Relative risk data guidance on DOD's assessment of overall environmental quality and restoration

Abstract

This article addresses the validation of data generated by the Department of Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP) Relative Risk Site Evaluation process, the process used to determine the relative risk of sites containing, or potentially containing, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)-designated contaminants. Relative risk data are used to categorize sites, establish cleanup priorities, and report on progress in the Department of Defense's (DOD's) environmental restoration program. To ensure the validity of these data, the military services submit data twice a year to the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Environmental Security (ODUSD[ES]) for verification. The core of the validation process is the recalculation of quantitative data on contaminants. This article describes the validation process and reports the results from the fall 1998 review period. The findings from this review indicate that relative risk site evaluations are generating meaningful data for categorizing sites and prioritizing work.