Extensive research over the past 30 years has greatly improved our understanding of environmental restoration and remediation. While the results of this work are readily accessible to industry experts and academics, much of this information has not percolated down to the people that actually manage, regulate and implement projects. This has significantly reduced the benefits of this research and increased the costs of managing environmental liabilities, especially at sites where contamination will persist for a significant time after selection of an initial remedy.
With support from DOD research programs SERDP & ESTCP, Solutions-IES, a division of DAA, developed the ERwiki (www.EnvironmentalRestoration.wiki) to communicate environmental restoration information to a variety of users in a timely and easily accessible fashion. The overall format is similar to Wikipedia with short ‘encyclopedia’ type summaries of current information, with extensive links to reports, project summaries and technical literature.
Internationally recognized experts from academia and industry prepare each article, which then undergoes an extensive review for accuracy and completeness. Major sections of the ER Wiki focus on common and emerging contaminants, transport and attenuation processes, characterization and assessment methods, remediation technologies, performance evaluation, and management approaches.
Allison Stenger, Environmental Scientist, from our Solutions-IES Division, recently presented the ER Wiki at the REMTec Summit in Denver.