Ranking of the Remedial Priority of Contaminated Sites Using a Fuzzy Rule Based System

Ranking of contaminated sites for remedial priority is a concern especially for orphan sites. Ranking may be required to allocate limited resources efficiently given temporal and financial constraints. For this purpose, high quality data may be required for comparison of the severity of pollution at different sites. Yet, in most cases, input parameters relevant to contaminant fate, transport, and exposure are vague or not precise. In this study, an alternative remedial priority ranking system is developed which considers the vagueness in parameters relevant to contaminant fate, transport, and exposure pathways in ranking of the remedial priority of contaminated sites. The system is based on fuzzy theory. Potential human health risks due to contamination are assessed using sufficiently comprehensive and readily available parameters in describing the fate and transport of contaminants in air, soil and groundwater. The system was incorporated into software for ease in application. Rankings were employed for different contamination cases of varying levels of severity. Results indicated success in distinguishing between higher and lower risk cases.