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An approach for assessing risk, planning, and decision-making in protecting ecological resources on contaminated sites compared to local regions

Joanna Burger,M. Gochfeld,Kevin G Brown,Kelly Ng,David S Kosson

Published 2025 in Environmental Monitoring & Assessment

ABSTRACT

The United States and other countries have degraded lands because of legacy wastes from the Second World War, Cold War, and industrialization. There is a need to return lands to productive uses that necessitates assessing and monitoring ecological resources. Federal governments and the public are interested in assurances that federal landowners are protective of environmental and ecological health. This paper uses the U.S. National Land Cover Database to (1) compare land cover on two Department of Energy (DOE) facilities with the surrounding region (10-km and 30-km bands), (2) determine if each has preserved more of the climax vegetation on each site, and (3) discuss how the method allows managers, regulators, and the public to assess if ecological resources on contaminated lands are protected. The analysis method employed provides a monitoring tool that can be used following restoration or management. About 70% of Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) is forested, compared to 45% of the 10-km buffer (52% of 30-km buffer). Savannah River Site (SRS) protected 58% of its forest compared to 27% of its buffers. Both DOE sites have the opportunity to preserve the largest tracts of unbroken forest during remediation, especially those that include wetlands surrounded by forest. The highest percentage of land cover on both sites is the local natural forest. Visually, ORR has more development in the surrounding region than does SRS. This method can be applied to degraded sites across the U.S. and elsewhere and provides a visual tool for managers, regulators, and the public to quickly access information on vegetation types, the importance of ecological resources, and vulnerability of these resources within the region.

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