Reducing the Footprint of Contaminated Lands: US Department of Energy Sites as a Case Study

Abstract

The legacy of the Cold War and of 20th century industrial development has left us with contaminated lands, both public and private, that require remediation and conversion to other uses. Many contaminated US Department of Energy sites left over from the Cold War have large buffer areas of uncontaminated land that once served a security purpose. In this paper we propose a management plan for reducing the size of contaminated land holdings, particularly where these sites contain uncontaminated buffer lands such as those held by the Department of Energy. We examine the disciplines, research, and other considerations whose involvement is essential to reducing the footprint of these contaminated lands. After the land necessary for continued missions and for long-term stewardship of contamination is established, the land that remains can be returned to other uses. Remediation options for these decommissioned lands, ecological considerations, and economic/cultural values should be incorporated into future land use decisions. Some of these lands have unique species assemblages and ecosystems that should be evaluated before the land is turned over to industrial or other uses. Land use options are constrained by regulatory, governmental, environmental and legal concerns that must be examined before transfer. Once the decision has been made to transfer lands, there are a number of administrative, bio-monitoring, and institutional controls that are essential. Buffer lands that are returned to other uses (ranging from conservation and recreation areas to industry or housing) might require regular bio-monitoring to ensure that there is no health risk to biota or people. Institutional controls and monetary responsibilities must be in place before land is transferred to ensure that there are neither appreciable future risks to the public and ecosystems nor appreciable liabilities and costs to the new owners. Each of these steps should involve multiple disciplines (eg public health, toxicology, ecology, land use planning, economics, risk communication) and agencies, as well as multiple stakeholders in an interactive and iterative process.