United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response (5203P)
EPA542-F-08-002
April 2008
Incorporating Sustainable Practices into
Site Remediation
Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
Green Remediation: The practice of considering all
environmental effects of remedy implementation and
incorporating options to maximize net environmental
benefit of cleanup actions.
This introduction is the first of a series of fact sheets on
the opportunities for implementing best management
practices (BMPs) of green remediation. Upcoming topics
include renewable sources of energy, enhanced
stormwater control measures, BMP checklists for the
field, and enabling mechanisms for practitioners.
Overview of Green Remediation
As part of its mission to protect human health and the
environment, EPA is committed to developing and
promoting innovative cleanup strategies that restore
contaminated sites to productive use, reduce associated
costs, and promote environmental stewardship. The
Agency strives for cleanup programs that use natural
resources and energy efficiently, reduce negative
impacts on the environment, minimize or eliminate
pollution at its source, and reduce waste to the greatest
extent possible. EPA supports adoption of green
remediation as the practice of considering all
environmental effects of cleanup actions and
incorporating strategies to maximize the net
environmental benefit.
Sustainable practices result in cleanups minimizing the
environmental and energy "footprints" of all actions
taken during a project life. BMPs of green remediation
emphasize a "whole-site" approach that closely
evaluates core elements of a cleanup project:
• Energy requirements,
• Air emissions,
• Water requirements and associated impacts on water
resources,
• Impacts on land and ecosystems,
• Material consumption and waste generation, and
• Impacts on long-term stewardship of a site.
Evolving Practices
Concerns regarding climate change have prompted
major efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions caused by activities such as fossil fuel
consumption. Accordingly, one category of EPA's
evolving practices for green remediation places greater
emphasis on approaches that reduce energy
consumption and GHG emissions. Another category
focuses on related "greening" goals concerning water
conservation. Best practices include:
• Designing treatment systems with optimum efficiency
and modifying existing systems as needed,
• Using renewable resources such as wind and solar
energy to meet power demands of treatment systems,
• Generating electricity from byproducts such as
methane gas or secondary materials,
• Participating in power generation or purchasing
partnerships based on renewable resources,
• Minimizing fresh water consumption and maximizing
water reuse during treatment processes,
• Preventing impacts such as nutrient loading on water
quality in nearby water, and
• Reclaiming treated water for beneficial use such as
irrigation or for storage through aquifer reinjection.
Site Profile: Umatilia Army Depot,
Hermiston, OR
' Mixed 15,000 tons of explosives-contaminated
soil with manure, sawdust, and alfalfa,
' Destroyed contaminant byproducts or permanently
bound byproducts to soil or humus, achieving
non-detectable concentrations of explosives,
' Provided $ 150,000 potential revenue from sale of
humus-rich soil,
* Saved an estimated $2.6 million compared to
alternative of soil incineration, and
• Avoided significant fossil fuel consumption by an
incinerator and for offsite transportation.
-------
Building on Current Practices
Benefits of Green Remediation
Sustainable site cleanup and revitalization reflects sound
decision-making that balances environmental, social,
and economic factors. Green remediation builds on
environmentally conscious practices already used by
public agencies and within business sectors, and
promotes state-of-the art methods for:
• Conserving water,
• Improving water quality,
• Increasing energy efficiency,
• Managing and minimizing toxics,
• Managing and minimizing waste, and
• Reducing emission of criteria air pollutants and GHG.
BMPs and high performance criteria of green
remediation often draw on elements of private or public
initiatives such as the U.S. Green Building Council's
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or
EPA's low impact designs for stormwater management.
Where and When to Apply Green BPMs
Best management practices of green remediation may
be applied to cleanup actions taken at almost any
hazardous waste site, whether conducted under federal,
state, or local cleanup programs or by private parties.
The practices holistically apply to all phases of site
assessment, remediation, and redevelopment including
removal actions, site investigations, remedy
construction, operation of treatment systems, monitoring
of treatment processes and progress, and site close-out.
To maximize sustainability, cleanup and reuse options
are considered early during the planning process,
enabling best practices used during remediation to carry
forward to redevelopment activities and ultimate land
reuse. Incorporation of green remediation strategies
into cleanup procurement documents and site
management plans helps to open the door for best
practices in the field.
In accordance with federal procurement policy,
selection of cleanup equipment and services meete a
project's performance and cost requirements, while
giving preference to green products and providers.
Green remediation strategies apply to all types of
activities undertaken during all stages of a site cleanup
and land revitalization project such as:
• Deconstruction, demolition, and removal,
• Cleanup, remediation, and waste management,
• Design and construction for reuse, and
• Sustainable use and long-term stewardship.
Implementation of the best practices of green
remediation results in a range of benefits, including:
• Reduction in fossil fuel consumption and GHG
emissions,
• Better conservation of water and other natural
resources,
• Cost savings derived from improved efficiencies of
energy-intensive treatment systems and increased use
of optimized passive-energy treatment systems,
• Educational opportunities regarding environmental
stewardship and sustainable activities, and
• Regional employment opportunities for renewable-
energy businesses at revitalized sites.
Site Profile: Pemoco, Maywoocf, CA
• Uses high-vacuum dual-phase extraction, thermal
oxidation, and electrical resistance heating to treat
contaminated ground water and soil,
' Coordinated remedy construction with the city's
infrastructure development for a riverfront park,
* Added a roof-top photovoltaic system providing
375 kilowatt-hours of electricity for the treatment
system each month, and
' Avoids annual emission of 4,31 1 pounds of
carbon dioxide by using solar energy.
Advancing the Use of Green Remediation
To foster green remediation strategies, EPA's Office of
Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) is:
• Documenting the state of BMPs,
• Identifying opportunities for improvement,
• Establishing a community of BMP practitioners, and
• Developing mechanisms and tools for BMPs.
Partners include other agencies such as the U.S.
Department of Energy and Army Corps of Engineers,
state environmental agencies, and local development
organizations. Key opportunities lay in integrated
cleanup and reuse planning, daily operations, system
optimization, and expanded use of renewable energy.
Visit Green Remediation Web to /earn or contribute
more about BMPs, decision-making tools, and
resources such as the technology primer,
Incorporating Sustainable Environmental Practices
into Remediation of Contaminated Sites at:
http://cluin.org/greenremediation.
For more information, contact:
Carlos Pachon, OSWER/OSRTI (pachon.carlos@epa.gov)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
------- |