United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Research and Development (481)
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response (5102G)
EPA/542/F-99/031
November 1999
&EPA
Remediation
Action Team
RTDF
Current RTDF
Teams'
Moremediation Corisorliiim
Mfetals Action
Team - ' ,' " " *'" ;
Permeable Reactive
Harriers Action Team
Phytbremediaitioii of ,
Organics Action Team
Sediments ; Remediation
The Sediments Remediation Action Team was established in March 1996. It
is one of the five current 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.
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.
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:
3* Developing in situ remediation approaches
3=- 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
Accomplishments
The Action Team has developed subgroups to focus on the following three
areas of interest:
• Assessment—This area includes the measurement and evaluation of
hazard, stress, and exposure resulting from sediment-associated
contaminants. Information required for the human and ecological risk
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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 Capping—In situ capping as a remediation alternative involves
placement or broadcasting of a covering or cap of clean isolating
material (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,
phy toremediation, introduction of chemical additives to enhance the
natural processes, reactive disposal approaches, and electrokinetics. The
subgroup is most interested in passive technologies that will remediate
the contaminants without significantly increasing the stress on the ecology.
The Action Team's Plans
The efforts of the three subgroups will be coordinated to create a cohesive
research team. 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.
Action Team Members
The Action Team includes representatives from government, industry, and
academic organizations, such as the following:
Government
Georgia Department of Natural
Resources
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA)
U.S. Army
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency
U.S. Navy
Industry
Alcoa
Battelle
BBL, Inc.
Boeing
Chemical Land Holdings, Inc.
Dow Chemical Company
DuPont Company
Exxon
General Motors
General Electric
National Council for the Paper
Industry for Air and Stream
Improvement
PPG
Quantitative Environmental
Analysis, LLC
Reichhold, Inc.
Rohm and Haas
Academia
Louisiana State University
Tufts
University of Illinois
RTDF
DeveloposeaS Foravu
Would You Like
More Information?
For more information about the
Sediments Remediation Action Team,
please contact the Team Co-chairs:
Richard H. Jensen
DuPoni Corporate Remediation
Experimental Station 304
Wilmington, DE 19880
Tel: 302-695-4685
E-mail: ricb,8rd.h.jensen@usa.duponM:om
Dennis Timberlake
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Risk Management Research
Laboratory
26 West Martin Luther King Drive
Cincinnati, OH 4S26&
Tel: 513-569-7547
E-mail: timberlake.dennis epa.gov
For more information on the KTDF or other
Action Teams, please visit the RTDF World
Wide Web site at www.rtdJ.org or contact:
Robert
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
26 West Martin LutliW King Drive
Cincinnati, OH 05268
Tel: 513-569-7861
E-mail: olexsey.bob@epamail.epa.gov
Walter Kovalic6| Jr., Ph.D.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street, SW (51026)
Washington, DC 24060
Tel: 703-603r9910
E-mail: kovalick.walter@epamail.epa.gov
To request other RTDF fact sheets, please
write/Call:
EPA/NSOBP
P.O. Box 42419
Cincinnati, OH 45242
Phone: 800-490-9198
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