Use of GIS to Evaluate Health Risks for Contaminated Water Diving in U.S. Waterways Kristen M. Stanley MGIS Capstone Project – Peer Review July 1, 2008

Background What is Superfund? –Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), passed in 1980 –Mission: Protect communities from abandoned and heavily contaminated hazardous waste sites. –Federal Government must first become aware of the hazard Citizens State agencies EPA Regional offices

Background What is Superfund? (continued) –Not all hazardous sites are targeted under this program –Efforts are based on initial risk assessment What is a Superfund Site? “any land in the United States that has been contaminated by hazardous waste and identified by the EPA as a candidate for cleanup because it poses a risk to human health and/or the environment.”

Superfund Sites – March 2007 Proposed Site Current Site Deleted Site Map source:

Background Hazard Ranking System –Guides EPA in determining which sites require the most attention National Priorities List (NPL) –Most serious sites identified by Superfund –EPA reports as of May 8, proposed sites 1,255 current sites 326 deleted sites

Background EPA coordinates efforts communities, scientists, contractors, local industries, researchers, state, local, federal and tribal leaders EPA clean up efforts include –Identify hazardous waste found at the site, –Test conditions of the site –Establish cleanup plans –Direct and manage clean up

Portland Harbor, OR General Characteristics –Six miles along Lower Willamette River centered around downtown –Heavily industrialized for over 100 years –Added to NPL in Dec 2000 –Current fish advisories Map Source: and+harbor+Photo+gallery

Portland Harbor, OR Chemicals found in and around harbor: Arsenic Carcinogenic Used in pesticides, herbicides and insecticides Pesticides Runoff from agricultural chemical manufacturing and wood treatment facilities PCBs Polychlorinated biphenyls Coolants, insulating liquids (e.g., electrical transformers) Carcinogenic; Absorbed through ingestion, inhalation, and dermal exposure PAHs Polyaromatic hydrocarbons a product of incomplete combustion of fossil fuels bioaccumulate Dioxin Incineration of solid wastes, copper smelting Carcinogenic Map Source:

Critical Role of SCUBA Divers Underwater tasks: –Marine vessel and dock repairs –Search and rescue efforts –Sampling and monitoring –Underwater inspections Potential Hazards –General SCUBA hazards –High level of contaminants

Current Tools for SCUBA Divers Data sources EPA’s Superfund Program EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory Maps TRI Facilities TRI Releases Superfund Sites Combination ToxMap Environmental Health e-Maps

Current Tools for SCUBA Divers NOAA’s Portland Harbor Watershed Database and Mapping Project Information available: Sediment chemistry data River bathymetry Aerial photography Outfall locations Shoreline types Habitat features Property owners Dredging projects Cleanup projects

Limitations of Tools They do little to inform a diver of dangers associated with acute and chronic exposure to chemicals found in river sediments where they are diving. In order to alleviate this problem, there is a need to develop a new tool that takes these two online mapping applications further. Divers are in need of a user-friendly tool to give them a comprehensive list of potential chemical hazards at potential dive sites.

Proposed Solution Development of a GIS that will allow divers to evaluate health risks associated with diving in contaminated waters, such as Portland Harbor, through the use of a GIS that combines sediment contaminant data with health safety data in an ArcGIS environment Benefits to divers: –Pre- and post-dive safety measures –Choice of appropriate protective equipment –Proper procedures for handling emergency situations –Certain health symptoms the diver needs to watch out for Coordinated efforts between the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC, Vicksburg, MS) and the Portland District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)

Data Layers and Sources The core of the project is made up of two key layers 1.Sample Data Historical sediment contaminant data from the 1997 dredging of the Lower Willamette River. Data provided by the Portland District of the USACE Fields: Sample DateCAS# ConcentrationConcentration Unit Sample LocationX Y Coordinates

Data Layers and Sources 2.Health safety data to extract from a number of different sources CAS# Chemical Name Chemical Group Oral RfD, Oral LOAEL, Oral NOAEL Acute and/or long term exposure risks

Data Layers and Sources 3.Other reference layers –Road, hwy, interstate –Satellite imagery –Oregon counties –Waterways –Boat ramps –Major cities –River miles

Application Description Map of Multnomah County, Oregon Toggle layers on and off Contaminated Water Diving Tool Search Get Risk Information Pan Zoom In, Out Full Extent Previous, Next Extent

Project Timeline June/July –Data gathering, analysis, and manipulation –Create Health Safety data table –Combine all layers and data tables into one geodatabase July/August –Programming –Prepare for demonstration to users August/September –Demonstration to users –Make any changes discussed in meeting –Final demonstration –Documentation

Potential Issues Data –Obtaining toxicity data for all chemicals –Determining the hazard indicators –Hazard ranking calculations stored in table or calculated on demand? Application Design –Conceptual model vs. Actual model

Future Developments Allow for user input of data –Sample data –Chemical toxicity data Expand to include other major contaminated waterways in the United States Develop a web mapping application based on this concept

Questions and Comments Thank you for this opportunity to present my project proposal to you. Special thank you to my capstone advisor, Robert Crane. If you have any questions now or in the future regarding this project, please feel free to contact me. Kristen Stanley