Contaminated site investigation, remediation, and long-term stewardship

The industrial age has created major benefits for humanity, including increased lifespan, decreased child mortality, and overall improved standard of living.  However, such economic and public health benefits are accompanied by costs, including the long-term threat posed by residual environmental contamination at manufacturing and waste disposal sites.  In the U.S., the “Superfund” law was passed in 1980 to clean up sites exhibiting the most egregious environmental contamination.  During this class, we will study how the Superfund law and its implementing regulation direct environmental remediation at contaminated sites and ultimately produce environmental clean-ups that are protective of human health and the environment.  Topics we will study during the course include relevant portions of U.S. environmental law, specific hazardous substances, remediation strategies and technologies, site case studies, and the development of conceptual site models to facilitate effective contaminated site management.