Development of a CAP Decision Support Tool

The Contaminant Assessment Process (CAP) is a systematic approach for documenting and assessing potential threats from environmental contaminants to lands managed by the Department of Interior (DOI). The Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) Project and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) jointly developed an Internet-accessible, data management system that enables the evaluation of contaminant sources and transport pathways. This system also compiles data and conclusions from the assessment and serves as a central repository for field, regional and national staff.

The BEST Project developed a Decision Support Tool (DST) coupled with a Geographical Information System (GIS) as an alternative approach to utilize CAP to address specific management activities and the effects of non-contaminant stressors. The main objective of a DST is to facilitate the decision making process by simplifying or automating tasks associated with synthesizing potentially large volumes of data, incorporating models and tools, and structuring the decision process. The BEST Project developed the DST with the primary goal of increasing the utility of CAP to DOI clients.

The objectives of the CAP DST are to:

• Facilitate the implementation of CAP by incorporating features that assist and guide investigators through the assessment and decision making process.

• Promote a consistent approach for conducting CAP on DOI lands.

• Allow CAP to address specific management needs and goals.

• Improve the ability to understand spatial associations between contaminants and the physical and biological landscape of the unit.

• Act as a platform on which managers may understand and visualize non-contaminant stressors and alternative management activities.

To address these objectives, a GIS system, capable of compiling, storing, and processing various kinds of data and information was required. ESRI’s ArcView® software was selected to serve as the platform of the DST. It has the flexibility to incorporate both geographic and descriptive data, images, documents, and modeling tools. In addition, large volumes of data required for the assessment process are available in compatible formats.  Finally, ArcView® can easily incorporate the steps involved in CAP.  Features were either developed or added to the DST package to facilitate the assessment process. Some of these features include:

• addition of a metadata tool to document newly collected or derived data, 

• CAP guidance and help tips,

• inclusion of national or regionally-scaled databases and metadata,

• assessment tables to rank and prioritize facilities and contaminants,

• links between facility information and contaminant data,

• links to reference and supplemental sources (toxicity data, water quality criteria tables, Standard Industrial Classification Codes, watershed health indicators),

• numerous GIS conversion and processing tools, and

• templates for map legends and table outputs.

In 1999, the CAP DST was applied at Acadia National Park. The report "Assessing Contaminants at Acadia National Park" summarized contaminant sources, areas of potential contamination, and management recommendations. The success of this project demonstrated the value of CAP and the flexibility of the DST to other DOI agencies. The BEST Project also applied the CAP DST in support of Comprehensive Conservation Plans  (CCPs) being developed by the FWS.  A CAP DST package was assembled for the Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge (located in Colorado) and implemented in 2002.

Assessing Contaminants at Acadia National Park

Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge