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Hazardous Waste Site Management:
Water Quality Issues
Report on a Colloquium Sponsored
by the Water Science and Technology Board
February ~ 9-20, ~ 987
Co/Ioquium 3 of a Senes
Water Science and Technology Board
Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems
Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Resources
National Research Council
NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C. 1988
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NationalAcademy Press · 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. · Washington, D. C. 20418
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board
of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National
Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The
members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences
and with regard for appropriate balance.
This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures
approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of
Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of
distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance
of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the
charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to
advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Frank Press is president of
the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the Na-
tional Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous
in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy
of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of
Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages
education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Robert M.
White is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences
to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of
policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility
given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the
federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and
education. Dr. Samuel O. Thier is president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in
1916 to associate the broad community of scienec and technology with the Academy's purposes
of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with
general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating
agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in
providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities.
The Council is administered jointly by both Academica and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Frank
Press and Dr. Robert M. White are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National
Research Council.
Support for this project was provided by The Ford Foundation and agencies providing
general support for activities of the Water Science and Technology Board, including the Bureau
of Reclamation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency,
National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, and U.S. Geological Survey.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hazardous waste site management: water quality issues: report on a colloquium / sponsored by
the Water Science and Technology Board.
p. cm.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-309-03790-5
1. Hazardous waste sites-United States{'ongresses. 2. Water quality management-
United States-Congresses. I. National Research Council (U.S.). Water Science and Technology
Board.
TD811.5.H435 1987
363.7' 28-dc 19 87-31311
Printed in the United States of America
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P11WCIPAI CONTEmUTOllS
EDWIN F. BARTH Ill, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Washington, D.C.
HALINA SZEdNWALD BROWN, Clark University
JAMES M. DAVIDSON, University of Florida
RICHARD M. DOWD, R. M. Dowd & Company, Washington,
D.C.
RONALD R. ESAU, Santa Clara Valley Water District,
San Jose, California
LINDA E. GREER, Environmental Defense Fund, Washington,
D.C.
THOMAS M. HELLMAN, General Electric, Fairfield,
Connecticut
DAVID J. LEU, Department of Health Services, Sacramento,
California
ROBERT G. TARDIFF, Environ Corporation, Washington, D.C.
STEED COMMITTEE
MICHAEL KAVANAUGH (Chairman), James M. Montgomery
Consulting Engineers, Oakland, California
MARY P. ANDERSON, University of Wisconsin-Madison
RICHARD A. CONWAY, Union Carbide Corporation, South
Charleston, West Virginia
LESTER B. LAVE, Carnegie-Mellon University
RAPPOlITEUlIS
RICHARD A. CONWAY, Union Carbide Corporation, South
Charleston, West Virginia
LESTER B. LAVE, Carnegie-Mellon University
JAMES W. MERGER, GeoTrans, Inc., Herndon, Virginia
GORDON ROBECK, Water Consultant, Laguna Hills, California
· --
111
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PllOVOCATEUllS
JOAN BERKOWITZ, Risk Science International, Washington,
D.C.
WILLIAM CIBULAS, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry, Atlanta, Georgia
NORBERT DEE, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Washington, D.C.
LEO M. ElSEL, Wright Water Engineers, Denver, Colorado
JOEL HIRSCHHORN, Office of Technology Assessment,
Washington, D.C.
DAVID W. MILLER, Geraghty & Miller, Inc., Plainview,
New York
ISHWAR P. MURARKA, Electric Power Research Institute,
Palo Alto, California
TOBY PAGE, Brown University
COLLOQUIUM COOlIDINATO:EtS
SHEILA D. DAVID, Program Officer
CAROLE B. CARSTATER, Program Assistant
JEANNE AQUlLINO, Production Assistant
1V
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WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOlOGY BOARD
JOHN J. BOLAND (Chairman), The Johns Hopkins University
MARY P. ANDERSON, University of Wisconsin-Madison
(through 6/30/87)
STEPHEN BURGES, University of Washington
PAUL BUSCH, Malcolm Pirnie Engineers, White Plains,
New York (through 6/30/87)
RICHARD A. CONWAY, Union Carbide Corporation,
South CharIeston,West Virginia
JAMES M. DAVIDSON, University of Florida
LEO M. ElSEL, Wright Water Engineers, Denver, Colorado
(through 6/30/87)
HARRY 1.. HAMILTON, JR., State University of New York
at Albany
JAMES HEANEY, University of Florida
R. KEITH HIGGINSON, Higginson-Barnett, Bountiful, Utah
MICHAEL KAVANAUGH, James M. Montgomery Consulting
Engineers, Oakland, California
LESTER B. I,AVE, Carnegie-Mellon University
LUNA B. I`EOPOLD, University of California, Berkeley
G. RICHARD MARZOI.F, Kansas State University
JAMES W. MERGER, GeoTrans, Inc., Herndon, Virginia
DAVID W. MILLER, Geraghty & Miller, Inc., Plainview,
New York (through 6/30/87)
GORDON ROBECK, Water Consultant, Laguna Hills, California
PATRICIA ROSENFIELD, The Carnegie Corporation of
New York
EDITH BROWN WEISS, Georgetown University Law Center
Staff
STEPHEN D. PARKER, Director
SHEILA D. DAVID, Staff Officer
PATRICK W. HOLDEN, Staff Officer
WENDY I,. MEI,GIN, Staff Officer
CAROLE B. CARSTATER, Staff Assistant
JEANNE AQUlLINO, Administrative Assistant
RENEE A. HAWKINS, Senior Secretary
ANITA HAI`I,, Senior Secretary
v
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Preface
In 1985 the Water Science and Technology Board (WSTB) in-
augurated a colloquium series, "Emerging Issues in Water Science
and Technology," to focus debate and the attention of the scien-
tific and engineering community on important issues in the field.
Drought Management and Its Impact on Prolix Water Systems,
the report of the first colloquium, was published in March 1986,
followed by the report of the second colloquium, National Water
Quality Monitoring and Assessment, in February 1987. The third
colloquium, held on February 1~20, 1987, addressed the emerging
scientific, engineering, and institutional issues associated with set-
ting cleanup levels at hazardous waste sites, a major public policy
question that is often articulated as "How clean is clean?"
The nation's regulatory agencies are faced with the difficult
task of defining target cleanup levels for contaminated soil or
ground water. A number of approaches have been used: setting
cleanup levels at background, allowing some level of contamination
to remain, and taking no action whatsoever. Regulatory agencies
must also determine the level of resources required to reduce or
eliminate risk to humans and the environment, an effort that in-
volves the use of a variety of scientific and technical tools in making
these risk management decisions and the addressing of a number
of nonquantitative societal issues. These tasks have important
implications for both the health risks of the American population
and the cost of remediation at the diverse sites currently being
·.
V11
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·e ~
V111
PREFA CE
evaluated to deterrn~ne the nature and extent of contamination.
As a result, the setting of target cleanup levels for these sites is
quite controversial.
WSTB's third colloquium, entitled "Hazardous Waste Site
Management: Water Quality Issues," provided a forum in which to
consider the current limits of the available scientific and technical
data base and to identify and debate the nonquantitative issues
from the differing perspectives of the affected parties.
A steering committee of board members, working closely with
WSTB staff, created and organized the colloquium format. Nine
papers were presented by recognized experts affiliated with federal
and state regulatory agencies, environmental and citizens groups,
and industries that generate, store, or dispose of hazardous waste.
The presenters included scientists and regulators involved in set-
ting cleanup levels, as well as the affected parties.
The preparation of the papers was carefully monitored by the
steering committee through the review of preliminary outlines and
manuscripts in progress. Provocateurs were selected to stimulate
debate and discussion after the authors presented highlights from
their papers. The 60 attendees participated actively in various
workshops that evaluated the roles of hydrogeology, engineering,
and risk assessment/toxicology, and discussed alternative regula-
tory strategies for setting cleanup levels at hazardous waste sites.
Written summaries from the workshops are presented in this re-
port along with statements made by the provocateurs during the
question-and-answer periods.
The report has two major sections: an overview and the back-
ground papers by individual authors. The colloquium chairman,
Michael Kavanaugh, prepared the overview based on a review
of the background papers and consideration of the presentations
and workshop discussions. The entire report has been read by a
group other than the authors, but only the overview has been
subjected to the report review criteria established by the National
Research Council's Report Review Committee. The background
papers have been reviewed for factual correctness. To preserve
the individual perspectives encouraged by the steering committee
as part of the colloquium format, however, the conclusions, rec-
ommendations, and findings arrived at in the background papers
have not been exposed to the intensive evaluation undergone by
the overview.
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Ibe WSIB grste~lly sckn~dges the generous contrlbu-
tlons ~ time and expertise ~ the coNoqulum partlclp~nts. Specl~1
tanks me extended to those hobo made Irma present~lons,
acted as pr~ocateurs to stimulate dlscusslon, or served ~ rappor-
teurs in guiding the worksbops. ~ is hoped that the discussions
presented here w1D stl~lste new lade and research and generate
actlon by tbose lovolved ln tbe complex w~er qushty ~sues ralsed
ln tbe remedl~tlon ~ b~zardous w~te shes.
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Contents
OVERVIEW, by Michael Kavanaugh, Chairman
ISSUE PAPERS AND PROVOCATEURS' COMMENTS
1. S ETTING ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS FOR
HAZARDOUS WASTE SITES: A BREAK F ROM
THE PAST OR A CONTINUUM?
Keynote address by Richard M. Dowd
2. ESTABLISHING AND MEETING GROUND WATER
PROTECTION GOALS IN THE SUPERFUND
PROGRAM, by Edwin F. Barth Ill, William Hanson,
and Elizabeth A. Shaw
PROVOCATEUR'S COMMENTS by doe! Hirschhorn
3. SOME APPROACHES TO SETTING CLEANUP GOALS AT
HAZARDOUS WASTE SITES, by Halina SzeJnwald Brown 34
PROVOCATEUR'S COMMENTS by David Miller
4. THE CALIFORNIA SITE MITIGATION DECISION TREE
PROCESS: SOLVING THE "How CLEAN SHOULD
CLEAN BE?~' DILEMMA, by David ]. Lea and
Paul W. Nadiey
PROVOCATEUR'S COMMENTS by Joan Berkowitz
How CLEAN IS CLEAN? THE NEED FOR ACTION,
by Thomas M. Heliman and Deborah A. Hawkins
PROVOCATEUR'S COMMENTS by Toby Page
1
11
13
22
X1
67
98
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X11
6. HOW CLEAN IS CLEAN? AN ENVIRONMENTALIST
PERSPECTIVE, by Linda E. Greer
PROVOCATEUR'S COMMENTS by Leo M. Eise!
7. GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION ISSUES IN SANTA
CLARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: A PERSPECTIVE,
by Ronald R. Esau and D. ]. Chesterman
PROVOCATEUR'S COMMENTS by Norbert Dee
8. USING MODELS TO SOLVE GROUND WATER QUALITY
PROBLEMS, by dames M. Davidson and P. S. C. Rao 139
P. ROVO CATEUR ' S C OMMENTS by Ishwar P. Murarka
9. ESTIMATING HEALTH RISKS AT HAZARDOUS
WASTE S ITES: D ECIS IONS AND C HOIC ES D ESPITE
UNCERTAINTY, by Robert G. Tardiff and
Michael Cough
PROVO CATEUR ' S C OMMENTS by William Cibulas
RAPPORTEURS' REPORTS
RISK ASSESSMENT/TOXICOLOGY WORKSHOP,
Lester B. Lave
HYDROGEOLOGY WORKSHOP, James W. Mercer
ENGINEERING WORKSHOP, Richard A. Conway
REGULATORY STRATEGIES WORKSHOP, Gordon Ro beck
CONTENTS
110
120
APPENDIXES
A. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF PRINCIPAL
CONTRIBUTORS
B. COLLOQUIUM ATTENDEES
INDEX
152
177
178
183
186
191
195
199
203