The Basic Project Management Skills for RPMs course will provide participants a foundation in the principles of successful project management. This course focuses on project management techniques that will increase the probability that RPMs and site managers can proactively manage the full range of issues they may encounter during the post-Record of Decision (ROD) planning, executing, and closing a remediation project. The course teaches tools and techniques for project management that apply to the unique circumstances of remediation. Through a series of facilitated group exercises, participants will learn best practices to successfully manage a project from initiation to final closeout, including:

• Project challenge management, which entails:
• Identifying potential issues
• Anticipating their impact
• Monitoring for issues during implementation
• Managing the responses to issues
• Work scope planning and management:
• Strategies for work scope planning
• Tools for Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) development
• Schedule management:
• Schedule estimation
• Schedule monitoring

The course also introduces certification programs in project management, such as Project Management Professional, Certified Project Manager, and Registered Environmental Manager that may be of interest to RPMs who wish to gain additional skills and recognition.

Be Prepared: Know What to Say and How to Say It is an advanced media and spokesperson training workshop. What you say and how you say it are critical to getting information out to the news media, community groups, and others. This intensive halfday workshop is designed to give you the confidence you need to explain your work and talk about tough issues. By taking this workshop, RPMs will learn:

• How to prepare for interviews or public speaking engagements;
• How to craft your organization's messages; and
• How to deliver your messages effectively — even during a crisis.

This highly interactive workshop features customized scenarios relevant to each participant's programs or projects, and several one-on-one videotaped sessions with professional interviewers. The course is limited to 10 participants from EPA or similar government agency who have taken the Working with the News Media course or another similar media and spokesperson training workshop.

Construction Oversight: Building a New Foundation

The Construction Oversight: Building a New Foundation course examines the RPM's role during remedial action construction and reviews planning and oversight that RPMs typically conduct when they oversee construction at both fund- and Potentially Responsible Party (PRP)-lead projects. In addition, the course presents several "disaster" case studies that illustrate problems that occurred during construction despite the RPM's careful planning and oversight. Participants will have the opportunity to share examples of their experiences in overseeing remedial action construction. A primary goal of the course is to provide the impetus to establish a vehicle for better networking among RPMs to discuss construction oversight and to share remedial action construction experiences. The course will be valuable for all RPMs at all levels of experience.

The Contracts Training course is separated into four sessions, which are described below:

• The Statements of Work (SOW): The Key to Getting What You Need session focuses on describing the required elements of a SOW, providing tips on language to ensure ease of the reader's understanding, identifying often-misused words and phrases, and delineating how a SOW differs from a performance work statement (PWS) used in performance-based contracting.
• The Independent Government Cost Estimates (IGCE): A Guide to the Who, What, When, Where, and Why of Everyone's Favorite Contract-related Activity session provides a look into the roles and responsibilities of personnel, a step-by-step walk through on why IGCEs are prepared, and various individual elements of costs to be considered in preparing IGCEs. Resources and examples of IGCEs will be provided and reviewed, and questions will be encouraged from class participants. The session will also address new guidance on estimating the cost of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project management support.
• The Invoice Review session focuses on the general areas of concern that pertain to invoice review, contract-related elements a contracting officer's representative (COR) must have to effectively review invoices, tools at the COR's disposal to facilitate review and approval (or suspension) of dollars claimed, and individual elements of costs common to various contract types.
• The Hot Topics session focuses on reviewing new requirements such as contractor background checks and SmartCards, remedial design value engineering, and COR continuous learning as well as tips about allocating "WQ" - a general site identifier to obligate amounts funded for a site-specific response. The qualifier is used when the precise amounts that would apply to the individual sites cannot be estimated at the time of obligation. Finally, Hot Topics will discuss accounts and other contract management priorities.

The Engineering Design Considerations for Vapor Intrusion (VI) Mitigation course will provide technical information on the design and operation of active mitigation systems and passive VI barriers. VI typically arises as a result of the migration of contaminated ground water plumes under commercial and residential buildings, although VI may also arise from contaminated soils (for example, from underground storage tanks) or landfills. New or existing commercial and residential buildings that are affected by VI may require engineered systems or barriers or a combination of both to mitigate the risks to human health associated with VI.

This course is sponsored by the TSP Engineering Forum and EPA’s Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation.

Explosives and Perchlorate Sampling and Analysis Issues

EPA SW-846 Method 8330, the primary method for environmental analysis of explosives for more than a decade, has recently been updated to Method 8330B. This update includes changes specifically designed to address issues related to sample collection, preparation, and analysis of munitions residues on military training ranges and munitions open burn/open detonation (OB/OD) units. Additionally, EPA SW-846 Methods 6850 and 6860 have recently been adopted for analysis of perchlorate in soil, water and solid wastes. These methods confirm perchlorate detections and overcome the many interference problems associated with IC/conductivity suppression analysis for perchlorate (Method 9058). The Explosives and Perchlorate Sampling and Analysis Issues course will also include a short presentation on these methods.

The instructors for the Explosives and Perchlorate Sampling and Analysis Issues course have been instrumental in developing the changes to the sampling design, sample preparation, and instrumental analysis for the Method 8330B Update.

Today more than ever, it is crucial to be smart about how to set up meetings, a process that includes identifying who needs to attend and what the issues are, as well as involving all participants and using processes that facilitate broad-based agreements (consensus) about a proposed action or next steps. The Facilitative Leadership: Productive Small Group Meetings course is an interactive course that targets how to effectively manage small group meetings (defined as more than two and fewer than 20 people) by emphasizing the following key concepts:

• Making decisions using a consensus-building approach.
• Managing conflict in and around meetings to strengthen rather than endanger or derail successful group outcomes.

Working first with a partner and later in a small group, participants will experience the difference among decisions that are (1) handed down with little or no input from the group, (2) made by majority rule, or (3) developed and decided through a consensusbuilding approach. In addition to the feedback they receive from their partners, other participants and the instructor, students will be given a small handbook that summarizes how to use the consensus-building approach and conflict management skills presented in the numerous small-group meetings that likely fill their professional and personal lives. The goal of this course is to provide information to enable participants to "meet together to succeed together."

Interpreting Non-Detect Data Correctly: Statistical Analysis Methods for Data with Non-Detects

Measurements of trace chemicals in ground water and other media frequently result in values reported only as less than the laboratory reporting limit ("less-thans," "nondetects," or "qualified values"). Statisticians call these measurements "censored data." Common recommendations in environmental guidance documents for incorporating nondetects are (1) substituting one-half the reporting limit and continue as usual, (2) using Cohen's (1959) tables of approximate maximum likelihood estimation (MLE), or (3) using a version of the delta-lognormal method (Aitchison 1955).

These methods are outdated, however, and often result in significant errors. Standard methods for interpreting censored data exist in medical and industrial applications but have rarely been applied to environmental data. Methods are available for computing summary statistics, hypothesis tests, and regression equations. Their results are unequivocal, powerful, and accurate. This course provides an overview of these methods from the author's textbook Nondetects and Data Analysis: Statistics for Censored Environmental Data, published in 2005 by John Wiley.

The most important requirement for participants enrolled in the Interpreting Nondetect Data Correctly course is an interest in and need for interpreting nondetect data correctly. If you have been frustrated by a statistics course, this session will provide an English translator for the few statistical equations reviewed.

The Introduction to Contaminant Hydrogeology course introduces basic concepts of the geologic and hydrogeologic properties of an aquifer, ground water flow, and evolution of the contaminant plume. It includes modules on basic concepts in geology, ground water fundamentals, interactions between ground water and surface water, monitoring, site investigations, and contaminant behavior, with special emphasis on hydrogeology as it applies to site characterization and contaminant plume transport. A detailed case study will be presented to illustrate hydrogeologic applications in addition to a hands-on demonstration of a ground water flow system. This course is intended for project managers who have little or no familiarity with basic hydrogeologic concepts and practices or for project managers who are interested in a refresher.

The Jump-Starting Ecological Restoration course will provide information to RPMs that can be incorporated early into planning actions to enhance the ecological structure and services of the site. There are compelling reasons to consider the ecological value of sites, including the contribution to EPA's initiatives for revitalization and beneficial reuse. Reasonable and realistic activities can be incorporated that will not "cramp" the budget. Rather than thinking about how the site will look after the "heavy lifting" is done, start early to promote ecosystem restoration and ecological processes that are of real value — economically and socially — to the community. The RPM can leave a natural legacy; the local community will be grateful; and the legacy can advance EPA's mission to protect the environment. RPMs will learn the importance of native plants and habitats, how to manage invasive species, and will discuss the executive orders that promote this approach. Concerns about wetlands and leaving waste on site also will be addressed.

This course is sponsored by EPA's Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation (OSRTI).

Recently, new tools have been developed to assist in evaluating and optimizing ground water monitoring networks to ensure that monitoring programs meet the objectives for a site. The LTMO Methods course will discuss the qualitative and quantitative methods for LTMO for ground water, discuss available methods for LTMO, and provide case studies. The course identifies information included in a new document prepared by EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, A Roadmap to Long-Term Monitoring Optimization (EPA 542-R-05-003, http://www.cluin.org/download/char/542-r-05-003.pdf). The course also expands on the qualitative aspects of LTMO that can help verify that a monitoring plan supports the objectives for a site. The qualitative review also includes an evaluation of sampling locations and frequencies, a review of analytical and sampling methods, data management and visualization practices, and other stakeholder concerns using technical expertise and professional judgment. Quantitative methods discussed in the training primarily employ statistics and geostatistics to identify deficiencies and redundancies in sampling locations and frequencies.

The course is geared toward RPMs responsible for managing sites with ground water contamination and a long-term monitoring program or for RPMs planning for new long-term groundwater monitoring programs. Some knowledge of basic statistics is helpful, but is not required for this seminar.

This course is sponsored by EPA's Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation.

Military Munitions Response Program

EPA’s Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office (FFRRO) interacts with the Department of Defense (DoD) on a wide variety of issues related to investigation and remediation of military munitions. These efforts include involvement with site-specific issues, as well as national policy and guidance associated with the DoD Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP). During the MMRP course, representatives of FFRRO will provide updates on EPA perspectives for the MMRP, including discussions about new guidance for MMRP preliminary assessments/site inspections (PA/SI), EPA munitions response guidelines, and other initiatives currently underway. Representatives of the U.S. Army Headquarters and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will present updates on their MMRP programs as well. The session will conclude with an open discussion with the Army representatives on current MMRP issues.

Nanotechnology: Solutions, Challenges, and Implications for Superfund

Nanotechnology has the potential to affect the Superfund program in many ways, both positive and negative. Nanoscale particles have been shown to be effective in degrading chlorinated solvents in ground water. In addition, sensors using nanotechnology are being developed that will assist with site characterization and monitoring. More than 200 products are currently available that use nanoparticles as coatings, paints, and fuel additives to lighten and strengthen sports equipment, create semiconductors, and facilitate solar energy production. These products will be used in biomedical sensing and treatment products that could already be present in landfills or sites that will be remediated and where the risk of use, disposal, and methods of detection in the environment have not been studied. As the industry grows exponentially with many exposure scenarios and possible health effects that are just beginning to be studied, do future problems lie ahead?

The Nanotechnology: Solutions, Challenges, and Implications for Superfund course presents speakers who will present material to cover an overview of nanotechnology, a summary of recent National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Superfund Basic Research Program (SBRP) research, applications for site remediation, and environmental health and safety implications. Panel discussions — one on applications and the other on implications — will follow each set of presentations during this training course. The members of this veteran team of speakers have planned and attended recent EPA nanotechnology meetings, including the September 2006 Nanotechnology for Site Remediation workshop in Chicago, Ill., the November 2006 STAR Grant Nanotechnology Applications Workshop in Washington, DC, as well as the ongoing NIEHS SBRP series of Web seminars on nanotechnology issues (Nanotechnology Risk-e-Learning Series). The speakers bring diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, from engineering to chemistry to ecotoxicology and from technical support to research and project management. They will draw on their collective experiences and will share some of the take-home points from these recent nanotechnology workshops that will be helpful to RPMs in their work.

The Real Estate for Environmental Regulators: Taking on the Tough Sites course is an interactive workshop that will combine lecture from leading real estate experts with an interactive problem-solving session to brainstorm solutions to challenges in site redevelopment. The focus of the course is to use real estate and planning tools to solve problems at tough sites.

The lecture portion of the course will cover mid-level planning, market analysis, risk management, public and private partnerships, and concepts in property transfer applied to Superfund sites. Examples from across the nation will be discussed. Key concepts include working with the private sector to negotiate agreements, understanding the private sector process, and integrating cleanup and redevelopment.

Participants are invited to bring their case to the interactive problem-solving portion of the course, where experts in real estate, planning, and Superfund law will work with them to identify strategies to promote redevelopment.

Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) Scoping: Taking A.I.M. (Anticipate, Identify, and Manage)

The RI/FS Scoping: Taking A.I.M. (Anticipate, Identify, and Manage) course is a refresher for experienced RPMs but will also be useful for newer RPMs. It will help experienced RPMs refine and sharpen existing skills and newer RPMs to develop important management skills. The course examines how to scope a remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) in light of several important emerging issues related to site characterization and remedy selection. The general scoping process and identify planning tools and opportunities for addressing difficult issues that have arisen at many Superfund sites will be reviewed. The emerging issues to be discussed include planning the RI/FS to achieve the following:

1. Developing the conceptual site model.
2. Substantiating the lines of evidence for monitored natural attenuation of ground water.
3. Applicable or relevant and appropriate requirement (ARAR) issues, including supporting technical impracticability (TI) waivers.
4. Identifying and addressing emerging contaminants.
5. Evaluating the potential for vapor intrusion.
6. Assessing environmental justice (EJ) indicators.
7. Incorporating reuse and redevelopment concerns.
8. Planning for and adequately addressing institutional controls.

Several case studies will be presented to illustrate how emerging issues arise and how they are addressed. After completing this course, participants will be better able to anticipate, identify, and manage issues.

Remedy Selection

The Remedy Selection course examines the process for selecting a remedy and how RPMs can prepare a complete and well-written Record of Decision (ROD) for the selected remedy. The course will specifically address common and emerging issues in writing a ROD, how to deal with them, and ensuring that the ROD includes the information necessary. Participants will achieve the following objectives by attending the course:

• Examine the statutory and National Contingency Plan (NCP) requirements for selecting and documenting a remedy.
• Learn to use EPA guidance to write well-documented RODs.
• Identify and correct "fatal flaws" often found in RODs.

The targeted audience for this course will be new RPMs or novice ROD writers. The instructional methodologies for this course will include both lecture and case study examples.

Prerequisite course and experience: participants should have completed the CERCLA Education Courses (CEC) Fundamentals of Superfund or Remedial Process courses.

The Risk Communication course is an intermediate-level course designed for RPMs. The course provides a framework and basic principles for effectively communicating risk with local residents and other stakeholders during remedial site activities. One of the most difficult tasks an RPM undertakes is to clearly communicate risks associated with activities at the site. An RPM's audience for risk communication varies from concerned citizens and elected officials to the news media and business entities, and the type of risk to be communicated varies across the wide spectrum of site remediation.

Through a combination of slide presentation, videotapes, and class exercises, participants learn the principles and rationale behind risk communication techniques and their importance. Participants also have the opportunity to examine the critical role of key messages and, through interactive examples, learn how to develop key messages for use in a variety of situations. The course also includes scenario exercises and role-plays during which RPMs spend time applying the principles of risk communication to specific situations. Scenarios were developed specifically for this course and are based on information from actual projects that involved situations RPMs encounter regularly.

By taking the course, participants will:

• Learn how to effectively prepare for interactions with the public and the media and avoid miscommunications and pitfalls.
• Explore the principles and rationale behind risk communication techniques and gain a better understanding of their importance.
• Examine the critical role of key messages and, through interactive examples, learn how to develop key messages for use in situations that involve communication with the public or media.

The Sediment Remediation course focuses on some of the biggest issues that face RPMs in evaluating contaminated sediment sites. By taking this course, RPMs will learn:

• The basis for the recommendations developed by the National Research Council (NRC) committee that evaluated the effectiveness of dredging at Superfund megasites, and EPA's possible response.
• The key findings and recommendations developed at the recent workshop on Resuspension, Release, Residuals, and Risk from Dredging Contaminated Sediments.
• The use of a simple model to predict the thickness of a sand cover needed to control contaminant flux into the overlying water.
• The data and rationale used at the Fox River Superfund site to amend the 2003 remedy to substitute engineered caps and thin sand covers for dredging areas of the site.
• The advantages and limitations of dredging, capping, and monitored natural attenuation (MNR) at typical sites.

Instructors for this course include sediment experts from academia, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, EPA regional offices, and EPA Headquarters. The target audience is RPMs who have or may have a contaminated sediment site. The presentations will be followed by a panel-led group discussion of the key issues.

Subsurface Characterization for Vapor Intrusion

The Subsurface Characterization for Vapor Intrusion training course focuses on subsurface sampling and analysis strategies that can be used to evaluate whether vapors from a subsurface contaminant source could intrude into inhabited buildings and pose an unacceptable risk to human health. Specific topics to be addressed include:

• Potential vapor intrusion scenarios and site characterization strategies appropriate for the type of scenario under investigation.
• Ground water, soil gas, and sub-slab sampling methodologies suitable for evaluating the vapor intrusion pathway.
• Data analysis and interpretation methodologies.

Three scenarios commonly encountered by RPMs are considered in detail: ground water sources in sedimentary settings, vadose-zone (above the water table) sources in sedimentary settings, and vapor sources in fractured bedrock settings. Case studies of vapor intrusion assessment in these settings form the bulk of the course. They are used to illustrate the characterization options for the setting, the decision processes used to develop appropriate sampling strategies, and the techniques and tools available for analyzing the results.

Turning the Tide on DNAPL: Things You Should Know about DNAPL and Active Remediation

There has been significant progress in the characterization and remediation of Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL)-contaminated sites in the last 5 to 8 years. The Turning the Tide on DNAPL: Things You Should Know Now about DNAPL and Active Remediation course will discuss technology and policy developments and the challenges that remain. Recent technological advances, principally in the area of in situ treatment, have emerged to offer alternatives to traditional containment remedies for DNAPL sites. During the course, the technology focus will be on in situ thermal remedies and in situ chemical oxidation. A newer development is increasing interest in combining remedies to enhance the cost effectiveness of remedial strategies and to address all components of contamination at DNAPL sites – source zone hot spots, residual phase "warm" spots, and dissolved-phase plumes. Advances in site characterization will also be discussed where they are relevant to remedy selection. Policy issues to be covered include setting remedial action objectives, appropriate roles for monitored natural attenuation (MNA), cost implications, risk sharing, and addressing residual uncertainties on technology performance. Case studies will be used to illustrate major points and convey lessons learned. The course is best suited to RPMs who are familiar with DNAPL contaminants and sites.

The Using Systematic Project Planning to Address and Manage Site Uncertainty and Project Risks course provides an overview of project planning and sampling design when the Triad approach is used. This practical, "nuts and bolts" course will discuss how the systematic planning process occurs at specific sites where the Triad approach has been applied as well as tools that can be used during these efforts.

The first part of the session will focus on identifying project risks and prioritizing them according to their impacts on project decisions and implementation. A speaker from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will share real-life examples on project risks. Using case studies from several Superfund sites, the second and largest part of the session will focus on the actual steps to take in the planning process. RPMs and USACE technical staff will walk through the process used at the various sites and highlight the results of their efforts. The final portion of the training will provide an overview of available resources, such as the tools used and technical support mechanisms available to RPMs and how to access them. Several EPA Region 5 sites will be highlighted.

Media and spokesperson training is a must for any RPM called on to speak on behalf of a project or site. Building good relationships with the news media — as well as knowing what you want to say and exactly how to say it — is critical to conveying accurate information about your site or other EPA issues to your diverse audiences. The Working With the News Media workshop will help participants understand how to work with the news media, newspapers, television, radio, magazine, and the Internet.

You will learn how newsrooms operate; what makes "news;" what reporters and producers look for in a news source; and how to communicate your messages effectively, even during a crisis. The course will also feature a case study of a controversial Superfund or RCRA site.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

If you have any questions or comments about this site, please contact Jen Grund, Tetra Tech, at (703) 390-0667 or by e-mail at jen.grund@ttemi.com.