You are here:
NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT OF CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS: PROCEEDINGS
Citation:
U.S. EPA. NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT OF CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS: PROCEEDINGS. National Conference on Management and Treatment of Contaminated Sediments, Cincinnati, OH, May 13 - 14, 1997. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/625/R-98/001, 1998.
Impact/Purpose:
Information
Description:
The National Conference on Management and Treatment of Contaminated Sediment was held in Cincinnati, OH, May 13 to 14, 1997. This technology transfer meeting was held for 213 professionals from various EPA divisions and other organizations, including Environment Canada, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Research Council, academia, and the private sector, to disseminate information on how to manage and treat contaminated sediments. During the conference, 24 speakers presented various treatment options available for high- and low-end contaminated sites; future research needs, questions, and comments were addressed during an interactive panel discussion; and private vendors who have experience in the treatment of contaminated sediments were available for information at 23 vendor booths.
Contaminated sediments is growing as an area of environmental concern, particularly when assessing ecological and public health risks. Costs for treatment and removal of typically high volume, low-contaminant concentrations; inadequate measuring techniques for predicting the effectiveness of cleanup strategies; and lack of comprehensive performance data for various emerging technologies pose technological challenges for controlling and remediating sediment contamination. While investigations have been conducted to assess the ecological effects of contaminated sediments, and to establish general sediment quality criteria used for the basis of some policy decisions, research is ongoing. This conference provided information on the status of treatment technologies and the results from various research programs in the following areas:
1) Nature and extent of contaminated sediments, 2) Significance of biological and chemical effects of the sediment contamination problem, 3) Sediment quality criteria, 4) Management of sediments, including dredging and containment, 5) Various in situ and ex situ sediment contamination treatment options, 6) Current research case studies conducted by public, academic and private sectors, 7) Panel discussion to identify future research needs.
The purpose of this proceedings document is to present papers from the conference and provide information to interested individuals unable to attend. This document will be useful to individuals who are currently looking for information and techniques to treat contaminated sediments in rivers, harbors, lakes, and/or Superfund sites because of the associated ecological and/or public health risks or for navigational purposes. These individuals include environmental regulatory personnel at the federal, state, and local level; university professors, researchers, and students; and private sector personnel, including industry representatives and environmental consultants. The goal of sharing this information with a broader audience is to help educate others about the various technological advances that have been made in sediment contamination research; to present an overview of the control and treatment options available; and to highlight the future research needs for treating and managing contaminated sediments.