At many sites, environmental remediation involves intensive, large-scale industrial activity that extends over decades. While multiple factors can impact the remediation approaches applied and the resulting end state of a site, stakeholders, including regulators, practitioners, scholars, and the general public, argue that emphasis must be placed on remediation approaches that (1) optimize the balance between the different sustainability dimensions and the related environmental, economic, and social outcomes and (2) integrate observed and predicted effects of climate change to ensure resiliency into the future. This session will explore the many facets of sustainability and resiliency as they relate to such considerations as stakeholder goals for future use of a site, resource conservation, carbon footprint reduction, cost containment, and vulnerability to climate-driven changes (e.g., sea level rise, temperature extremes, catastrophic weather events, wildfire risk). Presentations and discussion will help identify contrasting perspectives of stakeholders, in light of their different roles, fields of practice, and/or disciplines, and highlight potential points of convergence. Topics will include discussions and demonstrations of modeling approaches, decision-making frameworks and tools, implementation strategies, and climate vulnerability assessments.
Session Organizers: Eric Mielbrecht, EcoAdapt; Catrinel Turcanu, SCK-CEN; Horst Monken-Fernandes, International Atomic Energy Agency; Paul Bardos, r3 Environmental Technology Ltd; and Andrew Cundy, University of Southampton
| 1:00 - 1:05 p.m. |
Opening Remarks __________________________________________________ |
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1:05 - 1:25 p.m. Ensuring Sustainability and Resiliency of Remediation Projects: Challenges for Long-Term Management at Complex Industrial, Nuclear, and Other, Sites Andrew B. Cundy, University of Southampton, UK ► PRESENTATION PDF |
At many sites that provide complex remediation, rehabilitation or risk management challenges, such as large former industrial sites, nuclear licensed sites, and mining and mineral processing sites, remediation may involve intensive and large-scale engineering, industrial and stakeholder engagement activities that extend over decades. It is increasingly clear that, as we enter a period of increasing climatic extremes and uncertainties (including major global heating-related challenges such as flooding and enhanced sea-level rise, increased wildfire frequency, and extended drought periods), longer-term risk management and remediation projects need to be future-proofed and resilient. They also need to balance the economic, environmental and societal impacts, costs and benefits associated with the remediation of a site, and its return to a desired end-state or alternative use. Here, we assess key issues around long-term management and remediation at industrial, nuclear, and other sites that provide technically complex remediation challenges (or which may be socially, legally, or politically complex), discussing current practice and outlining uncertainties, knowledge and policy / practice gaps around: (a) balancing the different dimensions of sustainability, and applying or adapting sustainable remediation concepts, practice, tools and approaches to site rehabilitation or decommissioning; (b) implementing low input remediation strategies, and working with nature to realise wider benefits, enhance resilience and support end-state management; (c) working with communities to ensure long-term effectiveness, balanced approaches, and support the spiralling up of community capital; (d) assessing and quantifying sustainability-related benefits over longer timescales, to inform end-states and future site use; and (e) building future resilience and long-term sustainability into remediation and site end-states. This paper both introduces the presentations in this special session on sustainability and resiliency of remediation projects, and sets context for the panel discussion that closes it. Coauthors: R. Paul Bardos (r3 environmental technology ltd., UK), Eric Mielbrecht (EcoAdapt, USA), Horst Monken-Fernandes (IAEA, Austria), Catrinel Turcanu (SCK-CEN, Belgium) |
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1:25 - 1:45 p.m. Sustainable Resilient Remediation of the Hajek Hch Site Using the Wetland+ System Miroslav Cernik, Technical University of Liberec ► PRESENTATION PDF |
 The Hajek site was contaminated by waste products from lindane production, and nowadays, it is a long-term source of contaminated drainage water that must be cleaned. The Wetland+® system is robust, low maintenance, and sustainable treatment based on oxidation-reduction and biosorption methods. The drainage water enters the first reactive stage - a permeable reactive barrier filled with Fe chips, where hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) are partially dechlorinated, and chlorobenzenes (ClB) are formed. The second reactive step is the biosorption unit, where HCH compounds are adsorbed and subsequently degraded by present microorganisms. The last step is the aerobic wetland, where the plant root system purifies the water, and the concentration of HCHs and their daughter products decrease below specified limits. The technology does not need additional chemicals and energy, and the process is naturally based. After two years of operation, the system's efficiency reached almost 100% for ClB and 97 % for HCHs. The Wetland+® system meets the conditions of Sustainable Resilient Remediation (SRR) because it reduces the negative environmental impacts of HCH waste, maximises social and economic benefits and creates resilience to growing threats. This was demonstrated by comparing alternative solutions - classical wastewater treatment plan and no-intervention scenario. The assessment is based on applying a socio-economic survey framework and lifecycle assessment. The survey is based on 2020 SuRF-UK guidance, and the SimaPro software was used for the LCA. The results show that the Wetland+® system is, in the long term, the optimal solution for the treatment of such HCH-contaminated waters. Coauthors: Pavla Svermova (Technical University of Liberec), Maria Balazinska (The Central Mining Institute), Jitka Buresova (Technical University of Liberec), Paul Bardos (r3 Environmental Technology Ltd.) |
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1:45 - 2:05 p.m. Vulnerability Assessment and Resilience Planning at Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management Sites David Werth, Savannah River National Laboratory ► Presentation PDF
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In August 2021, the Department of Energy (DOE) provided a report to the White House on the 2021 Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan for DOE and instructed all DOE sites and offices to develop a Vulnerability Assessment and Resilience Plan (VARP) by the end of fiscal year 2022. The VARP aims to support the commitment DOE has made to managing the short and long-term effects of climate change on its mission and operations. The purpose of these individual site VARPs is to identify climate-change related risks and to ensure that each site’s mission-critical assets are resilient for any identified risks and challenges that might be encountered. The lab team’s objectives included downloading historical climate data and projected climate data for each of the eight DOE-EM sites to develop a risk matrix for each site. Climate parameter projections assessed for each site include annual precipitation, extreme precipitation days, maximum daily precipitation, drought, annual average maximum temperature, extreme degree days, cooling degree days, heating degree days, flooding, and wildfire. The focus was to provide each site with data that is consistent and easily comparable and also to collect site-specific data in a consistent fashion for integration into the VARPs and future analyses. The current phase of this work is to take a more in-depth look into the 2022 VARPs to expand the process to better include complex soil and groundwater assets. EcoAdapt has taken the lead on this expansion process. A workshop was held at Savannah River Site where the General Separations Area (GSA) was the area of focus for specific recommendations. The framework that was established in the workshop will be expanded to other DOE-EM sites for ensuring VARP enhancement and long-term sustainability. Coauthors: Emily Fabricatore (Savannah River National Laboratory), Carol Eddy-Dilek (Savannah River National Laboratory), Barbara Maco (EcoAdapt), Eric Mielbrecht (EcoAdapt), Haruko Wainwright (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Zexuan Xu (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) |
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2:05 - 2:25 p.m. Site Remediation and Social Sustainability: A Case Study Federica Panzarella, KU Leuven and Belgian Nuclear Research Centre – SCK CEN ► PRESENTATION PDF |
Sustainability is increasingly used as guiding principle for the remediation of a contaminated site by taking into account social, economic and environmental considerations. Despite the number of sustainability assessment tools available nowadays, the social pillar of sustainability is often overlooked or addressed in lesser detail than the economic and environmental ones. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the applicability of the Community Capitals Framework (CCF), an asset-based community development framework, to comprehensively assess sustainability (including the social dimensions) of the remediation of sites affected by radioactive contamination. A case study is used to identify sustainability considerations relevant to the historical radioactive contamination and the remediation activities of the Winterbeek (Belgium) drawing on CCF as the underlying theoretical framework. We employ a multi-modal research approach consisting in document analysis and interviews with community members and experts. The results show that a holistic sustainability assessment can be facilitated through a participatory assessment of community assets. In particular, certain social dimensions of sustainability, including cultural and political factors that emerged from the interviews with community members could not be identified through the document analysis or the interviews with experts. This study highlights the need for sustainability assessment scopes able to capture social and local particularities. Additional research is needed on how to include the social dimension of sustainability into site remediation and how to overcome the challenges related to its inclusion in practice. Coauthors: Valérie Cappuyns (KU Leuven), Catrinel Turcanu (Belgian Nuclear Research Centre – SCK CEN), Bieke Abelshausen (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) |
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2:25 - 2:45 p.m. Challenge for Sustainable remediation of large-scale terrestrial contamination by the Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident Tetsuo Yasutaka, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) ► PRESENTATION PDF |
A wide area, mainly in Fukushima Prefecture, was contaminated by radioactive substances released as a result of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. With the aim of protecting people from radiation, over 80,000 people were evacuated from areas with high concentrations, and decontamination was carried out in areas with medium concentrations. These decontamination processes generated large volumes of decontaminated soil and waste, amounting to 13 million m3. After 2015, these decontaminated soils and wastes have been delivered to and stored in an interim storage facility set up near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, but by law, the final disposal of these wastes is to take place outside Fukushima Prefecture by 2045. In order to reduce the amount of removed soil and waste to be finally disposed of outside Fukushima Prefecture, projects on volume reduction and recycling are underway, as well as studies on the future vision of the areas in highly contaminated areas. Coauthors: Momo Takada (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology), Michio Murakami (Osaka University, Center for Infectious Disease Education and Research), Susum Ohnuma (Hokkaido University), Kosuke Shirai (University of Tokyo, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology), Yumiko Kanai (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology) |
| 2:45 - 3:15 p.m. |
Posters and Vendor Exhibit __________________________________________________ |
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3:15 - 3:35 p.m. Environmental Remediation And Site Revitalization Planning At A Complex Nuclear Site Using A Multi-Attribute Prioritization Tool Luc Robitaille, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories ► PRESENTATION PDF |
 Environmental Remediation planning at a complex nuclear facility such as the Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) presents a challenge considering there are more than 60 Areas of Potential Environmental Concern that require characterization, and in most cases, future remedial actions. These include radiological waste management areas, conventional waste landfills, firing ranges, R&D facilities and other areas where historical contaminant releases have occurred. Coauthors: Samantha Scott (Canadian Nuclear Laboratories), Kate Carolan (Canadian Nuclear Laboratories), Renee Silke (Canadian Nuclear Laboratories) |
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3:35 - 3:55 p.m. Broadening the Concepts of Justification and Optimization in Environmental Remediation by Incorporating Sustainability Principles in the Decision-Making Process Horst Monken-Fernandes, International Atomic Energy Agency ► PRESENTATION PDF |
The ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) principle states that economic and social factors are to be taken into account as part of an optimization process. It is ultimately tied to the three dimensions of sustainability, i.e. Society – Economy – Environment. Considering the remediation of radioactively contaminated sites, it has been observed that, almost always the “As Low as Possible” prevails over the “As Low as Reasonably Achievable.” However, while remediation should remove unacceptable risks, it needs to consider the wider environmental and social consequences of the various strategies to be applied to achieve the required level of protection. The challenge is defining the optimal protection option. Different techniques have been proposed to support decisions about the optimized level of remediation e.g., cost-effectiveness analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and multi-criteria analysis. The economic dimension is generally well expressed in those techniques; however, the environmental and social dimensions are underrepresented. The concept of sustainability provides a good framework to integrate these three dimensions in decision making in the scope of environmental remediation. Environmental elements go beyond the quality of soil and groundwater residual contamination. The social elements go beyond potential health effects. Finally, the economic elements are now associated, not only, with the full short- and long-term life cycle cost of implementing a remediation process but also include considerations about putting the site into beneficial use i.e., turning a legacy into an asset. This is a way to bring circularity thinking to environmental remediation. Sustainable remediation, however, will only be possible if decisions are made in participatory capacity in a well-informed process. This paper will discuss real case examples in which sustainable approaches to remediation might have represented or will provide for better outcomes and by doing so it will enhance the scope that both justification and optimization are currently applied to environmental remediation. Coauthors: Anna Clark (International Atomic Energy Agency), Catrinel Turcanu (Belgium Nuclear Research Center), Paul Bardos (r3 Environmental Technology Ltd), Andrew B. Cundy (University of Southampton) |
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3:55 - 5:00 p.m. Panel Discussion: Advancing Sustainability and Resiliency in Remediated Sites Worldwide |
Panelists and conference participants are invited to engage in a reflection on advancing sustainability and resiliency at contaminated sites worldwide. Key topics include, but are not limited to, challenges and opportunities for implementing sustainability/resiliency in practice at complex nuclear (and other) sites; cross-cultural perspectives on sustainability; and ways forward for ensuring successful implementation of sustainability and resiliency into project design, remediation, and site end-states. Panelists: Luc Robitaille (Canadian Nuclear Laboratories), Federica Panzarella (KU Leuven and Belgian Nuclear Research Centre – SCK CEN), and Eric Mielbrecht (EcoAdapt) Facilitators: Horst Monken-Fernandes (IAEA) and Andrew Cundy (University of Southampton) __________________________________________________ |