Environmental Remediation Sciences Program Workshop
O'Callahan's Convention Center, Shilo Inn, Idaho Falls, Idaho
June 12-14, 2006
Objective: To help scientists and problem holders understand how science can impact the evaluation, success and costs of remediation strategies using examples, identification of key challenges and reviewing how decisions are made.
Approach: Bring together a group of current ERSP researchers, DOE problem-holders, ERSP and EM headquarters staff, others (e.g., other researchers with valuable expertise, interested stakeholders) to:
- Discuss how fundamental science is linked to decision making with respect to the management of subsurface contamination at DOE sites.
- How can it make an impact
- When in the decision schedule it can make an impact
- Who will use the information
- Specific examples (e.g., Hanford, Oak Ridge, INL)
- Introduce INL site history and contamination legacy
- Examples of science supporting cleanup at INL
- Use INL as source of case studies. Identify specific contamination issues where critical unknowns still exist and where fundamental science could support decision-making and still fit into specified schedules. Work through examples to propose and verify/refine conceptual models for contaminant migration, and discuss how they will impact decisions, particularly pertaining to long-term stewardship activities at the INL.
Desired Outcomes: At the conclusion of the workshop, researchers should have an increased awareness of how their research is related to the remediation process, and how research can be conducted in order to maximize the impact on decisions concerning environmental challenges at DOE sites. DOE problem-holders will have an increased appreciation for how fundamental science can help them in the decision-making process and for how they can provide constructive guidance to researchers, and they will be more familiar with the types of research currently funded by the DOE Environmental Remediation Sciences Program. It is hoped that from concepts discussed and contacts made at the meeting, both scientists and problem-holders will be better able to communicate and the DOE missions of cleanup and scientific research will benefit synergistically.
In addition, a summary document will be prepared, that provides:
- An identification of critical challenges at the INL that can benefit from research, and
- Research approaches suggested by workshop participants to address those challenges.