Sea Grant Fellowship Opportunity
Environmental Cleanup in Aquatic Environments
Program Overview
DEQ is responsible for protecting and enhancing Oregon's air, water and land quality. DEQ staff use a combination of technical assistance, voluntary programs, public education, inspections and permitting to help public and private facilities and citizens understand and comply with state and federal environmental regulations. Environmental data on the status, trends, and sources of pollution for air, water and land quality provide the foundation for the successful implementation of the DEQ programs. Data is used to identify problems, develop effective pollution mitigation strategies, and to assess program effectiveness. The Environmental Cleanup program is responsible for overseeing and implementing hazardous substance cleanup projects to protect public health and the environment.
Fellowship Topic
The Cleanup program is currently working on several significant sediment and wetland projects, where active dredging of contaminated sediments will be evaluated along with alternative remediation technologies. Alternatives or complements to dredging that provide high-value habitat within a watershed are desirable when remediating hazardous substances to protect human and environmental receptors. The purpose of this fellowship would be to evaluate alternative strategies and technologies for sediment and wetland remediation; and to develop appropriate monitoring protocols to determine the success of the projects. Additionally, more general policy or guidance for evaluating contaminated sediments and wetlands before and after remedial activity may be developed. Tasks would include:
- Researching and evaluating remedial technologies and sediment reuse applicable to sediment or wetland remediation.
- Determining scope of data needs to assess technologies according to Oregon’s cleanup criteria;
- Researching and developing assessment and monitoring protocols for establishing baseline conditions and evaluating project success;
- Consulting with technical experts as needed;
- Collaborating with local, state and federal agencies and stakeholder groups to facilitate implementation of sediment or wetland cleanup projects;
- Developing and implementing sampling design strategies;
Project Scope
This project would provide the opportunity to learn about the local, state and federal agencies and stakeholders involved in sediment remediation projects. It would provide a broad experience in working with both the scientific and policy issues connected to this topic. The Fellow selected would work out of the DEQ Northwest Region Portland or Gresham office, and would work closely with the Cleanup program’s headquarters group. The Fellow would be encouraged to attend professional meetings and provide updates as appropriate. Good verbal and written communication will be important to the successful implementation of this project.
Opportunities and Benefits
- Knowledge and experience in state, and federal regulation of environmental cleanup issues as they intersect with regional sediment issues and other regulatory programs;
- Meet with and learn from leading scientist and policy makers;
- Help establish policies to ensure the long term success of sediment and wetland remediation projects;
- Experience working with stakeholder groups and government agencies.
Contact
Bruce Gilles, Northwest Region Cleanup Manager (gilles.bruce@deq.state.or.us) or 503-667-8414/55009
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
1550 NW Eastman Parkway, Suite 290,
Gresham, Oregon 97030