The Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory (RSKERL) has developed a number of Issue Papers and Briefing Documents which are designed to exchange up-to-date information related to the remediation of contaminated soil and ground water at hazardous waste sites. In an attempt to make the content of these documents available to a wider audience, RSKERL is developing a series of Summary Papers which are condensed versions of the original documents. There are a number of techniques that may potentially be used for dealing with problems resulting from the contamination of ground water with organic compounds. Ground water can sometimes be treated in place using chemical or biological processes. An emerging technology for the in-situ remediation of ground water is the use of microorganisms to degrade contaminants which are present in aquifer materials. Although in-situ bioremediation has been used for a number of years in the restoration of ground water contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons, its application to other classes of contaminants is relatively recent. This is discussed in the summary paper.

Caption title. "January 1993." "EPA/540-S-92-017."