Monitoring the Long-Term Performance of Engineered Containment Systems: The Role of Ecological Processes

Abstract

A common approach used to isolate contaminants in the environment and mitigate associated human and ecological risks is to apply engineered covers over landfills used for disposal of radioactive, hazardous chemical and municipal solid waste. The degradation of engineered covers over time is a complex process that is influenced by site specific characteristics, the structure and dynamics of the indigenous plant community, and the interplay of physical and biological factors at contaminated sites. This research includes a review of long term monitoring and performance assessment of engineered covers, an evaluation of key ecological principles in the context of cover performance, the identification of important ecological processes for performance confirmation, and a case study in the use of event tree analysis (ETA) to evaluate risks to performance of ET and conventional covers. Ultimately, the goal of this research is to develop a performance-assessment approach for selection, design, modeling, and monitoring ecological components of covers.