Hazardous waste site investigation and cleanup: Innovative technologies, an alternative approach

Much has been made about the high costs associated with hazardous waste site investigations and cleanup. Independent organizations estimate that the current annual environmental market is $1.8 billion each for environmental engineering firms and commercial laboratory services companies. Clearly, with over 1200 hazardous waste, Superfund sites in EPA`s National Priority LIst (NPL) and with current estimates between 10,000 and 50,000 sites at the NPL funnel awaiting investigation, the nation faces a daunting political, social, and economic challenge. With increasing financial pressures placed on state governments and the recent inclusion of federal facilities into the Superfund process, Congress has finally become aware of the high costs and inefficiencies built into Superfund and in the way EPA conducts the site assessment and cleanup process. Federal funding agencies have focused considerable resources to develop innovative, field-based, analytical technologies that can provide real or near-real time chemical information about the site. Some EPA Regions appear to be out in front of the curve, with major site investigation programs being driven by the integration of innovative technologies. Unfortunately, most of these studies are being conducted on an ad hoc basis and are not universal within the agency. This is also true of DOD and DOE.