WRHSRC Final Report for the period 2001-2007
Summary

The Western Region Hazardous Substance Research Center (WRHSRC) was a cooperative activity between Oregon State University and Stanford University and served Regions 9 and 10 of the EPA. The research focus of the Center was to develop innovative technologies for the in situ treatment of volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in groundwater, especially chlorinated solvents. The Center funded twelve research projects, an outreach center to provide Technical Outreach Services for Communities (TOSC), Technical Assistance to Brownfields Communities (TAB), and technology transfer. Here you can find links to the final summary reports for all the Center’s projects as well as publications that resulted from these projects and field demonstrations based on basic and applied research of the Center.

One of the most import functions of the Center was the education of the next generation of researchers, educators, and practioners in the area of subsurface remediation. A total of 19 Ph.D. students, five M.S. students, and one post-doctoral student were supported through Center funding.

The Center was very productive in the generation of peer-reviewed journal articles. The journal articles generated are listed with each project summary. Over 60 peer reviewed journal articles resulted from the Center’s sponsored research. The articles appeared in many of the top journals in our field, including Environmental Science and Technology, Water Research, Water Resources Research, Advances in Water Resources, Journal Bacteriology, Langmuir, and the Journal of Hydrology. Center researchers were also very active in presenting the results of their research at conferences and workshops. Over 60 conference abstracts or conference proceedings are listed in our final report. In addition two software programs related to the adding and mixing of nutrients for subsurface remediation were developed partly with Center funding.

Center researchers were involved in six field demonstration projects that resulted from basic or applied research funded by the Center. These field demonstration projects were funded by other governmental agencies such as Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) and the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) of the Department of Defense. Several field demonstrations were also supported by Chevron-Texaco Corporation and Textron Corporation. Two of the projects, one funded by ESTCP and another by SERDP, were associated with demonstrations and the development of protocols to assess aerobic cometabolism. Another project ESTCP funded project was centered on using radon-222 as in situ tracer for monitoring the remediation of NAPL contamination. A third ESTCP project evaluated Pd-catalysts for the in situ treatment of TCE using horizontal wells. Chevron-Texaco and Textron Corporation supported field push-pull tests demonstration using trichlorofluoroethene as a reactive tracer for evaluating TCE remediation. Follow the link for projects for the final reports and the peer reviewed journal articles these projects generated.