Risk based analysis: A rational approach to site cleanup

Conference · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:78087

Arulanatham, R; So, E

Soil and groundwater pollution in urban areas often can pose a threat to either human health or water quality or both. This soil and groundwater cleanup can be a very lengthy process and requires significant economic resources. The cleanup levels or requirements required by one agency sometimes do not match that required by the other agency, especially those for soil pollution. The involvement of several agencies at different times during the reclamation process has often diminished the cost-effectiveness of the reclamation efforts. In an attempt to bring some solutions to minimize this kind of problem (which has been experienced by both the authors) the staff of the Alameda County Department of Environmental Health and the Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region, has jointly developed some workable guidelines to self-assist the responsible parties in deriving target cleanup goals that are both human health (or other ecological receptor) and water quality protective. The following is a 6-step summary of the methodology to assist the responsible parties in properly managing their pollution problem. These guidelines include: (1) site characterization; (2) initial risk-based screening of contaminants; (3) derivation of health and/or ecological risk-based cleanup goals; (4) derivation of groundwater quality-based cleanup goals; (5) site cleanup goals and site remediation; and (6) risk management decisions.

• OSTI ID: 78087
• Report Number(s): CONF-9404125--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CALIFORNIA
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
LAND RECLAMATION
POLLUTION CONTROL
REMEDIAL ACTION
RISK ASSESSMENT
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WATER RECLAMATION