Best Practices for Risk-Informed Decision Making Regarding Contaminated Sites: Summary of a Workshop Series (2014)
Chapter: Appendix A: Statement of Task
Statement of Task: An ad hoc committee will organize two public workshops on best practices for risk-informed remedy selection, closure, and post-closure control of radioactive and chemically contaminated sites that cannot be remediated for unrestricted release. The workshops will bring together federal and state agency decision makers responsible for contaminated site cleanup and closure decisions, federal and state regulators, key stakeholders, and other technical experts to explore the following topics through presentations, case studies, and discussions:
- Holistic approaches for remediating sites with multiple contaminant source terms and multiple post-closure uses, including criteria for selecting point-of-compliance and point-of-use monitoring locations.
- Effective post-closure controls, including monitoring, engineered controls (e.g., engineered barriers), and natural controls (natural barriers and passive in situ remediation).
- Approaches for assessing the long-term performance of site remedies and closures, especially technically advanced approaches that reduce performance uncertainties and the need for post-closure controls on land use, resource management, and intruder prevention.
- Approaches for incorporating a sustainability framework into decision making regarding site remediation, closure, and post-closure control of contaminated sites.
The workshops will also explore best-in-class remediation, closure, and post-closure approaches that are being developed and applied by recognized leaders in the community of remediation practice; regulatory practices that promote effective, risk-informed decision making; and future opportunities to improve these approaches and practices.
