ORD Contaminated Sediments Research

Monitored Natural Recovery (MNR)

Research includes (1) developing tools and validation techniques to characterize mechanisms driving MNR and Fate and Transport (F&T); (2) quantifying contaminant transport mechanisms to facilitate the prediction of remedy performance.

Richard Brenner, brenner.richard@epa.gov

Innovative Risk Management

Research on ground water and surface water discharge involves (1) Reactive Activated Carbon (RAC): Activated Carbon impregnated with nano reactive metal particles; investigate use in reactive core mats; (2) Advective Flux Meter: long-term remote monitoring of groundwater discharge across sediment-water interface.

Robert Ford, ford.robert@epa.gov;
Souhail Al-Abed (RAC), al-abed.souhail@epa.gov; 
Bob Lien (Advective Flux Meter), lien.bob@epa.gov

Dredging residuals and effectiveness

Research activities incorporate determining (1) the (a) effects on biota, (b) F&T of resuspended contaminants, (c) measurement tools, and (d) management options when dredging is used for remediation; (2) the effectiveness of alternative technologies vs. sediment dredging; and (3) estimates of residual contamination after dredging.

Marc Mills, mills.marc@epa.gov

Biota-Sediment Accumulation Factor (BSAFs)

Research on BSAFs include (1) developing a methodology to extrapolate bioaccumulation data BSAFs across ecosystems, species, and time for PBTs; (2) demonstrating applicability of BSAFs for predicting ecological risks; and (3) behavior of BSAFs across contamination gradients.

Lawrence Burkhard, burkhard.lawrence@epa.gov

Food web modeling

Research activities on (1) defining value added in relation to remedy selection, uncertainties, etc. for Empirical (BSAFs) and modeling (steady-state and dynamic); (2) determining the complexity needed for specific sites and the decision-making criteria; and (3) determining the impacts of residues in fish and how resuspension, dredging and remediation activities impact fish populations regarding a change in the amount of residues and the time course of the residues.

Lawrence Burkhard, burkhard.lawrence@epa.gov

Chemical bioavailability

Research on the bioavailability and uptake of highly hydrophobic chemicals (log Kows greater than 8) by benthic invertebrates and fish.

Lawrence Burkhard, burkhard.lawrence@epa.gov

Passive Samplers

Research results are used to develop guidance on use of passive samplers at freshwater and marine Superfund sites including: selection of passive samplers; data interpretation; appropriate applications (e.g., comparison to Water Quality Criteria); and assessing contaminant bioavailability (e.g., comparison to tissues).

Robert Burgess, burgess.robert@epa.gov;
Joseph Schubauer-Berigan, schubauer-berigan@epa.gov

Equilibrium partitioning sediment benchmark (ESBs)

ESBs research incorporates efforts to generate numeric values providing guidance for predicting toxicity to benthic organisms. 

Robert Burgess, burgess.robert@epa.gov

Sediment Profile Imagery (SPI)

Research includes comparing and evaluating the traditional grab/sieving method and the SPI camera method of benthic community assessment including: SPI data comparison with benthic species enumeration and evaluating SPI technique at Superfund sites to document benthic community effects during remediation and recovery

William Nelson, nelson.william@epa.gov;
Barbara Bergen, bergen.barbara@epa.gov

Exposure

Detection of Newly Deposited Sediments via Frequency Response Measurements: Dredging Residuals Density Profiler (DRDP);
Underwater Cotton-Swab Sediment Sampler – Autosampler/Development and Reproductive Technology (DART)/Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (TOFMS) for Mapping Contaminants

Brian Schumacher, Schumacher.brian@epa.gov;
Andy Grange, grange.andrew@epa.gov

Capping

• Innovative caps
• In situ treatment

Capping research efforts between ORD and GLNPO include (1) developing a Cap Effectiveness Monitoring Plan for capping remedies, including the potential to incorporate monitoring devices into cap design;  (2) developing and modifying a cap performance model based on selected capping design remedy; (3) demonstrating through implementation the cap effectiveness monitoring approaches, parameters and methods at a Great Lakes Legacy Act (GLLA) project site; (4) determining long-term monitoring approaches for cap effectiveness; and (5) evaluating innovative monitoring approaches and techniques to evaluate the performance on in situ, sub-aqueous sediment caps.

Ed Barth,
barth.ed@epa.gov  
Heather Williams; Williams.heather@epa.gov
Collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Sediment Chemistry and Toxicity Concordance

The key science activities of ORD/GLNPO sediment/chemistry research are determining the: (1) unknown or unmeasured toxicants –the causal variables are not measured; (2) differences in bioavailability – thereby obscuring exposure/response relationships; (3) multiple causes of toxicity –the presence of multiple chemicals at toxic concentrations can obscure chemistry/toxicity relationships; (4) non-toxicant factors influencing toxicity test results –may sometimes influence toxicity test results in a way that obscures the exposure/ response relationship; and (5) poor quality of sediment toxicity test data –laboratory difficulties have led to questionable toxicity data.

Dave Mount, mount.dave@epa.gov
Various collaborations

Remedy Effectiveness

To accurately assess remedy effectiveness (RE), ORD/GLNPO researchers are working to (1) develop a 3-5 year research coordination plan amongst the partners to optimize field research efforts as well as to ensure that outcomes will lead to answering key RE questions; and (2) create an RE guidance document that recommends RE tools, their data needs and which RE questions are best suited to which tools/methods, based on the collective efforts of the partners.

Marc Mills, mills.marc@epa.gov;
Jim Lazorchak, lazorchak.jim@epa.gov

Dredging Materials Density Profiler (DRDP)

Research conducted between EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Waterways Experiment Station is focusing on the development of DRDP to detect newly deposited sediments.

Brian Schumacher, schumacher.brian@epa.gov 
USACE

EPA-NHEERL

• William “Skip” Nelson
• Barbara Bergen
• Lawrence Burkhard

EPA-NERL

• James Lazorchak
• John Meier
• Ken Fritz
• Paul Wernsing

USGS

• David Walters
• Paul Baumann
• Chris Custer
• Tom Custer

EPA-NRMRL

• Richard Brenner
• Pat Clark
• Terry Lyons
• Marc Mills
• Joseph Schubauer-Berigan
• Dennis Timberlake

EPA-GLNPO

• Scott Cieniawski
• Brenda Jones
• Amy Mucha
• Heather Williams

NOAA

• Kimani Kimbrough
• Ed Johnson

USFW

• David DeVault