Environmental Contaminants What We Do...

Contaminant Cleanup and Resource Restoration

Data collected in contaminant assessments are often used to secure compensation for resources lost or degraded by hazardous waste releases or spills. These efforts are part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program (Restoration Program). The Service also takes part, through contaminants identification, assessment, planning and restoration, in the Department of the Interior's National Irrigation Water Quality Program. Contaminants specialists are often called in by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US Coast Guard, Department of Defense, or various other Federal or State agencies responsible for cleaning up a contaminated area, to ensure that fish and wildlife and their habitat are adequately protected during, and upon completion of, the cleanup. Contaminants specialists also work closely with National Wildlife Refuge managers to design and implement actions to cleanup oil and hazardous material on refuge lands.