&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Research and Development (481)
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response (5102G)
EPA542-F-97-015
November 1997
Sediments Remediation
Action Team
RTDF
Remediation Technologies
Development Forum
RTDF,Ajction
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What Is the Sediments Remediation
Action Team?
The Sediments Remediation Action Team was established in March 1996 as
one of the seven Action Teams under the Remediation Technologies
Development Forum (RTDF). The RTDF was created by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1992 to foster collaboration
between the public and private sectors in finding innovative solutions to
mutual hazardous waste problems. The Sediments Remediation Action
Team includes representatives from industry, government, and academia
who share an interest in developing alternatives for remediating contami-
nated sediments.
What Is the Problem of Concern?
Contaminated sediments, both in freshwater and marine systems, are a
significant issue in the United States and abroad. Remediation of sediments
is often complex and is usually compounded by the presence of more than
one contaminant at a site. Sediments often contain polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metals. Many traditional remediation techniques,
such as dredging and subsequent off-site treatment, are not cost-effective,
and proper assessment, which is critical for implementation of a remediation
strategy, also may be difficult and costly.
What Is the Action Team's Mission?
The mission of the Sediments Remediation Action Team is to develop cost-
effective, on-site technologies to remediate contaminated sediments and
enable recovery of biological systems. The Action Team is exploring a
number of potential focus areas, including:
>- Developing in situ remediation approaches
>^ Evaluating on-site, ex situ remediation technologies
>* Examining the applicability of existing soil remediation techniques to
sediments
>^ Understanding the mechanisms and rates of natural attenuation
>^ Enhancing or developing procedures for evaluating the need for and
success of remedial activities
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What Processes Will Be Studied?
The Action Team has developed subgroups to focus on the following three
areas of interest:
>• Assessment—This area includes the evaluation of hazard, stress,
and exposure resulting from sediment-associated contaminants.
Information required for the human and ecological risk assessment
paradigms includes (but is not limited to) toxicity, transport, and the
ability of the sediment (biotic and abiotic) to naturally attenuate the
contaminants.
>• In Situ Containment/Capping—In situ capping as a remediation alter-
native involves placement of a covering or cap of clean isolating mate-
rial (e.g., sediment, sand, gravel, geotextiles, etc.) over a deposit of
contaminated sediment to isolate it physically and chemically from the
aquatic environment.
>• In Situ Treatment—A number of in situ remediation technologies are
under consideration by the subgroup, including natural attenuation,
phytoremediation, introduction of chemical additives to enhance the
natural processes, and electrokinetics. The subgroup is most interested
in passive technologies that will remediate the contaminants without
significantly increasing the stress on the ecology.
The efforts of the three subgroups will be coordinated to create a cohesive
research team.
What Activities Are Planned?
The Action Team is identifying sites at which a cooperative field effort may
be pursued. Team members are evaluating the resources, experience, and
facilities they can make available to carry out a field effort.
Who Are the Action Team Members?
nu.S. Army Corps of
Engineers
U.S. Department of Defense
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering
Services Center
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
ARCO
Chevron
Ciba-Gcigy
Gas Research Institute
General Electric
ICI Americas
Monsanto
PPG Industries
Rohm and Haas
Shell
Solutia, Inc.
Texaco
Zeneca
Dow
DuPom
EPRl
Exxon
University of Michigan
RTDF
Remediation Technologies
Development Forum
Would You Like
More Information?
For more information on the Sediments
Remediation Action Team, please contact:
Bruce Yare (F2EA)
Solutia Inc.
10300 Olive Boulevard
P.O. Box 66760
St. Louis, MO 63166-6760
Tel: 314-694-6370
Dennis Timberlake
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Risk Management Research
Laboratory
26 West Martin Luther King Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Tel: 513-569-7547
E-mail: timberlake.dennis @ epamail.epa.gov
For information on the RTDF or other
Action Teams, please visit the RTDF World
Wide Web site at www.rtdf.org or contact:
Robert Olexsey
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
26 West Martin Luther King Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Tel: 513-569-7861
E-mail: olexsey.bob@epamail.epa.gov
Walter W. Kovalick, Jr., Ph.D.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street, SW (5102G)
Washington, DC 20460
Tel: 703-603-9910
E-mail: kovalick.walter@epamail.epa.gov
To request other RTDF fact sheets, please
write/fax to:
EPA/NCEPI
11305 Reed Hartman Highway, Suite 219
Cincinnati, OH 45241
Fax: 513-489-8695
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