NGWA Event and Education Recordings Archive

Beyond the Phase II — Shifting from Investigation to Risk Management

Once groundwater impacts are identified at a property, a strategy for the site must be developed for moving from problem identification and reporting to one of managing the problems over the long term. A variety of techniques exist for addressing identified problems — active or passive remediation, property restrictions, and risk-based approaches among others. At many sites, a combination of techniques may be needed to successfully manage impacts, with no one-size-fits-all approach. The various techniques require expertise in different subject areas, with opinions coming from experts in a variety of backgrounds and training. There are also a variety of regulatory and institutional programs that may have authority over the problem, potentially further complicating the issue. This session looks at how the costs and benefits of different remediation and closure approaches are evaluated, strategies for implementation of the different approaches, and the long-term management of the options identified.