Abstract

Groundwater monitoring is an expensive method applied to nearly every industrial site in the United States. Implementation of proven new methods that are more effective and less costly are usually obstructed by U.S. regulatory personnel. These new methods could also provide needed information on site heterogeneity, migration scale, and sub-surface geochemical reactions. Ultimately, the cost of groundwater monitoring programs could be greatly reduced and potentially more money could be spent characterizing or remediating a contaminated site.

Many other countries have more efficient ways to develop site characterization and remediation plans. Internationally, site characterization and remediation is more often dealt with through fewer regulations, fewer regulatory bodies, and more technical expertise. The regulatory system in the United States currently includes 10 different EPA regional headquarters, 50 different state programs and headquarters and other sub-units. These U.S. regulatory bodies do not require standards for the type of personnel or level of expertise. Regulators are more likely to make decisions based on public opinion rather than technical expertise. It is the responsibility of geoscience professionals to educate the public and the regulatory personnel of new research and technical innovations through outreach programs.