1、Designation:D623504(Reapproved 2010)Standard Practice forExpedited Site Characterization of Vadose Zone andGroundwater Contamination at Hazardous WasteContaminated Sites1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D6235;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year ofor
2、iginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 Applicability of the ECS ProcessThis practice coversa process for ex
3、pedited site characterization(ESC)of hazard-ous waste contaminated sites2to identify vadose zone,ground-water and other relevant contaminant migration pathways anddetermine the distribution,concentration,and fate of contami-nants for the purpose of providing an ESC client,regulatoryauthority,and sta
4、keholders with the necessary information tochoose a course of action.3Generally,the process is applicableto larger-scale projects,such as CERCLA(Superfund)reme-dial investigations and RCRA facility investigations.4Whenused as part of the Superfund response process,this Practiceshould be used in conj
5、unction with U.S.EPAs guidancedocument titled Using Dynamic Field Activities for On-SiteDecision Making:A Guide for Project Managers(1).The ESCprocess is also applicable to other contaminated sites where theESC process can be reasonably expected to reduce the time andcost of site characterization co
6、mpared to alternative ap-proaches.The ESC process has been applied successfully at avariety of sites in different states and EPA regions.(See TableX1.1).It typically achieves significant cost and schedulesavings compared to traditional site characterization.(See X1.2and X1.3).51.2 Features of the ES
7、C ProcessThe ESC process oper-ates within the framework of existing regulatory programs.Itfocuses on collecting only the information required to meetcharacterization objectives and on ensuring that characteriza-tion ceases as soon as the objectives are met.Central to theESC process is the use of jud
8、gement-based sampling andmeasurement to characterize vadose zone and groundwatercontamination in a limited number of field mobilizations by anintegrated multidisciplinary team,led by a technical leader andoperating within the framework of a dynamic work plan thatgives him or her the flexibility of r
9、esponsibility to select thetype and location of measurements needed to optimize datacollection activities.Table 1 identifies other essential featuresof the ESC process,and Fig.1 presents a flow diagram for theentire ESC process.1.3 Investigation MethodsThe process described in thispractice is based
10、on good scientific practice but is not tied toany particular regulatory program,site investigation method ortechnique,chemical analysis method,statistical analysismethod,risk analysis method,or computer modeling code.Appropriate investigation techniques in an ESC project arehighly site specific and
11、are selected and modified based uponthe professional judgement of the core technical team(inparticular the technical team leader).Whenever feasible,non-invasive and minimally invasive methods are used,as dis-cussed in Appendix X3.Appropriate chemical analysis meth-ods are equally site specific.Analy
12、ses may be conducted in thefield or laboratory,depending on data quality requirements,required turnaround time,and costs.1This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D18 on Soil andRock and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D18.01 on Surface andSubsurface Characterization.Cu
13、rrent edition approved May 1,2010.Published September 2010.Originallyapproved in 1998.Last previous edition approved in 2004 as D6235 04.DOI:10.1520/D6235-04R10.2The term hazardous waste in the title is used descriptively.The term also hasspecific meanings in the context of different regulatory prog
14、rams.Expedited sitecharacterization is also appropriate for radiologically contaminated sites and somelarger petroleum release sites,such as refineries.Section 4.2 further identifies typesof contaminated sites where ESC may be appropriate.See Appendix X1 foradditional background on the ESC process.3
15、The text of this practice emphasizes vadose zone and groundwater contamina-tion because these contaminant migration pathways are the most difficult tocharacterize.An ESC project should also address all other relevant contaminantmigration pathways,such as air,surface water,submerged sediments,and bio
16、ta.4ACERCLApreliminary assessment/site inspections(PA/SI)or a RCRAfacilityassessment(RFA)is generally required to provide information supporting a decisionto initiate the ESC process.(See Appendix X2).5This practice uses the term“traditional”site characterization to refer to theapproach that has typically been used for characterizing contaminated sites atCERLA and RCRA sites during the 1980s and early 1990s.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428
