United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5102G)
E PA 542-F-01-007
August 2002
www.epa.gov/superfund/sites
www.cluin.org
A Citizen's
to Cleanup Methods
The Citizen's Guide
EPA uses many methods to clean up pollution at Superfund sites. If you live, work, or go to school near a
Superfund site, you may want to learn more about cleanup methods. The Citizen's Guide series is a set of
21 fact sheets that describe, in general terms, cleanup methods used at Superfund and other sites. Each fact
sheet is two pages long and answers five questions about the cleanup method: 1) What is it? 2) How does
it work? 3) Is it safe? 4) How long will it take? and 5) Why use it? The guides, which are listed on page 3
of this brochure, are available in both English and Spanish.
What are cleanup methods?
Pollution comes from many different sources. Chemical spills, leaking landfills,
and improper disposal of wastes can all leave harmful chemicals in soil, groundwa-
ter, lakes, and streams. Left in place, these chemicals may pose a threat to the health
of people, animals, and plants. The chemicals also may spread from polluted areas
to clean areas. Cleanup methods are ways to treat or contain pollution so that it
does not threaten human health or the environment.
How do they work?
Typically, cleanup methods remove the harmful chemicals from polluted soil or
water. Soil excavation is a common method that removes harmful chemicals from
the environment. The harmful chemicals can then be disposed of properly in a
landfill. Other methods that treat pollution, such as bioremediation and permeable
reactive barriers, change the harmful chemicals into less harmful ones. Many
cleanup methods that change or destroy harmful chemicals are considered innova-
tive. Innovative cleanup methods are newer methods that have not been used very
often or under a wide range of conditions.
Several cleanup methods can treat pollution in situ, or in place, without digging up
the soil or pumping groundwater from beneath the ground. In general, these meth-
ods can be faster and less costly when treating pollution beneath the ground.
Cleanup methods that contain pollution prevent chemicals from moving from
polluted sites to clean areas. An example of a method that contains the pollution is
capping.
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For more
information
write the Technology
Innovation Office at:
U.S. EPA(5102G)
1200 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460
or call them at
(703) 603-9910.
Further information also
can be obtained at
www.cluin.org or
www.epa.gov/
superfund/sites.
Are cleanup methods safe?
Before a cleanup method is used, EPA studies the site and generally tests the method to
confirm it can work. During cleanup, EPA also tests the soil, groundwater, and air to
make sure the method is working. EPA makes sure that people can't come into contact
with the pollution during cleanup. Testing also ensures that pollution is not spreading,
such as being released to the air.
- How long will it take ?
Cleanup methods can take weeks or many years to clean up a
site. The length of time depends on several factors that vary
from site to site:
• size, depth, and conditions of the polluted area
(Is soil or water polluted?)
• type and amounts of harmful chemicals present
• selected cleanup method
EPA considers the length of time a cleanup may take when selecting a
cleanup method. However, the cost and effectiveness of the method also are
important.
Why use an innovative cleanup method?
For many years, polluted sites were cleaned up by digging up polluted soil and dispos-
ing of it in landfills. Polluted groundwater was pumped to the surface for cleanup in a
method called "pump and treat." Trucking materials to landfills can be very expensive,
and does not destroy the harmful chemicals. Pump and treat can take decades to com-
plete and is also expensive.
In 1986, changes to EPA's Superfund law shifted preference from removal methods to
treatment methods for polluted materials. This encouraged the development of innova-
tive cleanup methods. Innovative cleanup methods are often faster and cheaper than
conventional ones. Also, many can work under conditions where conventional methods
fail. By 1994, six out often cleanup methods used at Superfund sites were innovative.
NOTE: This fact sheet is intended solely as general guidance and information to the public. It is not intended, nor can it be relied upon,
to create any rights enforceable by any party in litigation with the United States, or to endorse the use of products or services provided
by specific vendors. The Agency also reserves the right to change this fact sheet at any time without public notice.
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How to Order the Citizen's Guides
The following citizen's guides on cleanup methods are available free-of-charge. To order, mail this
completed form to:
U.S. EPA/National Service Center for Environmental Publications
P.O. Box 42419
Cincinnati, OH 45242
or FAX to (513) 489-8695. Also, telephone orders may be placed at (800) 490-9198 or (513) 489-8190.
a
W
Activated Carbon Treatment (EPA 542-F-01-020); Spanish (EPA 542-F-01-020S)
Air Stripping (EPA 542-F-01-016); Spanish (EPA 542-F-01-016S)
Bioremediation (EPA 542-F-01-001); Spanish (EPA 542-F-01-00IS)
Capping (EPA 542-F-01-022); Spanish (EPA 542-F-01-022S)
Chemical Dehalogenation (EPA542-F-01-010); Spanish (EPA 542-F-01-010S)
Chemical Oxidation (EPA 542-F-01-013); Spanish (EPA 542-F-01-013S)
Fracturing (EPA 542-F-01-015); Spanish (EPA 542-F-01-015S)
Incineration (EPA 542-F-01-018); Spanish (EPA 542-F-01-018S)
In Situ Flushing (EPA542-F-01-011); Spanish (EPA 542-F-01-011S)
In Situ Thermal Treatment Methods (EPA 542-F-01-012); Spanish (EPA 542-F-01-012S)
Monitored Natural Attenuation (EPA 542-F-01-004); Spanish (EPA 542-F-01-004S)
Permeable Reactive Barriers (EPA 542-F-01-005); Spanish (EPA 542-F-01-005S)
Phytoremediation (EPA 542-F-01-002); Spanish (EPA 542-F-01-002S)
Pump and Treat for Groundwater (EPA 542-F-01-025); Spanish (EPA 542-F-01-025S)
Soil Excavation (EPA 542-F-01-023); Spanish (EPA 542-F-01-023S)
Soil Vapor Extraction and Air Sparging (EPA 542-F-01-006); Spanish (542-F-01-006S)
Soil Washing (EPA 542-F-01-008); Spanish (EPA 542-F-01-008S)
Solidification/Stabilization (EPA 542-F-01-024); Spanish (EPA 542-F-01-024S)
Solvent Extraction (EPA 542-F-01-009); Spanish (EPA 542-F-01-009S)
Thermal Desorption (EPA542-F-01-003); Spanish (EPA 542-F-01-003S)
Vitrification (EPA542-F-01-017); Spanish (EPA 542-F-01-017S)
Send To:
Name:
Address:
City: State: Zip Code:
Telephone:
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vvEPA
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
National Service Center for
Environmental Publications
P.O. Box 42419
Cincinnati, OH 45242
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
PRESORTED
FIRST CLASS
US POSTAGE PAID
EPA PERMIT NO. G-35
Soil Excavation
Permeable Reactive Barriers
^r clean soil
ground surface
groundwater
level
groundwater c|ean
trJted
reactive materials
Citizen's Guide
Series on
Cleanup Methods:
Fact Sheet and Order Form
August 2002
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