Interregional Practical Training Course on Environmental Remediation Project Implementation

Application Deadline for Nominee(s) of Invited IAEA Member States: 7 May 2018

Purpose

The primary objective of this training course is to provide implementing and regulatory organizations with a global understanding of the key aspects that need to be considered in the development and implementation of Conceptual Site Models (CSMs) to support environmental remediation of legacy sites and the clean-up of facilities in the scope of site release from regulatory control.

A secondary objective of this course is to serve as a pilot for the School of Environmental Remediation (ER) that is being planned to enhance capacity building mechanisms aimed at providing IAEA Member States with qualified personnel in both implementation and regulatory areas related to site remediation/​clean-up.

Expected Outputs

The course will enable the participants to understand the fundamentals of developing and using a CSM – a crucial tool to support the planning and management of any remediation or clean-up project. CSMs are constructed to conceptualize the fate and transport of pollutants and establish remediation priorities from a risk perspective. They also are used to support a number of project management activities, including cost estimation, data management and analysis, and stakeholder engagement. This training course will enhance participants skills and performance in project management, including the planning and implementation phases of projects.

Scope and Nature

The course will take place over a two-week period, providing lectures to be delivered by highly experienced professionals – but also with skills in teaching – on key topics related to CSM, including:

• Site definition and background information
• Sources of contamination and contaminants of potential concern
• Sensitive receptors
• Migration pathways and exposure routes:
  • Leeching of contaminants through the soil profile to groundwater
  • Downward migration from one groundwater aquifer to another
  • Transport of contaminants via groundwater to surface water
  • Transport of contaminants via surface water
  • Exhalation from soil of source materials, e.g. wastes
  • Transport of contaminants by mechanical disturbance, e.g. earthworks
  • Biomagnification along food chains

The course will also provide interactive exercises to allow meeting participants to put in practice the key concepts, methods and tools they have been exposed to.

The course will be supported by a wide range of IAEA Safety Standards and NE-Series Reports in addition to specialized technical and scientific publications in addition to materials to be provided by the lecturers.

The training Modules will be presented using a format based on the proven learning sequence of lecture, video and field-observation and discussion. In addition, where applicable, IAEA resource documents such as guides, standards and technical reports will be used to support the lectures.

The course will provide overarching introductory lectures on:

• Policies and Strategies on ER and relevant Regulatory Frameworks
• Site characterization, sampling, and analysis
• Stakeholder involvement and risk communication in the scope of decision-making
• Basic principles of project planning/​management and decision-making
• Data management
• Overview of proven and emerging technologies for environmental remediation
• Site closure and long term stewardship

In addition, the course will provide participants with details on IAEA networking opportunities via the Environmental Management and Remediation Network (ENVIRONET) and other relevant networks. It is anticipated that the course instructors will include staff from US and international organizations with great experience in site remediation/​clean-up.

Background Information

One outcome of Phase I of the IAEA Constraints in Decommissioning and Environmental Remediation (CIDER) Project was identification of the need for greater capacity development in Member States related to decommissioning and environmental remediation (D&ER) activities. A key objective of the CIDER Project is to enhance Member Statess ability to successfully implement safe, appropriate, and cost-effective D&ER projects. These objectives are perfectly in line with the main objectives of the INT 9183 project.

Accordingly, the CIDER Project has placed a priority on capacity development across the broad spectrum of D&ER project implementation. As a result, it has identified relevant parameters of a training course with a specific focus to ensure course graduates would possess at the end of the training period:

• Solid understanding of all phases, tasks, and elements of a D&ER project
• Solid understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of implemented D&ER technologies in the framework of D&ER projects
• Practical skills related to project planning, management, and execution
• Capability to communicate effectively about all aspects of their project with regulators, funding organizations, technical support organizations, contractors, the general public, and other stakeholders

It is the intent of CIDER to leverage existing training programs and relevant materials to the greatest possible extent.

With the above objectives in mind, a more intensive mechanism of training was conceived, which is being designated as the School of ER Project Implementation. The School is planned as an extended training program that will provide attendees with both lecture-based and practical, hands-on learning opportunities. This training course is a first step in the direction of the implementation of the School. By gathering together experienced professionals during the training event it will be possible not only to test the training mechanisms to be used but also to refine the conceptual design of the School and address a series of relevant topics as curriculum, duration, administrative details, involved costs, etc.