Feasibility of Using Natural Attenuation as a Remedial Alternative for Explosives-Contaminated Groundwater at Site L1, Joliet Army Ammunition Plant, Joliet, Illinois

摘要

Natural attenuation may be an attractive alternative to more expensive remediation technologies at sites that meet well-defined selection criteria, acceptable risk levels, and that satisfy specific regulatory concerns. Environmental remediation technology is necessarily evolving toward less expensive, less intrusive, long-term solutions. Natural attenuation may be a legitimate and sensible alternative to other remediation methods if appropriate evidence of protection for potential contaminant receptors is documented. A recent study by the U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station (WES) verified a regulatory attitude of potential acceptance of natural attenuation for explosives-contaminated sites (Balasco et al. 1996). This study confirmed that most regulatory agencies would accept natural attenuation given appropriate scientific, engineering, and risk assessment data.