The primary aim of the U.S. Department of the Interior's (Department) Natural Resources Damage Assessment and Restoration Program (NRDAR) is to restore natural resources injured as the result of oil spills or hazardous substance releases.  The program assesses the damages and injuries to natural resources entrusted to the Department and negotiates legal settlements or takes other legal actions against the responsible parties for the spill or release.  Funds from these settlements are then used to restore the injured resources at no expense to the taxpayer.  Settlements often include the recovery of the costs incurred in assessing the damages.  These funds are then used to fund further damage assessments.

For more information: 
  -Visit the Department of Interior's NRDR website. 
  -Contact John Wegrzyn, NRDA Coordinator, USFWS, Region 6, 303-236-4261

NRDA Projects within Region 6

- Upper Arkansas River Basin/California Gulch, Leadville, CO

  - Alamosa River Watershed Summitville, CO

 - Cherokee County, Kansas  
               Baxter Springs Subsite, Cherokee County, KS  
               Operable Unit 6-Waco, Lawton, Badger & Crestline Subsites, Cherokee County, KS

 - Eastern Kansas Smelters, Kansas

- Lakepoint Wetland Restoration, Utah

Useful NRDA Documents

Hazardous Waste Site Assistance:

          Planning and Promoting Ecological Land Reuse of Remediated Sites 
             (1.77mb .pdf download)

             Examination of Risk-Based Screening Values and Approaches  
              (.9mb .pdf download)

             The Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council  (funded by U.S. EPA).
             See this site for free online training and information related to remediation/restoration of hazmat sites.

              CAMEO Chemicals  online database of hazardous materials maintained by NOAA's Ocean Service

Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration:

        CERCLA NRDA Regulations
              (DOI Restoration Program website 43 CFR 11 html doc)

        
         Visual HEA:
         Habitat Equivalency Analysis software to calculate compensatory restoration  

        Visual HEA Instructions to download software

           
        ASTSWMO Restoration Guidance 8-06