Collaborations with EPA on Contaminated Site Hydrology
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is developing tools and methods to help assess the fate and transport of anthropogenic and geologically sourced contaminants in the water cycle at waste sites throughout the nation.
The cooperative efforts at most of these waste sites include conceptual, analytical, and numerical modeling that improve our understanding of groundwater contamination in natural conditions and after the construction or implementation of remedial solutions. The USGS facilitates the monitoring, evaluation, and optimization of remediation efforts to minimize public risk, mitigate contamination, and expedite clean-up.
The study of anthropogenic and geologically sourced contaminants includes a wide spectrum of chemicals, the behavior and occurrence of which varies among diverse, highly complex environmental settings. Geologically sourced contaminants include uranium, radon, arsenic and other toxic substances. Anthropogenic contaminants include chlorinated ethenes (such as trichloroethylene), carbon tetrachloride, perchlorate, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and others. The USGS uses local and national expertise to assist EPA in technical evaluation, thereby improving the cost-effectiveness of clean-up efforts and bringing the best available science to help solve these difficult problems.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is developing tools and methods to help assess the fate and transport of anthropogenic and geologically sourced contaminants in the water cycle at waste sites throughout the nation.
The cooperative efforts at most of these waste sites include conceptual, analytical, and numerical modeling that improve our understanding of groundwater contamination in natural conditions and after the construction or implementation of remedial solutions. The USGS facilitates the monitoring, evaluation, and optimization of remediation efforts to minimize public risk, mitigate contamination, and expedite clean-up.
The study of anthropogenic and geologically sourced contaminants includes a wide spectrum of chemicals, the behavior and occurrence of which varies among diverse, highly complex environmental settings. Geologically sourced contaminants include uranium, radon, arsenic and other toxic substances. Anthropogenic contaminants include chlorinated ethenes (such as trichloroethylene), carbon tetrachloride, perchlorate, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and others. The USGS uses local and national expertise to assist EPA in technical evaluation, thereby improving the cost-effectiveness of clean-up efforts and bringing the best available science to help solve these difficult problems.