| Abstract: |
The Department of Energy (DOE) is faced with a monumental environmental
remediation and restoration task that may take decades and cost over
300 billion dollars. In this article I suggest that there is a need
for a holistic environmental monitoring plan that can be used both to
aid in remediation decisions as well as to evaluate remediation and
restoration. The current operable unit approach of the DOE manages and
remediates small hazardous waste sites without taking into account the
vastness of the large DOE sites. This piecemeal approach never allows
for an evaluation of the broader environmental problems or of the
value of existing ecosystems established on the buffer lands around
the restricted industrial sites. I suggest that an overall biological
monitoring plan should be established that includes all levels of
ecological organization, from single species indicators to ecosystem
measures, and that includes bioindicators that can be used for both
human and nonhuman receptors. A sound biomonitoring plan should
provide information on all levels of ecological organization,
including individual species, populations and communities, ecosystems,
and landscapes. For biomonitoring to be effective, it must be relevant
biologically, methodologically, and societally. Key elements in the
plan must include indicators of all ecological levels that meet the
criteria of these three relevancies. Although I provide some examples
of key metrics, and particular species or species groups that are
suitable for the Savannah River Site, I suggest that any plan will
require modification. However, such a plan must address the three
types of relevancies, and five levels of ecological organization. |