SUMMARY OF THE REMEDIATION TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPMENT FORUM
SEDIMENTS REMEDIATION ACTION TEAM
ASSESSMENT SUBGROUP CONFERENCE CALL

April 11, 2001

1:00 p.m–3:00 p.m.

On Wednesday, April 11, 2001, the following members of the Remediation Technologies Development Forum’s (RTDF’s) Sediments Remediation Action Team, Assessment Subgroup, met in a conference call:

Ralph Stahl, DuPont Corporate Remediation (Subgroup Co-chair)
Sabine Apitz, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center
John Davis, The Dow Chemical Company
Kenneth Finkelstein, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Nancy Grosso, DuPont Corporate Remediation
David Hohreiter, Blasland, Bouck & Lee, Inc.
Ash Jain, EPRI
Richard Jensen, DuPont
Joseph Jersak, Hull & Associates, Inc.
Kelly Madalinski, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
David Moore, MEC Analytical Systems, Inc.
Dan Reible, Louisiana State University (LSU)
Mike Swindoll, ExxonMobil Biomedical Sciences, Inc.
Brett Thomas, Chevron
Dennis Timberlake, EPA

Christine Hartnett of Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG), was also present.

THE SUBGROUP’S TECHNICAL PAPERS

Over the last year, Assessment Subgroup members have been writing technical papers on sediments assessment topics. Originally, the Subgroup planned to compile the papers in a booklet and release them under the RTDF logo. During this conference call, it became clear that this plan must be modified.

Dennis Timberlake said that EPA, one of the Subgroup’s main partners, has indicated that the technical papers may not be released under the RTDF logo. This decision has been made because (1) some of the papers address controversial topics and (2) the papers were written without Office of Research and Development representation. Timberlake recognized that much work has been dedicated to the development of the papers, and he encouraged the Subgroup to consider alternative forums for distributing the papers. Call participants offered the following suggestions:

• Scientific journals. Sabine Apitz recommended consolidating the papers into one comprehensive review article and submitting it to a journal. The article would not incorporate new or innovative material. Rather, it would provide a broad overview of the current state of the science and would be designed to educate people with little background in sediments assessment. Journals that might be interested in releasing such a paper, call participants agreed, include Environmental Management and Environmental Science and Technology.
  
  
• EPRI’s review manual. Ash Jain said that EPRI plans to release a review manual. Jain will find out whether the Subgroup’s technical papers could be included in the manual.
  
  
• Interstate Technology and Regulatory Cooperation (ITRC) Work Group. Kelly Madalinski said that the ITRC might serve as an outlet for the papers, noting that the ITRC has worked with other RTDF teams in the past. (ITRC and the RTDF Bioremediation Consortium collaborated to create a training program on natural attenuation.)
  
  
• The EPA Forum on Managing Contaminated Sediments at Hazardous Waste Sites. Richard Jensen said that EPA is holding a meeting on May 30 through June 1, 2001, in Alexandria, Virginia. The Assessment Subgroup already plans to present a poster on behalf of the RTDF Sediments Remediation Action Team during the meeting. (This will be discussed below.) Jensen advised distributing the abstracts for the Subgroup’s technical papers at the conference. All references to the RTDF will need to be removed, he said, noting that the abstracts should not be connected to the RTDF poster and should be released independently of the RTDF. The abstracts should be billed, he said, as coming from a diverse group of technicians who are concerned about sediments assessment issues. Ralph Stahl agreed to pull together the abstracts. He will send them to Subgroup members for review before finalizing them for the EPA forum.
  
  
• The Contaminated Aquatic Sediment Remediation Guidance Workgroup (CASGRW). Jensen said that CASGRW might benefit from the Subgroup’s technical papers. It might be useful, he said, to bind the papers together and submit them to this group.
  
  
• The U.S. Navy. Apitz said that the Navy is exploring sediments-related issues and is working on guidance and policy papers. She agreed to ask Navy representatives whether they would benefit from the papers, and would be interested in publishing them.

Call participants agreed that all of the above-listed suggestions are interesting and not mutually exclusive. No matter which options are chosen, they agreed, one thing must occur: the papers must be combined, formatted, and streamlined to follow a common theme. Dan Reible said that he, along with graduate students working at LSU’s Hazardous Substance Research Center (HSRC), might be able to take on the task. He will explore this possibility further.

THE ANACOSTIA RIVER

Jensen said that the Anacostia Watershed Toxics Alliance (AWTA), a group that has formed to assess and clean up the Anacostia River, is extremely interested in partnering with the RTDF on demonstration projects. To date, Jensen said, AWTA has focused its efforts on assessment activities, but it is now ready to start investigating potential remedial solutions. Jensen said that AWTA members, particularly EPA Region III, have asked the RTDF to be prepared to start work on the river as soon as funds become available. Call participants identified three ways in which the RTDF Assessment Subgroup could be of assistance at the Anacostia River:

• Assist with a capping demonstration project. Reible said that LSU’s HSRC has prepared a proposal asking for funds to support a capping demonstration project at the Anacostia River site. The proposal has been submitted to the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program, as well as other potential funding sources. If funds are secured, Reible said, the capping demonstration project will be initiated in summer 2002. Reible cited two ways in which the Assessment Subgroup could become involved in the HSRC capping project: (1) provide feedback on work plans, and (2) assist with monitoring efforts. Reible expanded on the latter, saying that he envisioned RTDF members helping with pre- and post-capping monitoring efforts. Much of the “standard” sampling will be covered under the work plan of the core capping project, Reible said, but it would be interesting to supplement the monitoring plan with more innovative approaches. This is where RTDF members could really be helpful. Jensen said that a proposal has already been submitted to EPA’s Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation program, asking for funds to support monitoring efforts at the Anacostia River site. Assuming the proposal is accepted, Jensen said, some of these funds could be used to perform pre-construction sampling for the capping project. (Even though the river has been characterized to some extent, there is still not enough information to determine where the capping demonstration project should be located.) Jensen was optimistic that pre-construction sampling activities could start in summer 2001.
  
  
• Examine the potential for monitored natural recovery. Jensen said that natural attenuation will play a role in remediating the Anacostia River. AWTA is interested in identifying sites that are appropriate for monitored natural recovery.
  
  
• Divide the river into remediation zones. Jensen said that AWTA hopes to implement a variety of remedial approaches in the river. Before doing so, they must determine which portions of the river are suited for different remediation approaches. AWTA is looking to the RTDF for advice and guidance about this.

Stahl said that he and Jensen plan to meet with AWTA and participate in a field trip to the Anacostia River within the next month. They will get AWTA to clarify the role it envisions for the RTDF. Stahl and Jensen will report their findings to the Assessment Subgroup.

Joseph Jersak asked whether EPA Headquarters is amenable to having the RTDF become involved with the Anacostia River site. Timberlake and Madalinski agreed to keep their managers abreast of the RTDF’s involvement at the site. They did not anticipate any objections, noting that EPA Region III’s enthusiasm about the RTDF’s participation makes a persuasive argument for getting involved.

EPA’S MEETING IN ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA

As noted above, the Assessment Subgroup plans to present a poster at the EPA Forum on Managing Contaminated Sediments at Hazardous Waste Sites. Stahl encouraged call participants to visit http://www.epa.gov/superfund/new/sedforum.htm for details on the meeting’s agenda and registration information. Stahl, Ken Finkelstein, and John Davis agreed to create the poster, which will summarize information on the RTDF Sediments Remediation Action Team. Information will be included on the Team’s objectives, activities pending at the Anacostia River, and interest in innovative technologies. The poster’s authors will solicit feedback from the Assessment Subgroup before finalizing the poster.

SEDIMENT QUALITY VALUES WORKSHOP

David Moore said that the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) and the Pellston group plan to hold a workshop to address sediment quality values. Topics for discussion will include: (1) screening value derivation and application, (2) range versus point estimates, (3) sediment quality values in areas with chemical mixtures, and (4) problems with heterogeneity in sediment matrices. Moore said that workshop members will discuss the state of the science and identify recommendations on how sediment quality values should and should not be applied. Moore said that 40 to 50 people will be invited to attend the workshop; some of the invitees might be RTDF Sediments Remediation Action Team members.

A proposal for the workshop has been submitted. It has been received favorably, Moore said; the workshop will probably take place in early 2002. Efforts have been initiated to identify funding. Some contributors have already been identified, but several more are being sought.

NEXT ASSESSMENT SUBGROUP MEETING

Stahl said that a suggestion had been made to hold the next Assessment Subgroup meeting in Los Angeles, California, on September 11–12, 2001. He asked whether these dates were agreeable. Call participants indicated that they were. Stahl then pointed out that several of the Subgroup’s previous meetings have been held on the West Coast. He asked whether there was interest in locating the next meeting on the East Coast or the Gulf of Mexico. Call participants offered the following as suggested locales:

• Pensacola, Florida. Call participants recommended visiting the Gulf Breeze Laboratory.
  
  
• New Orleans, Louisiana. Subgroup members recommended visiting LSU’s HSRC.
  
  
• Rhode Island. Call participants recommended visiting EPA’s Narragansett Laboratory.
  
  
• Washington, D.C. If the Anacostia River project comes to fruition, call participants noted, it would be beneficial to meet in the mid-Atlantic so that meeting attendees could visit the river.

MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS

Call participants discussed the following miscellaneous topics:

• Grasse River. Jensen said that two demonstration projects might be performed on the Grasse River. One of the projects will involve particle broadcasting. The other will test electrokinetic processes in an area contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Jensen said that several Action Team members may be asked to comment on the work plans for the demonstration projects. He agreed to forward a copy of the work plan to Apitz.
  
  
• Lake Winnipesaukee. Jain said that a mixed remedy is being employed to address contamination at Lake Winnipesaukee, which has been impacted by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Hotspots have been removed, Jain said, and natural attenuation is now being relied upon to clean up the remainder of the lake. Jain asked Subgroup members to send him suggestions on how to monitor the long-term effectiveness of mixed remedies. He also noted that a CD-ROM would be produced to summarize activities at this site. This CD-ROM will be available for purchase in the future. (It will be free for government agencies.)
  
  
• A site in Minnesota. Jensen said that an electrochemical technology is being tested on a PAH-contaminated site in Minnesota. The Great Lakes National Program Office is funding the effort.
  
  
• Arsenic cleanup. Jain said that electrokinetic technologies have been used at a site contaminated with arsenic. Jensen expressed interest in learning more about this project.

ACTION ITEMS

• Call participants talked about ways to get their technical papers published and distributed. Jain said that he would ask whether they could be included in EPRI’s review manual. Apitz will ask Navy representatives whether they have any interest in publishing them. Stahl agreed to compile abstracts for the papers into one document, which can be distributed at EPA’s upcoming forum in Alexandria, Virginia. (He agreed to remove all references to the RTDF from the abstracts.) Reible will determine whether LSU has the resources to edit and consolidate the papers into one cohesive document.
  
  
• Stahl and Jensen plan to meet with AWTA within the next month. They will get clarification about the role AWTA envisions for the RTDF. Stahl and Jensen will report their findings to the Assessment Subgroup.
  
  
• Timberlake and Madalinski agreed to keep their managers abreast of the RTDF’s involvement at the Anacostia River site.
  
  
• Stahl, Finkelstein, and Davis will create a poster for the upcoming EPA forum. Madalinski agreed to send them electronic copies of the text that was used to create a previous poster. The poster’s authors will solicit feedback from the Assessment Subgroup before finalizing the poster. They will distribute text by May 11, 2001. All comments must be sent back to the authors by May 18, 2001. Stahl will produce the final version of the poster and bring it to the meeting.
  
  
• Jensen agreed to send Apitz a copy of the work plan that has been prepared for the Grasse River.
  
  
• ERG agreed to set up the next Assessment Subgroup conference call for June 21, 2001, between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.