Options for management of soil contamination problems at Superfund sites: A proposed approach to setting soil cleanup levels
For the purposes of this study, soil leaching and ground water ingestion is assumed to be the most limiting pathway at most CERCLA sites. EPA needs to apply a similar decision making process from site to site for selecting and applying models to assess risks from soils, and to estimate soil cleanup levels by back-calculating soil levels from safe ground water concentrations. The Soil Contaminant Evaluation Methodology (SOCEM) is proposed as a candidate modeling decision process, incorporating decision analysis principles to semi-quantitatively estimate and track the uncertainties associated with each decision in the model selection process. At the McKin Superfund site in Gray, Maine, one of EPA's first sites with a published, numerical soil cleanup target, the author applied many of the SOCEM principles to advise EPA analysts and contractors in selecting and using a model to back-calculate the soil cleanup level, based on potential ground water exposure to trichloroethylene. Other SOCEM principles were applied after the McKin decision was made, as the responsible parties challenged the model choice and EPA rebutted. Results of the analysis, and the implications of adopting a SOCEM approach on a national scale, are discussed. Recommendations for future testing, improvements, and research needs for SOCEM are given.
- Research Organization:
- California Univ., Los Angeles, CA (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 7069631
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Superfund at work: Hazardous waste cleanup efforts nationwide, fall 1992. (American Thermostat Corporation, New York)
EPA's approach to evaluating and cleaning up ground water contamination at Superfund sites
Related Subjects
540220* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
540320 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
CHLORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
CONTAMINATION
DECISION MAKING
DISSOLUTION
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE PATHWAY
FEDERAL REGION I
GROUND WATER
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION NEEDS
LAND POLLUTION
LAWS
LEACHING
MAINE
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
POLLUTION LAWS
RECOMMENDATIONS
RISK ASSESSMENT
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOILS
SUPERFUND
US EPA
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
WATER
WATER POLLUTION