An integrated performance measure for environmental restoration at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

A number of contaminated sites at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) require remediation. A strategy has been developed to support the remediation of individual sites, while providing an integrated measure of contaminant release from all sites and serving as a performance measure for remedial efforts. Most ORNL facilities are in one watershed and groundwater pathways are known to be localized within the watershed. Thus the stream system is the receptor for contaminants released from individual sites and a conduit for contaminant transport off site. Monitoring at key locations in the watershed is linked with information from environmental investigations to: (1) identify and quantify contaminant fluxes; (2) identify the pathways of greatest concern for human health and ecological risk; (3) improve conceptual models of contaminant movement; (4) evaluate remedial alternatives; (5) prioritize sites for remediation; and, (6) document reduced contaminant fluxes following remediation. The contaminants of greatest concern are associated with soil and aquatic sediment. The subjects of investigations range from soil processes and bioindicators of contaminant exposure, to phenomena at the watershed-level such as models predicting contaminant movement during large storms and predicting groundwater transport of contaminants. These efforts provide the foundation needed to coordinate the remediation of individual sites and to assess the overall performance of remedial actions