August 22, 2001
12:30 p.m.–2:00 p.m.

On August 22, 2001, the following members of the Remediation Technologies Development Forum's (RTDF's) Phytoremediation Action Team, Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) in Soil Subgroup, met in a conference call:

Jim Brown, Lockheed Martin
Steve Geiger, ThermoRetec, Inc.
Peter Kulakow, Kansas State University
Steve Rock, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Greg Thoma, University of Arkansas
David Tsao, BP America
Duane Wolf, University of Arkansas

Henry Camp of the Arthur D. Little (ADL) laboratory and Rebecca Feldman of Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG), were also present.

UPDATE ON FIELD DEMONSTRATION SITES

The TPH in Soil Subgroup has created a field study program to evaluate how effectively plants degrade petroleum hydrocarbons. Call participants provided updates on sites that are participating in the program.

• Site A. Peter Kulakow said that time three (T3) soil, root, and shoot samples have been collected from Site A. The ADL laboratory will analyze these samples soon. The demonstration project will be left in place for a fourth year.
• Sites B and F. Samples will be collected from these sites within the next couple of months. Kulakow agreed to talk with site representatives to find out the exact dates for the sampling events. He will try to coordinate his analysis of root density and depth around these events.
• Sites C, D, E, G, K, L, and M. Call participants had no new information to share about these sites.
• Sites H and I. David Tsao said that a demonstration project has been initiated at Site H, an area with contaminant concentrations that are higher than originally anticipated. Despite the high concentrations, Tsao said, plants are growing well. Time zero (T0) samples have been collected, and were accidentally sent to BP America's contract laboratory. Tsao asked Henry Camp to send the Subgroup's "standard" sample to this laboratory. Camp agreed to do so, but indicated that he needed the laboratory's name and address before he could complete this action item.
  
  Tsao also provided an update for Site I, noting that this site was accidentally tilled earlier in the year. The site has already been evaluated once to determine which plant species are present; a botanist will return to the site at the end of the growing season to perform another plant identification study. Tsao said that plants have been removed from the control plots. Tsao and Kulakow agreed to talk offline to schedule the time one (T1) sampling events for Sites H and I.
• Site J. Duane Wolf said that samples were collected from Site J in May 2001. They have been sent to ADL. Another set of samples will be collected soon, he said—perhaps on September 29 or October 6. Kulakow said that he could participate in the sampling event if the latter date is chosen. Kulakow and Wolf agreed to finalize the sampling schedule offline. Wolf said that greenhouse studies will be conducted soon to evaluate different nutrient management schemes.

NEXT TPH IN SOIL SUBGROUP MEETING

The TPH in Soil Subgroup plans to meet in Austin, Texas, on September 10, 2001. Call participants discussed the meeting format, identifying the following action items:

• Introduction. Steve Rock will provide an overview of the Subgroup's goals and progress.
• Annual Report. Kulakow will present a summary of this year's annual report. His talk will serve as an overview rather than delving into the details of particular sites. That way, the individual Subgroup members who are most directly involved with each site will have something to talk about during the "Tour de Table." (See the agenda item below.)
• Lab Report—Interpretation of Analytical Data To Track Changes and Assess Contaminant Degradability. This presentation will be given by Camp, who will provide an overview of the Subgroup's analytical program and describe what type of data are being collected. In addition, Camp will note that different extraction methods are being used.
• Tour de Table—Site Reports: Trials, Tribulations, Triumphs, and Amusing Mishaps. Kulakow asked Subgroup members to be prepared to discuss the sites that they are working on.
• Afternoon Discussion Sessions: (1) Getting Ready for the Next and Eventually the Final Report—Pulling Together Cost Data, Drawing Conclusions, Making Preliminary Recommendations, and Mid-trial Corrections, and (2) Regulatory Discussion—Do We Have the Information Needed To Implement Full Scale? How Do We Present Information to Regulators So That It Is Understood and Believed? Can We Predict Rate and Extent of Cleanup? Kulakow noted that several issues need to be discussed before the Subgroup's final report is written. The September 10 meeting, he said, would be an ideal place to start discussing these matters. He proposed talking about the following topics: (1) weathering issues, (2) risk-based cleanup levels, and (3) performance criteria that will satisfy regulators and site owners. He also thought it might be useful to discuss the TPH Criteria Working Group (TPHCWG) methodology. Steve Geiger said that he plans to write up a summary that describes how the methodology is being used at Site G; he will give this to Kulakow so that it can be included in the final Subgroup report. Geiger and Kulakow agreed to discuss this in additional detail offline. One call participant suggested presenting information on the type of research that is being performed regarding bioavailability of organics. Geiger offered to do so even though call participants did not think that bioavailability is being assessed at any of the Subgroup sites. Call participants also asked Greg Thoma to give a 15-minute presentation on the root modeling work being performed at Site J.
  

MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS

• Sample analysis. Camp said that ADL is currently processing samples for Sites A, H, I, and J. Call participants told him that ADL can expect to receive additional sample batches from the following sites before the end of November: Sites A, B, F, G, H, I, and J. Wolf will communicate with Camp offline to clarify exactly how many samples will be submitted from Site J.
• Cost data. Subgroup members are tracking the cost of their demonstration projects. Kulakow said that he has received first-year cost data for almost all of the sites. Tsao, who has already submitted first-year cost data for Sites H and I, indicated that his data need some modifications. He will submit new first-year cost data to Kulakow very soon. Kulakow asked call participants to send him second-year cost data before the end of the month. Call participants agreed to do so.

ACTION ITEMS

• ERG will remind Subgroup members and other potential interested parties to register for the TPH in Soil Subgroup meeting that is scheduled to take place in Austin, Texas, on September 10, 2001.
  Wolf will contact Mike Reynolds to ask him whether he plans to attend the Subgroup meeting.
• Subgroup members who are directly involved with field demonstration projects agreed to prepare presentations for the September 10 meeting.
• Geiger offered to prepare a few slides that describe research pertaining to the bioavailability of organics. These slides will be presented at the September 10 meeting.
• Thoma agreed to prepare a presentation on the root modeling work being performed at Site J.
• Kulakow agreed to talk to site representatives at Sites B, F, H, I, and J to determine when the next round of samples will be collected. He will try to coordinate site visits around these dates. (October 26 was identified as a potential date for the Site H sampling event; Tsao will contact the site's contractors to determine whether this date is acceptable.)
• Camp agreed to forward the Subgroup's standard sample to the laboratory that has Site H's T0 samples. Tsao will provide the address.
• Geiger agreed to talk to Kulakow offline about writing a summary that describes how the TPHCWG methodology has been used for Site G.
• Wolf will talk to Camp offline to clarify how many samples will be submitted from Site J.
• Tsao will submit new first-year cost data to Kulakow very soon.
• Call participants agreed to send second-year cost data to Kulakow before the end of the month.