision Making at Contaminated Sites: Issues and Options in Human Health Risk Assessment (RISK-3, 2015) guidance document is different from existing ITRC Risk Assessment guidance and other state and federal resources because it identifies commonly encountered issues and discusses options in risk assessment when applying site-specific alternatives to defaults. In addition, the document includes links to resources and tools that provide even more detailed information on the specific issues and potential options. The ITRC Risk Assessment Team believes that state regulatory agencies and other organizations can use the RISK-3 document as a resource or reference to supplement their existing guidance. Community members and other stakeholders also may find this document helpful in understanding and using risk assessment information.

After participating in this ITRC training course, the learner will be able to apply ITRC's Decision Making at Contaminated Sites: Issues and Options in Human Health Risk (RISK-3, 2015) document when developing or reviewing site-specific risk assessments by:

• Identifying common issues encountered when alternatives to default parameters and scenarios are proposed during the planning, data evaluation, toxicity, exposure assessment, and risk characterization and providing possible options for addressing these issues
  
• Recognizing the value of proper planning and the role of stakeholders in the development and review of risk assessments
  
• Providing information (that includes links to additional resources and tools) to support decision making when alternatives to default approaches, scenarios and parameters are proposed

The Training Exchange website (Trainex) is designed to provide a wide range of training information to EPA, other federal agency, state, tribal, and local staff involved in hazardous waste management and remediation. Trainex focuses on free training directed to federal and state staff. This site includes training schedules for deliveries of many courses, both classroom and Internet-based.

EPA works in partnership with organizations, such as the Interstate Technology Regulatory Council (ITRC), and other agencies, such as the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), to offer training relevant to hazardous waste remediation, site characterization, risk assessment, emergency response, site/incident management, counter-terrorism, and the community's role in site management and cleanup.