Superfund Optimization Strategy: Extracting Lessons Learned on Managing Large Plumes from 640 Optimization Recommendations

The USEPA Superfund Program has expanded its remedy optimization program, tripling the average number of optimization and technical support events to about 21 per year. By expanding the optimization program, EPA has realized benefits from optimization, such as increasing remedy effectiveness, improving technical performance, reducing costs, moving sites to completion, and lowering the environmental footprint of remediation activities. In 2015 EPA collected information on the status of the optimization recommendations made at 61 events conducted between 2011 and 2015. The in-depth analysis of the data yielded insightful information on how optimization practices are helping us tackle large contaminated plumes. Through a close analysis of the more than 600 individual recommendations made over these four years, we are also learning about which technical practices are helping us achieve the optimization goals.