Monitored Natural Recovery at Contaminated Sediment Sites- a PDH Online Course for Engineers, Architects and Surveyors

Monitored Natural Recovery at Contaminated Sediment Sites

Course Outline

This online course provides an introduction to monitored natural recovery (MNR) as a remedial approach for contaminated sediment sites. Specific topics include natural recovery processes, natural recovery and conceptual site models, evaluation of MNR as a remedy alternative, and evaluation of MNR data to evaluate remedy effectiveness. Additionally, a significant component of the course presents specific lines of evidence typically used to evaluate the suitability of MNR as a remedy, and to confirm its performance.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will

Understand the roles of source control and natural recovery processes for successful implementation of MNR;
Understand the common processes that contribute to reduced contaminant exposure and natural recovery of contaminated sediment;
Develop a general understanding of how site-specific natural processes are integrated into a conceptual site model (CSM) for evaluation of MNR;
Understand the role of numerical models in predicting and evaluating MNR effectiveness;
Develop an understanding of how MNR is evaluated as a remedial alternative when being compared to other more intrusive/disruptive remedies such as dredging or capping;
Understand how MNR lines of evidence are developed and evaluated throughout the main phases of remedial process, including the RI and FS stages, and subsequently during MNR implementation;
Understand how MNR lines of evidence can be investigated using a tiered approach, beginning with less-resource intensive tools, and proceeding to more resource-intensive tools if necessary;
Understand key considerations when investigating lines of evidence to establish chemical transformation processes as a component of MNR;
Understand important factors when investigating lines of evidence to establish reduced bioavailability and mobility as component(s) of MNR;
Understand key considerations for investigating the natural processes associated with physical isolation as a component of MNR;
Understand important factors when evaluating dispersion processes associated with MNR;
Develop a general understanding of the interdependency of MNR processes and how diagnostic modeling can be used to enhance understanding of these complex relationships; and
Be familiar with a practical checklist presented in the course materials that identifies considerations for developing lines of evidence to evaluate the feasibility of MNR.

Intended Audience

This course is intended primarily for civil and environmental engineers.

Benefit to Attendees

Attendees of this course will obtain practical knowledge pertaining to monitored natural recovery as a remedial alternative, which is useful for environmental professionals who have been, or will be, tasked with evaluating various remediation strategies for a contaminated sediment site.

Course Introduction

Contaminated sediments pose serious risks to human health and the environment, and therefore have received significant regulatory attention at the local, State, and Federal levels in recent years. Options commonly considered for remediation of contaminated sediment sites include MNR, in-situ capping, and environmental dredging. The focus of this course will be to provide the attendee with an introduction to MNR as a remedy for contaminated sediment sites. For the purposes of this course, MNR refers to a remedy that relies on naturally-occurring processes to reduce ecological and human health risks to acceptable levels, while monitoring recovery over time to confirm effectiveness. MNR strategies are not “no-action” approaches, and can involve significant costs and efforts associated with site characterization and long-term monitoring.

Course Content

The focus of this course will be to provide the attendee with an introduction to MNR as a cleanup strategy for contaminated sediment sites. The course is based on technical guidance for monitored natural recovery at contaminated sediment sites developed under the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP). You are required to study select chapters from the ESTCP guidance document indicated below. The first chapter provides an overview of MNR, while the next section focuses on lines of evidence for MNR.

Chapters 1 and 4 of “Technical Guide: Monitored Natural Recovery at Contaminated Sites,” 64 pages, PDF file.

The contents of these materials are consolidated in one pdf file:

Chapter 1. Monitored Natural Recovery Overview & Chapter 4. MNR Lines of Evidence

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you still experience any difficulty in downloading or opening this file, you may need to close some applications or reboot your computer to free up some memory.

Course Summary

At many contaminated sediment sites, “constructed remedies” such as dredging or capping are often be cost prohibitive, technically infeasible, and may result in unnecessary damage to benthic populations. Under appropriate site conditions, monitored natural recovery (MNR) has been affirmed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other regulatory authorities as a suitable remedy to address contaminated sediment sites. MNR has been used both as a primary remedy and in combination with other remedies. The focus of this course will be to provide the attendee with an introduction to MNR as a remedial strategy for contaminated sediment sites. Accordingly, this course will explore several aspects of MNR, including:

a. Appropriate site conditions for successful implementation of MNR.
b. The four primary categories of naturally-occurring processes that contribute to MNR.
c. Natural recovery and conceptual site models.
d. MNR lines of evidence.
e. Investigating MNR feasibility.
f. Lines of evidence to evaluate source control.
g. Key considerations for investigating natural processes.
h. Long term monitoring of MNR to evaluate effectiveness and success.

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites:

a. Contaminated Sediment Remediation Guidance for Hazardous Waste Sites. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. EPA-540-R-05-012.

b. Technical Guide, Monitored Natural Recovery at Contaminated Sediment Sites. Environmental Security Technology Certification Program. ESTCP Project ER-0622.

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.