2025 Battelle Sediments Conference
January 22, 2025
The Battelle 2025 Sediments Conference is a biennial event where science and engineering professionals, researchers, regulators, and stakeholders come together to “share research results, practical experiences, and innovative approaches to investigate, remediate, and restore the environmental and economic vitality of waterways and aquatic systems.” The Conference, organized by Battelle, will take place in Tampa, Florida, from Monday, January 27 to Thursday, January 30. Topics covered include sediment management, remediation technologies, contaminant fate and transport, characterization and monitoring, environmental risks, and regulations and policy developments.
LimnoTech’s experts and leaders, Tim Dekker, John Bratton, Anthony Aufdenkampe, and Anouk Savineau, look forward to participating, presenting, and serving as panelists and session chairs.
Check out these sessions and events, where Tim, John, Anthony, and Anouk will share their knowledge and experience with the listed co-presenters and partners. LimnoTech team members who are co-authors of technical presentations and posters noted below but are not attending in person include Tim Towey, Greg Peterson, John Wolfe, and Brendan Cousino.
How to Make Adaptive Management Work for Contaminated Sediment Remediation Projects
Technical Presentation
Date/Time: Tuesday, January 28, 8:00-8:25 am ET
Session: C1. Adaptive Management Approaches (Platform)
Location: C Sessions Room (Salon E, Grand Ballroom, Tampa Marriott Water Street)
About: Based on experience gained from work on multiple contaminated sediment sites around the country over the last few decades, adaptive management is often invoked as an objective but the reality of its implementation routinely falls short of the ideal. There are many reasons for this, but among the primary explanations is a lack of experience with effective and relatable versions of what could be or should be. This inhibits the formation in the minds of participants of an accurate conceptual model–not of the site itself, but of the structure of the necessary processes that will lead to its effective remediation.
Speaker and Co-Authors: John Bratton (LimnoTech), Timothy Dekker (LimnoTech), Tim Towey (LimnoTech), Gregory Peterson (LimnoTech), Daniel Herrema, John Wolfe (LimnoTech)
B2. Contaminant Fate and Transport in Sediments (Platform)
Technical Presentation Session
Date/Time: Tuesday, January 28, 10:05-11:45 am ET
Session: B2. Contaminant Fate and Transport in Sediments (Platform)
Location: B Sessions Room (Salon C/D, Grand Ballroom, Tampa Marriott Water Street)
Session Chair/Co-Chairs: Bryon Dahlgren (Battelle) and Timothy J. Dekker (LimnoTech)
Visioning, Collaborating, and Implementing Remediation and Restoration to Prioritize Environmental and Societal Benefits
Panel Discussion
Date/Time: Tuesday, January 28, 3:55-5:35 pm ET
Location: D Sessions Room (Salon F, Grand Ballroom, Tampa Marriott Water Street)
About: Many remediation projects present opportunities for site restoration and future land use that can deliver valuable ecological services and/or economic reinvestment. Environmental and other societal (i.e., public) benefits can be great in association with remediated and restored shoreline properties in urban areas. Special opportunities to maximize benefits to wildlife may exist on larger tracts in more remote locations. The environmental and societal need to succeed in this endeavor is beyond compelling — it is a moral obligation. Environmental goals and business interests are not mutually exclusive and need not be impediments. Property owners and regulatory agencies bear equal responsibility to find safe and creative solutions. Companies and other entities that efficiently and effectively remediate, restore, and divest such properties benefit in multiple ways. Agencies that actively support these outcomes deliver on their public mission. The location and characteristics of each site dictate the kinds of benefits that can be realized, whether that involves supporting affordable workforce housing in a livable and walkable city or the conservation and management (stewardship) of critical habitat supporting species of special concern.
Panel Moderator: Steven S. Brown (AnchorQEA)
Panelists: Amy Beasley (Dow), Timothy J. Dekker (LimnoTech), George Gigounas (DLA Piper), Carla Rosenfeld (U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office), Roger Santiago (Canada Water Agency)
Use of Multiple Lines of Evidence to Assess Risk, Develop Remedial Alternatives, and Select a Preferred Remedy for the Lower Genesee River
Technical Presentation
Date/Time: Tuesday, January 28, 4:20-4:45 pm ET
Session: C4. Remedial Cleanup Objectives and Approaches for Optimized Remedial Development (Platform)
Location: C Sessions Room (Salon E, Grand Ballroom, Tampa Marriott Water Street)
About: The Lower Genesee River (LGR) in Rochester, New York, has been the focus of a RCRA Facility Investigation (RFI) and a Corrective Measures Study (CMS) conducted on behalf of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (NYSDEC’s) Division of Environmental Remediation. Silver was determined to be the primary contaminant of concern in river and wetland sediments from Kodak’s film-making operations at its former Kodak Park facility. Remedial alternatives were evaluated for their ability to reduce potential impacts to the environment from silver. The selected alternative was finalized in 2020, and remedial construction was largely completed in 2021 with minor restoration tasks completed in 2022. Procurement of federal, state, and local permits began in 2019, with final permits secured in 2021 prior to the start of construction.
Speaker and Co-Authors: Matthew Vetter (Parsons), Lisa Gorton (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation), Thomas Drachenberg (Parsons), Kristen Brooks (Parsons), Laura Brussel (Parsons), Amy Ruta (Parsons), Ed Glaza (AnchorQEA), Michael Rondinelli (Ramboll), Tim Towey (LimnoTech)
B2. Contaminant Fate and Transport in Sediments (Poster)
Poster Session
Date/Time: Tuesday, January 28, 5:45-7:00 pm ET
Session: B2. Contaminant Fate and Transport in Sediments (Poster)
Location: Exhibit Hall (Tampa Bay Ballroom, JW Marriott)
Session Chair/Co-Chairs: Bryon Dahlgren (Battelle) and Timothy J. Dekker (LimnoTech)
Lower Fox River Statistical Methodology for Long-Term Monitoring Plan Update (Group 1, Poster Board #48)
Poster Session
Date/Time: Tuesday, January 28, 5:45-7:00 pm ET
Session: C4. Remedial Cleanup Objectives and Approaches for Optimized Remedial Development (Poster)
Location: Exhibit Hall (Tampa Bay Ballroom, JW Marriott)
About: The Fox River NRDA/PCB Releases Site, located within the 62.7-kilometer Lower Fox River, is divided into five operable units (OUs 1 through 5). Active remediation (dredging, sand cover, and capping) of PCB-contaminated sediments has been completed in OU1, OU3, and OU4, with OU2 and OU5 having a monitored natural attenuation remedy. Long-term monitoring (LTM) is now occurring in all OUs, designed to monitor improvements in water and fish tissue PCB concentrations. Following baseline monitoring conducted in 2006-2007, four LTM events have taken place in OUs 1 through 3 and two LTM events in OUs 4 and 5.
Long-term monitoring plans (LTMPs) were developed in 2009 for OUs 2 through 5 and in 2011 for OU 1. The LTM programs were designed with statistically-based criteria to provide acceptable error limits for decision making and assess whether data quality objectives (DQOs) of the project have been met. The LTM evaluation provided for tests of hypotheses formulated under five exit criteria, which set the requirements for elimination of monitoring by media and OU. Under the exit criteria, comparisons are made to background concentrations, risk-based concentrations, and concentration reductions from baseline, along with an evaluation of recovery rate and laboratory blank contamination levels.
Presenter/Co-Authors: Stephen G. Lehrke (Foth Infrastructure & Environment, LLC), John R. Wolfe (LimnoTech) and John W. Kern (Kern Statistical Services, Inc.)
Assessing the Effectiveness of the Completed Lower Fox River Remedy: Updated Data through 2022
Technical Presentation
Date/Time: Wednesday, January 29, 2:15-2:40 pm ET
Session: E5. Monitoring and Evaluating Remedy Effectiveness (Platform)
Location: E Sessions Room (Salons G-J, Grand Ballroom, Tampa Marriott Water Street)
About: The Lower Fox River (LFR) extends 39 miles from the outlet of Lake Winnebago over a series of locks and dams northward to the mouth of the river, where it discharges into Green Bay/Lake Michigan. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were discovered in the LFR in the 1970s. The regulatory process divided the site into five operable units (OUs) beginning at the outlet of Lake Winnebago, including Little Lake Butte des Morts (OU1), proceeding through the Lower Fox River (OUs 2 to 4), and ending at Green Bay (OU5). Separate Records of Decision (RODs) were issued to address legacy PCB contamination in sediments for OU1 and OUs 2 to 5. The initial RODs required extensive dredging throughout OUs 1, 3 and 4, but were subsequently amended following a comprehensive pre-design investigation and initial design and construction activities to incorporate more cost-effective and environmentally protective engineered caps and sand covers. The ROD Amendments also incorporated post-dredge sand covering to manage residuals, which otherwise would have limited the effectiveness of the remedy. The primary RA over most of OU2 and OU5 is monitored natural recovery (MNR). Remedial construction activities in OU1, OU2/3, and OU4/5 were completed in 2009, 2011, and 2020, respectively.
Presenter and Co-Authors: Tara M. Van Hoof (Foth Infrastructure & Environment, LLC), Stephen G. Lehrke (Foth Infrastructure & Environment, LLC), John R. Wolfe (LimnoTech), Paul Montney (Georgia-Pacific Corporation), and William Hartman (Glatfelter Corporation)
E6. Engineering with Nature (Poster)
Poster Session
Date/Time: Wednesday, January 29, 5:45-7:00 pm ET
Session: E6. Engineering with Nature (Platform)
Location: Exhibit Hall (Tampa Bay Ballroom, JW Marriott)
Session Chair/Co-Chairs: Anouk Savineau (LimnoTech) and Kyle Vickstrom (Parsons Corporation)
E6. Engineering with Nature (Platform)
Technical Presentation Session
Date/Time: Thursday, January 30, 8:00-9:40 am ET
Session: E6. Engineering with Nature (Platform)
Location: E Sessions Room (Salons G-J, Grand Ballroom, Tampa Marriott Water Street)
Session Chair/Co-Chairs: Anouk Savineau (LimnoTech) and Kyle Vickstrom (Parsons Corporation)
Groundwater/Surface Water Interactions Drive Redox-Dependent Mobility near Coal Combustion Product Sites
Technical Presentation
Date/Time: Thursday, January 30, 9:15-9:40 am ET
Session: C9. Groundwater/Sediment/Surface Water Interactions (Platform)
C Sessions Room (Salon E, Grand Ballroom, Tampa Marriott Water Street)
About: Geochemical reactions in the transition zone between groundwater and surface water have the potential to change concentrations of certain inorganic constituents dissolved in groundwater prior to discharge through the groundwater/surface water interface (GSI). LimnoTech assisted the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in performing research to document these geochemical reactions. This research further explores the geochemical, physical, and biological interactions among groundwater, surface water, and the sediment/porewater matrix of the dynamic transition zone immediately beneath the GSI in nearshore areas that are downgradient of coal combustion product (CCP) storage facilities. The study examined coupled hydrological and geochemical processes that drive variations in the mobility of various constituents at two field sites using advanced analysis and modeling, including identification of data needed to support the advanced analysis.
Among the challenges in understanding groundwater/surface water interaction in the vicinity of CCP storage facilities (for example, landfills and impoundments) is the common mismatch between available data and the time and space components of the phenomena that drive the geochemical interactions of interest. For example, existing data may be collected to comply with regulatory requirements that are oriented toward providing basic evidence of ongoing waste containment and stability, such as the 2015 Coal Combustion Residual (CCR) disposal rule and its amendments and revisions, or to support Clean Water Act discharge permits; however, these data may not be sufficient to fully characterize the complexities that occur near the GSI.
Speaker and Co-Authors: Anthony Aufdenkampe (LimnoTech), Bruce Hensel (EPRI), Jeff Thomas (EPRI), Tim Towey (LimnoTech)
Toronto’s Port Lands: Leveraging Flood Protection to Transform an Urban Brownfield into a Waterfront Landmark
Technical Presentation
Date/Time: Thursday, January 30, 10:05-10:30 am ET
Session: D8. Restoration, Revitalization, Redevelopment, and Sustainability (Platform)
Location: D Sessions Room (Salon F, Grand Ballroom, Tampa Marriott Water Street)
About: Toronto’s Don River joins Lake Ontario in downtown Toronto at the former site of Ashbridges Bay Marsh, once one of the largest freshwater wetlands on the Great Lakes. In the late 1890s, the mouth of the Don was channelized into the Keating Channel to support the filling of the marsh, creating the 400-hectare Port Lands – a failed commercial shipping district that was primarily occupied by the oil and gas industry for most of the 20th century, leaving the lands heavily contaminated with petroleum byproducts. Increased runoff due to urbanization put pressure on the channelized river, leaving much of downtown vulnerable to flooding, culminating in the 1954 flooding due to Hurricane Hazel – the most damaging flood in the city’s history.
In 2007, Waterfront Toronto, a public-partnership operating on behalf of the Canadian government, the Province of Ontario, and the City of Toronto hosted an international design competition to develop a plan for a Port Lands that could withstand a 21st century Hazel. Waterfront Toronto ultimately selected the MVVA team, whose plan successfully met the flood protection and environmental remediation requirements while also creating a bold new vision for the Port Lands – extending the Don River valley through the industrial lands to create a naturalized river mouth, wetlands, park systems, and new urban neighborhoods.
Speaker and Co-Authors: Luke Ness (Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.), Danielle Thorson (Geosyntec Consultants Inc.), and Brendan Cousino (LimnoTech)
The Battelle 2025 Sediments Conference is a valuable platform for sharing knowledge, advancing scientific understanding, and fostering collaborations to address sediment contamination issues in our water resources and the environment. Our LimnoTech team looks forward to learning, discussing, and collaborating to continue to take bold actions with our clients and partners to address sediment contamination-related challenges head-on.
For more information on the Battelle 2025 Sediments Conference, go to https://www.battelle.org/conferences/sediments-conference.
Program information can be found here.
If you want to learn more about LimnoTech’s participation in Battelle’s 2025 Sediments Conference, our role in the work described in the above sessions, or our work in Contaminated Sites and Contaminated Sediments, Engineering With Nature, or Urban Ecology and Naturalization, please reach out to Tim Towey at ttowey@limno.com.