METHODOLOGY FOR CONDUCTING SCREENING-LEVEL ECOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENTS FOR HAZARDOUS-WASTE SITES - PART I - OVERVIEW

The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) is a Department of Energy (DOE) facility. To assess the impact of the si re activities and releases on ecological receptors, the INEEL implemen ted a phased approach for conducting ecological risk assessments (ERAs ). This approach applies an iterative, 'tiered' process, in which cons ervative preliminary assessments support progressively more refined as sessments, The first phase is the screening-level ERA, which is a 'pre assessment' performed at the Waste Area Group (WAG) level, This paper will address innovative methods, at the screening level, used to addre ss systematically the complexity of the INEEL site, including adaptati ons of existing ERA methodologies to accommodate the functional groupi ng approach.