1. 1 Introduction to Ecological Re-Use Concepts: ITRC Technical and Regulatory Guidance Document 2006 Brownfields Conference Boston, Massachusetts Charles R. Harman, P.W.S. AMEC Earth & Environmental

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3. 3 ITRC Technical and Regulatory Guidance Includes  Benefits, incentives, and limitations for implementing ecological elements at environmentally impacted sites  Case studies where the ecological elements are incorporated into the remedial design and/or end use  Recommendations for the successful design of ecological elements at environmentally impacted properties  Recommendations for improvements to foster greater acceptance and flexibility for the incorporation of ecological elements as components of remedial actions and end use  Areas where additional scientific research is needed

4. 4 Failure of Traditional Remedial Technologies  Traditional remedial technologies are designed to address potential risks to human health and the environment –Landfill caps –Gas collection and treatment systems –Groundwater extraction and treatment systems –Solidification/ stabilization  Traditional remedial technologies are not designed to restore the habitat in a manner sufficient to support wildlife

5. 5 Ecological Land Re-Use  Ecological enhancements –Habitat for plants and animals –While protecting human health and the environment  Can include –Natural or traditional remediation technologies –End-use restoring or increasing ecological value of the land

6. 6 A New Way of Looking at the Remediation  Increased interest in incorporating ecological enhancement into the remediation process as a means of developing an ecological end-use –Brownfields –Greenfields  Wildlife Habitat Council –White Paper: Making the Case for Ecological Enhancements (2003)

7. 7 An Ecological Enhancement modifies a site to increase/improve habitat for plants and animals while protecting human health and the environment. An Ecological Enhancement can include natural remedial technologies and/or also represent an end- use which restores/increases the ecological value of the land. WHC, 2003

8. 8 Three Ways to Apply Ecological Enhancements to Impacted Properties  Create or restore a safe sustainable wildlife habitat goal as a final cleanup goal  Use sustainable wildlife habitat as a compliment to a traditional remedy  Use natural or “green” remedial technologies to remove contaminants while providing viable wildlife habitat

9. 9 Ecological Enhancement End-Uses  Creating or restoring habitat as a final clean up goal –Mitigative wetlands –Control of invasive species –Woodlot management –Debris removal  Using natural remediation as a cleanup technology –Phytoremediation –Alternative landfill caps –Constructed Wetlands

10. 10 Ecological Enhancement End-Uses (Cont.)  Creating habitat as a compliment to a traditional remedy –Terrestrial Creation of upland/meadow habitat following soil excavation –Aquatic Streambank restoration following soil/sediment removal Placement of instream aquatic structures following dredging of sediment

11. 11 Concept OverviewPristineBaseline Value of Resource Time Natural Recovery Remediation ChemicalRelease Restoration

12. 12 Benefits of Ecological Re-Use  Environmental –Attract wildlife –Enhance biodegradation of some constituents –Controls erosion –Improves aesthetics  Economic –Cost competitive –Efficient use of limited resources –Provides opportunity to obtain environmental offsets  Public –Recreation use –Public relations/image

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18. 18 Other Enhancement Activities  Plant native trees, shrubs, and grasses  Remove undesired and invasive vegetation  Placement of snags and woodpiles  Placement of nesting boxes  Construct nature trails with benches and interpretive signs  Institute controls for stormwater runoff

19. 19 Choosing an Ecological End Use  Ecological services that have been lost on a –Regional basis –Site basis  Target end-use ecological functions  Remedial approach to addressing onsite contamination  Regulatory requirements for mitigation

20. 20 Service Capacity  Service capacity –Ability to offer societal values –Based on Properties Relationship to the surrounding region  Ecological service capacity = value to ecological users  Ecological end use –Habitat for fish or wildlife usage

21. 21 Factors Determining the Choice of an Ecological End Use  Size of the site –The larger the site, the greater the likelihood of supporting a viable, self-sustaining ecosystem  Existing habitat at the site –The less disturbance of existing habitat at the site, the greater potential for successful restoration  Proximity to existing undisturbed areas –Natural areas that exist in close proximity of the site can effectively increase the habitat area

22. 22 Factors Determining the Choice of an Ecological End Use (continued)  Surrounding land uses –The type of land use activities surrounding the site can affect the ability of the ecological reuse project to become fully functioning  Topography –Sites with extremes in topography are more difficult to restore than sites with level topography  Hydrology –Sites with a natural water supply have a greater potential to support a water dependent ecological reuse, such as a wetland  Site access –The control of public access through such devices as institutional controls heightens the potential for a project to achieve expected functions

23. 23 Technical Basis for Ecological Enhancements  Increased diversity in the habitat  Terrestrial Environment –Increase number of vegetative communities –Increase amount of edge –Increase structural diversity  Aquatic Environment –Increase heterogeneity in bottom morphology –Change flow directions –Change water depths

24. 24 Planning and Implementation  Define goals and objectives  Conduct site-specific baseline analysis  Develop detailed site plan  Identification and selection of plant material  Site preparation and implementation  Control of invasive/undesirable vegetation  Long-term monitoring and maintenance

25. 25 Net Environmental Benefit  Gains in environmental services or ecological functions attained by actions, minus the environmental injuries caused by those actions  Method for ranking the environmental benefit associated with multiple management options  For chemically contaminated sites, typically involves the following alternatives –Leaving in place –Physically, chemically, or biologically remediation of a site through traditional means –Improving ecological value through alternatives that do not focus on removal of contamination –Combination of the above

26. 26 Courtesy: Wildlife Habitat Council

27. 27 Courtesy: Wildlife Habitat Council

28. 28 Natural Remediation Technologies  Phytoremediation  Engineered or natural wetlands treatment  Remediation by natural attenuation  Enhanced in situ bioremediation www.itrcweb.org

29. 29 References  Landscape Restoration Handbook; Lewis Publishers  Reusing Cleaned Up Superfund Sites: Ecological Use Where Waste is Left on Site (Draft December 2003)  The SER Primer on Ecological Restoration; Society of Ecological Restoration  Stream Corridor Restoration: Principles, Processes, and Practices; Federal Interagency Stream Restoration Working Group  The WES Stream Investigation and Streambank Stabilization Handbook; USACOE Waterways Experiment Station  A Framework for Net Environmental Benefit Analysis for Remediation or Restoration of Petroleum-Contaminated Sites; ORNL/TM-2003-17