- 2020 Superfund Optimization Progress Report highlights best practices to achieve greener, faster and more effective cleanup
- PNNL demonstrates viability of an ecosystem services simulation-valuation methodology for three DOD installations
- New information about reducing heat islands at urban sites
- DOD demonstrates performance of biobased lubricants for vehicles and equipment
- Updated Soil Vapor Extraction Endstate Tool (SVEET) now available to support SVE remedy decisions
- EPA compiles new Biogas Toolkit to help plan beneficial use of landfill gas
- Total installed capacity of renewable energy projects reaches 1.8 GW at 417 formerly contaminated lands, landfills and mine sites
- Call for abstracts: 2021 Design and Construction Issues at Hazardous Waste Sites
- News archives...
- March 7-10 AWWA Sustainable Water Management Conference in Charlotte
- More on the calendar...
- View the Perspectives on the Implementation of Greener Cleanups webinar presentations
The environmental footprint of cleanup activities at the Aerojet-General NPL site in Rancho Cordova, California, has been reduced through a strategy involving generation of electricity from onsite renewable energy sources, reclaiming treated water for non-potable uses, and preserving ecosystem services across the 5,900-acre site. About 30 percent of the grid electricity used to operate multiple groundwater extraction and treatment systems is now offset by an operating solar farm, and about 700,000 gallons of the water treated each day are used for ongoing site activities. Land use plans for portions of the site include a municipal open space and park near the lower American River, a state- and nationally-designated recreational river with high biodiversity.
A subgrade biogeochemical reactor at Travis Air Force Base in California contains waste cooking oil serving as a carbon-rich food source for contaminant-degrading microorganisms.
Operation of wind turbines at the Continental Steel Corp. site in Kokomo, Indiana, offsets up to 60% of the grid electricity used to extract contaminated groundwater from 16 wells.
Use of a continuous one-pass trencher for remedy construction at the Altus Air Force Base in Altus, Oklahoma, reduced fuel consumption while minimizing disturbance to ground surfaces and vegetation.
Integration of a bioreactor to degrade contaminants in groundwater at the Re-Solve Inc. site in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, resulted in an 86 percent reduction in processed chemical usage.
A groundwater treatment building for the Lawrence Aviation Industries site in Port Jefferson Station, New York, was built to meet selected LEED criteria for green building.
Onsite solar energy is used to power skimming pumps that recover hydrocarbons from groundwater at the former St. Croix Alumina Plant in Kingshill, U.S. Virgin Islands.
About 500,000 tons of byproduct from a local industrial plant was used to stabilize 85 acres of mine-impacted lands at the De Sale Restoration Area in Butler County, Pennsylvania.
Restoration of the Pemaco Superfund site in Mayfield, California, included establishing greenspace that promotes rainwater infiltration and minimizes stormwater runoff.
Best Management Practice (BMP)
Fact Sheets
- An Overview (PDF) (2 pp, 231K)
- Excavation and Surface Restoration (PDF) (5 pp, 286K) *Update*
- Site Investigation and Environmental Monitoring (PDF) (4 pp, 179K)
- Pump and Treat Technologies (PDF) (8 pp, 225K)
- Bioremediation (PDF) (4 pp, 176K)
- Soil Vapor Extraction & Air Sparging (PDF) (4 pp, 131K)
- Clean Fuel & Emission Technologies for Site Cleanup (PDF) (10 pp, 354K)
- Integrating Renewable Energy into Site Cleanup (PDF) (8 pp, 335K)
- Sites with Leaking Underground Storage Tanks (PDF) (4 pp, 216K) *Update*
- Landfill Cover Systems & Energy Production (PDF) (6 pp, 465K)
- Overview of EPA's Methodology to Address the Environmental Footprint of Site Cleanup (PDF) (2 pp, 176K)
- Mining Sites (PDF) (6 pp, 535K)
- Implementing In Situ Thermal Technologies (PDF) (6 pp, 249K)
- Materials and Waste Management (PDF) (4pp, 397K)
GR Technology Primer (PDF) (56 pp, 814K):
Incorporating Sustainable Environmental Practices into Remediation of Contaminated Sites
A Citizen's Guide to Greener Cleanups (PDF) (2 pp, 1.4MB)
- Executive Order 13834 Regarding Efficient Federal Operations.
The EO sets forth requirements that agencies have to meet to make the Federal Government's operations more sustainable. Use of greener cleanup strategies in the US EPA's Superfund and other site cleanup programs helps meet statutory requirements concerning energy and environmental performance in a manner that increases efficiency, optimizes performance, eliminates unnecessary use of resources, and protects the environment.
Learn about footprint assessment tools and view comprehensive reports on footprint evaluations conducted at sites undergoing cleanup. EPA's universal greener cleanup metrics provide a uniform and transparent approach to quantifying the environmental footprint associated with materials, wastes, water or energy that are used or generated during a cleanup. EPA's Spreadsheets for Environmental Footprint Analysis (SEFA) tool is available to help evaluate the environmental footprint of a cleanup project at a detailed level. *Update*
Aligning with National Goals
Learn about executive orders, requirements, and guidance on energy and water management, green purchasing, and environmental stewardship
Questions and comments about EPA's green remediation efforts may be forwarded to:
Carlos Pachon, Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation.
