United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response
Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation
EPA 542-F-15-011, September 2015
Greener Cleanups Bulletin:
Application of the ASTM Standard Guide for Greener Cleanups at the
North Ridge Estates Superfund Site
This news bulletin is
one in a series
highlighting reductions in the environmental footprint of contaminated site cleanup
The North Ridge Estates Superfund site encompasses a residential
subdivision approximately three miles north of Klamath Falls,
Oregon. The site is contaminated with asbestos-containing
materials (ACM) resulting from demolition of approximately eighty
1940s-era military barracks buildings. In the area of a former onsite
power plant, the soil also contains arsenic.
Onsite removal actions were taken at selected parcels in 2008,
2011 and 2013. Final remediation plans for the site's Operable Unit
(OU) 1, which covers about 125 acres, involve excavation, capping
systems and institutional controls. In the majority of parcels,
contaminated materials will be excavated to depths of 2 to 4 feet or
until ACM is no longer observed; the amount of material excavated
also must be sufficient to accommodate installation of a frost-
protective cap that maintains proper grades. All excavated material
will be consolidated and placed in onsite repositories that will be capped with clean soil to break the soil-to-air
exposure pathway associated with residual ACM. In other OU1 parcels, soil will be left in place and capped with
clean soil to prevent potential release of residual fibers and to bring ground surfaces back to grade.
Greener Cleanup Approach
Site restoration after excavation and soil capping
will include planting tree and shrub species that
are native to the Cascade Mountain ecosystem.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) used the ASTM Standard
Guide for Greener Cleanups (E2893-13) ("standard guide") to sequentially
screen, prioritize and select best management practices (BMPs) for reducing
the environmental footprint of OU1 activities. The selected BMPs were
incorporated into:
• Criteria and guidelines in the remedy design undergoing development.
• EPA solicitation of remedial action services and associated proposals.
• Operating procedures for the remedial action.
Results
The standard guide provides a
multi-step process for
identifying BMPs that reduce
the environmental footprint of
site-specific cleanup activities.
It also provides flexibility for
refining the practices as
cleanup progresses from site
investigation through long-term
operation and maintenance of
a remedy.
Professional judgment by the remediation project team suggested that the most significant contributions to the
environmental footprint of OU1 activities would result from:
• Fuel consumption by onsite excavation equipment.
• Fuel consumption by machinery and vehicles used to transport excavated soils to the onsite repositories.
• Fuel consumption associated with import of clean soil needed to cover the repositories and potential residual
asbestos-contaminated soil left in place.
• Air emissions associated with onsite and offsite combustion of fuel and offsite production of the fuel.
Detailed quantification of the estimated footprint, an option included in the standard guide, was deemed
unnecessary due to the remedy's relative simplicity.
The process of screening and refining BMPs provided in the standard guide resulted in identification of 30 BMPs
applying to the site. Of these, 12 had been previously incorporated into the remedy design. The remaining 18
BMPs were prioritized on a relative scale of high, medium and low based on their likelihood to reduce the
anticipated environmental footprint. Results of the prioritization process indicated three BMPs of high priority,
eight BMPs of medium priority and seven BMPs of low priority. The 12 BMPs already reflected in the pending
remedy design also were prioritized to better understand their value in potentially reducing the environmental
footprint throughout construction and maintenance of the remedy.
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BMPs selected through this process were added or retained as specifications in project documentation such as
remedial action service contracts or the remedy design. The anticipated ease of implementation was reflected in
BMP decision making.
Examples of Prioritized BMPs Integrated into Cleanup at the North Ridge Estates Superfund Site
BMP Category
Power and Fuel
Site Preparation and
Land Restoration
Vehicles and
Equipment
Vehicles and
Equipment
Materials
Site Preparation and
Land Restoration
Surface and Storm
Water
BMP
Use biodiesel produced from waste or cellulose-
based products, preferably from local sources
Use onsite or nearby sources of contaminant-free
material as backfill for excavated areas
Implement an idle reduction plan
Minimize diesel emissions by using retrofitted
engines or filter/treatment devices
Use material with recycled content such as recycled
concrete and asphalt aggregate
Maximize use of native non-invasive and drought-
resistant vegetative cover during site restoration
Install vegetated earthen berms along landfill cover
perimeters as a low-impact design technique to
divert run-on and run-off stormwater
Potential
Footprint
Reduction
High
High
High
High
Low
Low
Low
Ability to
Implement
High
High
High
High
High
High
Low2
Relevant Project
Document
Remedy construction
service contract 1
Remedy design
Site plan
Remedy construction
service contract
Annual progress
report
Annual progress
report
Annual progress
report
1 Subsequently excluded due to unanticipated logistical problems encountered during remedy construction planning.
2 Subsequently elevated to a high priority due to new information gathered during remedy construction planning.
Use of diesel retrofit technology in machinery, vehicles and equipment is expected to significantly reduce onsite
emission of air pollutants. EPA anticipates that any diesel generator used on the site for more than 10 total days
will meet EPA Tier 4 nonroad emission standards or be fitted with emission control technology verified by EPA or
the California Air Resources Board for use with nonroad engines to reduce particulate matter emissions by a
minimum of 85%. The same criteria will be applied incrementally for all nonroad construction equipment; at least
25% of the equipment deployed onsite is expected to meet the criteria at the onset of field activities and 50% of
the onsite equipment should meet the criteria during the second year. The quality assurance project plan for
remedial action outlines the diesel emission control technologies and idling requirements, which will be tracked
through tools such as the Clean Diesel Clearing House.
Diesel Retrofit Technology ^•^^R^H
Diesel oxidation catalyst
Diesel particulate matter filter
Partial diesel particulate filter
Selective catalytic reduction
20-40%
95%
50%
-
Estimated Emis
40-75%
90%
75%
-
sion Reductions
Up to 60%
90%
75%
-
Nitrogen
Oxides (NOx)
-
-
-
65%
Notable fuel conservation and emission reductions also are expected through the idle reduction plan, which
generally limits engine idling to five minutes while waiting to load or unload. EPA findings on cleaner diesel
reports that a typical mid-size track-type tractor, for example, consumes approximately one gallon of fuel per hour
at idle. For a typical backhoe loader, reducing a single hour of unnecessary idling would reduce PM emissions by
13 grams, NOx emissions by 155 grams, CO emissions by 65 grams and carbon dioxide emissions by a similar
amount. EPA plans to monitor environmental footprint metrics such as fuel and water consumption during remedy
construction expected to begin in late 2015 and throughout long-term maintenance of the cover systems.
For more information, contact:
Linda Meyer, Remedial Project Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10
1200 Sixth Avenue, ECL-122
Seattle, WA 98101
Phone: 206-553-6636; Email: mever.linda@epa.gov
Beth Sheldrake, Regional Green Remediation Coordinator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10
1200 Sixth Avenue, ECL-122
Seattle, WA 98101
Phone: 206-553-0220; Email: sheldrake.beth@epa.gov
More information about cleanup at North Ridge Estates is available in a Superfund site progress profile.
To learn more about greener cleanup strategies, visit the CLU-IN Green Remediation Focus website.
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