OVERVIEW OF DOD ACTIVITIES IN ECOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT

Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liabi lity Act, Congress has mandated that all designated hazardous waste si tes will be remediated to protect human health and the environment. Th is law is the driving force behind the Department of Defense (DOD) eco logical risk assessment (ERA) program. Ecological risk assessments are currently underway at many DOD sites with budgets ranging from five t housand to ten million dollars. However, with the advent of downsizing government and shrinking funds, efforts are being made within DOD to better refine these assessments. Two DOD work groups function to devel op guidance for and assist project managers with the ERA process. Thes e groups are the Army Biological Technical Assistance Group chaired by the Army Environmental Center and the Tri-Service Ecological Risk Ass essment Work Group (ERWG) chartered by the Tri-Service Environmental S upport Centers Coordinating Committee. Membership in the Tri-Service E RWG includes all facets of DOD. In the research arena, the Fate & Effe cts Research and Development Program is one of four primary thrust are as under the Army's Environmental Quality Technology Program ''Clean U p'' pillar. This program is currently being executed by three laborato ries, the Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS, the Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, Aberdeen Proving Ground , MD, and the Army Center for Environmental Health Research (Provision al), Ft. Detrick, MD. The goal of this program is to provide tools to improve environmental risk assessments, both human and ecological. The research is geared toward addressing user requirements and is defined by the Fate and Effects Research Program.