Rapid industrial development along Thailand’s eastern seaboard has increased pollution and environmental degradation in this densely populated region of the country. A growing problem is illegal disposal of industrial waste in abandoned borrow pits in many locations, especially in the capital Bangkok and its neighboring provinces. Previous work has identified the most likely illegal dumping sites in Chachoengsao Province. The focus of this work was to establish an impact assessment of potential dumping sites using a geographic information system (GIS) in order to create a patrolling and monitoring program for areas at highest risk. The impact assessment is based upon exposure and sensitivity factors of the illegal dumping sites. The exposure factor attempts to quantify the likelihood of illegal dumping; it includes distances from borrow pits to the nearest villages and highways, as well as the areas of the borrow pits. The sensitivity factor assesses the probability of environmental contamination; it includes site topography, ground permeability, aquifer characteristics, and distances to the nearest rivers. GIS was used to compute distances and to overlay other site characteristics. Variables within exposure and sensitivity factors were weighted based upon previous studies and recent expert analysis to compute exposure and sensitivity indices. Maps were then created in GIS for particular exposure and sensitivity factors, and overall impact assessment maps were constructed to indicate zones with low, medium, and high risk. These assessment maps could be adopted by local and regional governmental agencies, as well as local citizens, as part of preventive measures to conserve the local community and environment. Identification of high-risk areas can contribute to the initiation of a monitoring and patrolling program to prevent illegal dumping and preserve environmental and natural resources.

The University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC) has been offering educational programs in waste management and environmental science for ~25 yr and has recently added a sustainability minor to its bachelor’s degree in environmental science and environmental studies. With collective input from students, faculty, administrators, and staff, the university has established a highly successful sustainability program geared toward attaining zero waste. Students enrolled in the Introduction to Waste Management class are required to work on a term project that involves performing a waste audit. For the past several years, students have been conducting waste audits at various buildings on the campus. The term project not only allows students to gain familiarity with the principles of waste audits, but it also provides valuable hands-on experience with the procedures used for conducting a waste audit, data collection, analyses, interpretation, and preparing a written report followed by an oral Power-Point presentation. These reports have played a key role in designing a successful recycling program at UMKC that led to its earning first place among 523 colleges and universities in the annual RecycleMania competition in 2013, as well as its inclusion in Sierra magazine’s listing of top 100 “green schools” in the country. This paper includes a profile of the university and a detailed discussion of the waste audit project, recycling program, and sustainability efforts, along with suggestions on how to implement successful recycling programs elsewhere.

Abstract The removal of obsolete and unsafe dams for safety, environmental, or economic purposes frequently involves the exploration of sediments trapped within the impoundment and the subsequent assessment of sediment management needs and techniques. Sediment management planning requires a thorough understanding of the watershed’s surficial geology, topography, land cover, land use, and hydrology. The behavior of sediments is influenced by their age, consolidation, and stratigraphy. All watersheds have a history that helps forecast sediment loads, quality, gradation, and stratigraphy. Impounded sediment deposits may include coarse deltas and foreset slopes, fine or coarse bottom deposits, cohesive or organic matter, and wedge deposits immediately behind the dam. Some watersheds have anthropogenic pollutants from agricultural activities, mining, industries, or urban runoff. The volume and rate of sediment release during and after small dam removal can be limited by active management plans to reduce potential downstream impacts. Management strategies include natural erosion, phased breaches and drawdowns, natural revegetation of sediment surfaces, pre-excavation of an upstream channel, hazardous waste removal or containment, flow bypass plans, and sediment dredging.

Abstract In a broad-scale risk analysis of hazardous waste isolation by incorporating it into rock, the principal failure scenario is for the waste material to be dissolved out of the rock by groundwater, to be carried with the groundwater close to the surface, and then to be ingested by humans. Based on average conditions and average rock behavior, the probability per year for an atom of this waste rock to be dissolved in groundwater and, after it reaches the surface, the probability of it being ingested by a human via various pathways are negligible. These pathways include potable water derived from rivers and from wells, freshwater fish as a food, agricultural use of irrigation, deposition by rivers of silt that is later used for agriculture, and—after the material has reached the ocean—human consumption of seafood. The time delay between waste burial and human ingestion, courtesy of common geologic features and processes, is the key to effective long-term isolation.

Abstract The development and exploitation of mineral resources in the western United States was important to both our economic development and our history. With continued population growth and economic development in this region, the impacts of our mining legacy are proving to be equally important to citizens in our modern society. By one estimate, 500,000 abandoned mine sites are scattered across the western landscape, largely on public land (state and federal), affecting 16,000 miles of streams. Federal land management agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management are able to use their authorities under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act to respond to the release of hazardous substances from these abandoned mines. Although human health is a primary consideration in prioritizing site response, environmental issues such as the impact on terrestrial species, water quality, or aquatic species also may influence site response priorities. Challenges faced in reducing or preventing further release of hazardous substances at historic mines sites include limited available funds, difficult access, changing public land uses, and increasing populations in nearby areas.

Abstract An important aspect of planning a new mine or mine expansion within the modern regulatory framework is to design for ultimate closure. Sampling and monitoring for closure is a form of environmental risk management. By implementing a sampling and monitoring program early in the life of the mining operation, major costs can be avoided or minimized. The costs for treating mine drainage in perpetuity are staggering, especially if they are unanticipated. The Metal Mining Sector of the Acid Drainage Technology Initiative (ADTI-MMS), a cooperative government-industry-academia organization, was established to address drainage-quality technologies of metal mining and metallurgical operations. ADTI-MMS recommends that sampling and monitoring programs consider the entire mine-life cycle and that data needed for closure of an operation be collected from exploration through postclosure.

Abstract This volume documents interesting approaches, techniques, and practical scientific considerations associated with mine site remediation. It also highlights how various federal, state, and local agencies and organizations are trying to bring the best science possible to bear on this serious problem. Some chapters focus on specific methods for characterization, particular contaminant issues, and impacts from the release of hazardous substances from mine and mill sites. Others describe successful response actions, technologies, or practical approaches for addressing contaminant releases to the environment.