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Land Research Program
Research Programs
Mission
To develop and implement innovative waste management and cleanup tools and practices to preserve the nation's land, restore contaminated properties, and protect public health from exposure to environmental contaminants.
Contact
Randall Wentsel (Wentsel.Randy@epa.gov)
National Program Director
Land Research Program
202-564-3214
Multi-Year Plan (PDF) (125 pp, 876KB)
Science Overview
EPA works with states, local communities and property owners to minimize and manage the risks of hazardous waste contamination. Remediation of hazardous waste contamination often requires new scientific approaches and technology to address complex cleanup challenges.
The Land Research Program in EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) is providing the methods, models, tools and technology to minimize the risk from hazardous wastes at contaminated sites and preserve and restore the land. Scientists and engineers are studying new treatment processes and developing innovative containment technologies. They are providing site-specific technical support to risk assessors and risk managers to ensure the best available science is available to make informed decisions on remediation of contaminated sites.
The Land Research Program is a multidisciplinary program that brings together researchers from a variety of disciplines to advance scientific knowledge on land restoration and preservation. Research is focused on:
- Contaminated sediments
- Groundwater contaminant transport and remediation
- Characterization of contaminate sites
- Materials management
- Land revitalization support
- Landfill energy recovery
- Fate and transport of engineered nanomaterials in the environment
- Fate and effects of oil spills
- New mine waste technology
The Land Research Program's two long-term research goals are:
Mitigation, Management, and Long-Term Stewardship of Contaminated Sites. To accurately identify the scientific uncertainties related to mitigation, management, and long-term stewardship at contaminated sites and to make the selected technologies cost-effective and scientifically defensible.
Manage Materials Streams, Address Emerging Materials Streams, and Conserve Resources. To accurately identify the scientific uncertainties related to the nature of material streams, mitigation and management of materials, conservation of resources, and long-term stewardship and to make the chosen solutions cost-effective and scientifically defensible.