SCIENCE IN SUPPORT OF ASSESSING ECOLOGICAL RISK AND IMPLEMENTING NOVEL REMEDIATION STRATEGIES AT THE SAVANNAH RIVER SITE, SC

There is a need for credible risk assessments and science-based solutions when dealing with moderate to low levels of environmental contamination occurring over large land areas. Credible risk assessments are needed to define and manage the underlying human health and ecological risk, and scientific understanding is needed to develop and implement novel remediation strategies, as well as to gain regulator and stakeholder acceptance of these approaches. Experience at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, South Carolina has demonstrated that a strong scientific program can have significant consequences in terms of providing input to the remediation process.