Introduction

The “Road Map to Understanding Innovative Technology Options for Brownfields Investigation and Cleanup,” Fourth Edition, includes new and updated resources to assist in identification and selection of innovative site characterization and cleanup technologies for brownfields redevelopment. The Road Map provides a general outline of the steps in the investigation and cleanup of a site slated for redevelopment and introduces brownfields stakeholders to the range of innovative technology options and resources available to them. The Road Map provides valuable information for a wide range of stakeholders involved in or affected by redevelopment of brownfields sites, whether through public projects, private developments, or public-private partnerships. The Fourth Edition has been expanded significantly to include new and updated resources and supplemental information.

The First Edition of the Road Map, which was published in 1997, provided a broad overview of EPA’s Brownfields Program and an outline of the steps involved in the cleanup of a brownfields site. Designed primarily for stakeholders who were unfamiliar with the elements of cleaning up a brownfields site, the Road Map built awareness of the advantages offered by innovative technologies. As the Brownfields Program matured, the Second and Third Editions were published in 1999 and 2001, respectively, to update information and resources associated with the program and innovative technologies. Those editions were accompanied by a CD-ROM to provide easier access to the wide range of information and resources included in the Road Map.

The new Fourth Edition has been developed to continue to serve audiences who are new to the Brownfields Program as well as provide new and updated technical information to audiences with more experience and technical qualifications. Updated with 71 new resources and one-page descriptions of technologies, processes, and initiatives that affect the consideration and use of innovative technologies, the newest edition of the Road Map will help:

• New and less experienced stakeholders learn about EPA’s Brownfields Program and site cleanup in general.
• Decision-makers who are familiar with the Brownfields Program but are also interested in obtaining more detailed information about technologies. The Road Map provides these users with up-to-date information about the applicability of innovative technologies and ready access to the latest resources that can assist them in making their technology decisions.
• Stakeholders who hire or oversee site cleanup professionals (such as environmental consultants, cleanup contractors, technology vendors, or analytical laboratories). The Road Map provides these stakeholders with a detailed understanding of the different phases of cleanup of a brownfields site and presents information about the role that cleanup professionals play in the process and about how to encourage consideration of use of innovative technologies.
• Regulators by increasing their understanding of the advantages that innovative technologies and approaches may provide throughout the cleanup process. The Road Map also serves as a resource that regulators can use to provide site owners, service providers, and other stakeholders with useful information about the Brownfields Program.
• Community members by providing information about the general site cleanup process as well as guidelines and mechanisms that ensure that they are involved in the decision-making process.
• Other stakeholders, such as financial institutions and insurance agencies, by providing information for their use in assessing and minimizing the risk associated with brownfields redevelopment.

It is important to understand that the site characterization and cleanup process may not occur in the sequence outlined in the following sections. At many sites, several activities may be undertaken concurrently, and some steps may recur throughout the process. For example, many technologies that are used for characterizing sites during the preliminary phases of a brownfields project may be appropriate for use in later stages of a site cleanup. Understanding the logical progression of the process is crucial to ensuring that the proper groundwork is laid for future phases and in determining whether activities can be combined or implemented concurrently.

The Road Map is not an official guidance document. Rather, it draws upon EPA’s experiences with brownfields and Superfund sites, corrective action sites under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and underground storage tank (UST) sites. Specific conditions—such as the kinds and amounts of contamination, the proposed reuses of the property, the financial resources available, and the level of support from neighboring communities—vary from site to site.