Green Remediation Best Management Practices: Site Investigation and Environmental Monitoring
The U.S. EPA Principles for Greener Cleanups outline the Agency's policy for evaluating and minimizing the environmental 'footprint' of activities undertaken when cleaning up a contaminated site. Use of the best management practices (BMPs) recommended in EPA's series of green remediation fact sheets can help project managers and other stakeholders apply the Principles on a routine basis, while maintaining the cleanup objectives, ensuring protectiveness of a remedy, and improving its environmental outcome. Site investigations typically involve sampling of soil and groundwater using various drilling and well installation technologies and analysis of samples at offsite laboratories. Investigations also may include sampling of sediment, surface water, soil gas, or indoor air; searching for underground storage tanks (USTs) or other buried objects; or evaluating demolition material containing asbestos, lead-based paint, or other toxic products.