EPA/625/4-91/026 reported in November, 1991 that site characterization of contaminated sites has become an increasingly complex process as a result of rapid developments in (1) methods for observing the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the subsurface, and (2) methods for remediation of soil and ground water. Consideration of the possible methods that may be used to clean up contaminated soils or ground water early in the site characterization process can ensure that data collected are appropriate and possibly reduce the time it takes to initiate clean-up efforts.
This seminar publication provides a comprehensive approach to site characterization for subsurface remediation. Chapter 1 describes a methodology for integrating site characterization with subsurface remediation. This introductory chapter of the handbook also provides a guide for quickly and efficiently accessing information in the rest of the document for specific remediation applications through the use of summary tables, checklists, figures, and flow charts.
The rest of the handbook is divided into three parts. Part I covers methods for subsurface characterization, Part II covers physical and chemical processes in the subsurface that relate to the selection of remediation methods, and Part III covers methods for soil and ground-water remediation.
In Part I, Chapter 2 provides an overview of the site characterization process. The next four chapters cover physical aspects of site characterization: geologic and hydrogeologic aspects (Chapter 3), characterization of water movement in the unsaturated zone (Chapter 4), characterization of the vadose zone (Chapter 5), and characterization of water movement in saturated fractured media (Chapter 6). The remaining three chapters in Part I cover geochemical aspects of site characterization: basic analytical and statistical concepts (Chapter 7), the geochemical variability of the natural and contaminated subsurface (Chapter 8), and geochemical sampling of soil and ground water (Chapter 9).
Part II contains three chapters on physiochemical processes affecting the transport of major types of contaminants: organics in liquid and solid phases in the subsurface (Chapter 10), organic volatilization and gas-phase transport (Chapter 11), and inorganic contaminants (Chapter 12). Chapter 13 focuses on abiotic and microbiological degradation and transformation processes in the subsurface.
Part III contains three chapters on remediation. Chapter 14 outlines basis approaches to remediation of contaminated soil and ground water. The concluding chapters provide more detailed information on specific techniques for cleaning up contaminated soil (Chapter 15) and ground water (Chapter 16).
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