science BRIEF
BUILDING A SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION FOR SOUND ENVIRONMENTAL DECISIONS
www.epa.gov
National Risk Management
Research Laboratory
www.epa.gov/nrmrl/
Water Quality Research Program
Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Center, Ada, OK
Providing Research Solutions to Manage Water Quality
Introduction
The Kerr Center, situated on 16 acres three
miles south of Ada, Oklahoma, houses the
Ground Water and Ecosystems Restoration
Division (GWERD) of the National
Risk Management Research Laboratory
(NRMRL). The division develops
strategies and technologies to protect and
restore ground water, surface water, and
ecosystems impacted by human-made and
natural events. The center, which includes
the Gaar Corner field site, contains state-of-
the-science analytical chemistry equipment,
specialized instrumentation, and field
equipment to study the transport
and transformation of contaminants in
soil and ground water.
Completed in 1966, the three-story
Kerr Center provides 50,000 square
feet of laboratory and office space. An
addition to the facility in 1993 provides
another 20,000 square feet for the
library, computer support services, and
a conference center. The nearby 10,000-
square-foot annex contains a machine
shop and storage facilities for field
equipment and supplies. Separate facilities
have been constructed for storing bulk
chemicals, compressed gases, and
hazardous waste.
Research
GWERD addresses areas of research
that are part of ORD's strategic plan and
NRMRL's mission. The division is EPA's
center of expertise for investigation of
the soil and subsurface environment, and
ecosystem restoration nationwide. Topics
of research at the Kerr Center include:
• The potential use of in situ
bioremediation as a method of
restoring contaminated ground water
• The existence and implications of
nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs)
and ways to clean them up
• The use of permeable reactive barriers
to remediate contamination from
metals and chlorinated solvents
• Site-specific technical support for
over 300 Superfund, Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act,
and brownfield sites
• Evaluation of the effectiveness of
ecosystem restoration efforts on
streams in several different states
across the country
Besides the Kerr Center, GWERD
researchers use the 110-acre Gaar Corner
field site to conduct research. Garr Corner
is located nine miles west of Ada and is
the setting for both in-house research and
collaborative efforts with academic and
commercial partners and private companies.
The site encompasses a mixture of
woodlands, open fields, and ponds. It was
built to assist researchers in their efforts
to safeguard underground supplies of
drinking water from contamination by
pollutants introduced to the subsurface via
injection wells. It offers several types of
underground injection wells for evaluating
mechanical integrity:
• Three logging wells
• A calibration well
• A leak-test well
• Three monitoring wells
Gaar Corner is also used for ecosystem
research studies. With its sixteen
40-square-foot enclosures, the site
supports research on interactions among
primary consumers, plants, microbes,
detritivores, and soil chemistry. Research
also focuses on the ecosystem's
susceptibility to nitrogen deposition and
the development of novel management
interventions for improving nitrogen-use
efficiency in watersheds. In addition to
the enclosures, researchers at Gaar Corner
use a 2,000-square-foot laboratory with
computer facilities, a 1,000-square-foot
shop and storage building, and a weather
station.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory
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Information transfer materials and
activities (e.g., handbooks, journal articles,
reports, research briefs, issue papers,
workshops, and symposia) assist EPA in
protecting and restoring public health and
the environment. GWERD's Center for
Subsurface Modeling Support (CSMoS)
provides public domain ground water
and vadose zone modeling software
and services along with direct technical
support to EPA and state decision makers.
History
In 1961, amendments to the Federal Water
Pollution Control Act of 1956 directed
the federal government to establish field
laboratories in various parts of the United
States as research facilities to combat
increasing national water pollution
problems. One of these field laboratories
was established in Ada, Oklahoma. It was
named for Robert S. Kerr, a long-time
U.S. senator from Oklahoma.
With its beginnings as a regional U.S.
Public Health Service laboratory under
the U.S. Department of Interior, the Ken-
Center provided technical assistance and
training, and conducted research to solve
water pollution problems in Arkansas,
Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma,
and Texas.
In 1970, the Kerr Center became one of
fifteen research laboratories administered
by the newly created EPA through its
Office of Research and Development
(ORD). Between 1970 and 1980, research
at the Kerr Center included investigations
on water quality, land treatment, and
ground water; and the environmental
effects of mining, irrigation, petroleum
and petroleum-related activities, and
animal wastes.
ORD was realigned in 1995 and EPA's 15
research laboratories were consolidated
into three national laboratories and two
centers. As a result, the Subsurface
Protection and Remediation Division of
NRMRL was formed. From 1995 until
1997 the division's mission was to conduct
research to support EPA efforts to protect
and remediate the subsurface environment.
In 1997, the mission was expanded to
include research on ecosystem restoration.
In 2002, the division's name was changed
to the Ground Water and Ecosystems
Restoration Division to reflect the change
in its mission.
To reduce its environmental footprint,
the center became EPA's first carbon-
neutral laboratory. This means the center
reduces energy use whenever possible
and implements carbon offsets to mitigate
any remaining greenhouse gas emissions
caused by using energy. The result is net
zero emissions.
CONTACT
Bob Puls
(580) 436-8543
puls.robert(g!epa.gov
SEE ALSO
Center for Subsurface Modeling Support (CSMoS)
http://www.epa.gov/ada/csmos.html
Recycled/Recyclable
Printed with vegetable-based ink on
paper that contains a minimum of
50% post-consumer fiber content
processed chlorine free
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory
EPA/600/F-08/003
July 2008
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