FY 2017 STATEMENT OF NEED 

Environmental Restoration (ER) Program Area 

The overall objective of this Statement of Need (SON) was to improve our ability to treat mixed contaminants of concern (COCs) in groundwater. To do so requires a better understanding of the synergies among different treatment technologies. The ultimate goal is to develop methods that can be used in series or in parallel to address the Department of Defense’s most commonly found COCs in commingled (or co-existing) plumes. In particular, cost-effective methods are needed to stimulate degradation processes likely to have a positive effect on other processes, and to estimate the in situ capability of sustaining the process rates over time. Specifically, the goal was to address the following objectives:

  • Develop a greater understanding of the effect of intrinsic physical, chemical, and biological properties and their associated impact on contaminant behavior and fate when contaminants are present in mixtures in lower mobility zones.
  • Develop a greater understanding of potential treatment synergies that could lead to cost savings and improved remedial strategies.
  • Develop procedures to validate efficacy and implementability of potential treatment trains addressing mixed contamination in groundwater.
  • Develop procedures to maximize benefit from treatment interactions and to provide a systematic approach for users on how to effectively identify and manage potential synergies early in the planning process.
  • Develop protocols that can be used to: (1) establish achievable remedial goals, (2) assess treatment performance, and (3) estimate remedial outcome based on potential treatment synergies for the targeted COCs.

The projects listed below were selected to address the objectives of this SON. Additional information on individual projects can be found by clicking the project title.

These research efforts should lead to improved site management, specifically for groundwater sites with mixed contamination. Products should provide tools and guidance to users (i.e., Remedial Program Managers [RPMs]) on effective management options for such sites. Further, this information will be used to support cost-benefit analyses of treatment methods for the different contaminants. The resulting tools and understanding should improve the ability to implement effective remedial strategies at DoD sites.