Winter 2004 Issue #1
The Center for Hazardous Substances in Urban Environments (CHSUE) is pleased to begin a quarterly newsletter that is available electronically on the Center's website http://www.jhu.edu/hsrc/Newsletter.htm. Our goal is to familiarize interested parties with recent activities conducted by the CHSUE, highlight progress with specific research and outreach projects, and list new publications and presentations. This first issue (Winter 2004) will review all the current projects within the Research and Outreach Programs. The CHSUE supports the following three EPA regions:
Region 1 Connecticut,
Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont
Region 2 New Jersey,
New York, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
Region 3 Delaware,
Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia
GENERAL NEWS
The CHSUE has completed its move into new space generously provided by the Johns Hopkins University, Whiting School of Engineering. The Center is located approximately 1 mile from the Homewood Campus in the Stieff Silver Building which can be seen from I-83. The new address for CHSUE is 810 Wyman Park Drive, Suite 100, Baltimore, Maryland 21211. Click here to view pictures of the office. Please come and visit our new office.
A new logo has been designed for the CHSUE which will appear on our correspondence. Look for it on our website and letterhead. The logo captures the urban environment, including air, land and water media.
The most recent CHSUE Annual Report which covers the period October 1, 2002 through September 30, 2003 has been posted to the Center's website at http://www.jhu.edu/hsrc/Reports.
OUTREACH ACTIVITIES
The CHSUE is actively engaged in many Outreach activities with the following institutions: Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland Baltimore, University of Connecticut and New Jersey Institute of Technology. They are providing community outreach within EPA Regions 1, 2, and 3. Our past Quarterly Reports on the Outreach Program are posted on our website at http://www.jhu.edu/hsrc/Reports.htm.
An Outreach Advisory Committee oversees the outreach activities of the Center and provides guidance to the Center through evaluation and critique of the interactions of the Center with communities. The Outreach Advisory Committee has developed a vision statement for our Outreach Program that can be viewed at http://www.jhu.edu/hsrc/oac.htm.
The Outreach Advisory Committee held its annual meeting on November 14, 2003 at New Jersey Institute for Technology in Newark, New Jersey. The meeting agenda, minutes and pictures can be found at the following link http://www.jhu.edu/hsrc/oacpicture%202003.htm.
The titles of outreach projects currently being carried out by the CHSUE are listed below by EPA Region. Future issues of the newsletter will highlight one project from each region to provide more details on progress and results. If you would like to learn more about a project listed, please review the project description in the recent quarterly report on our website at http://www.jhu.edu/hsrc/Reports.htm.
EPA Region 1
Woburn, MA - Aberjona River/Industri-Plex Superfund Site
Charlestown RI - Ninigret Park
Hamden CT - Newhall Coalition
Danbury CT - Mallory Hat Factory
Cape Cod, MA - Massachusetts Military Reservation
New Have, CT - Regional Growth Partnership
EPA Region 2
Statewide, NJ - Abbott School Districts
Bloomfield, NJ - Mercury thermometer manufacturing site
Voorhees, NJ - Buzby Landfill
Camden, NJ - Fettersville Community Organization/Macedonia Historical Association
Ft. Edwards, NY - Fort Edwards Superfund Project
Camden, NJ - Heart of Camden - South Waterfront Redevelopment Plan
Newark, NJ - Ironbound Community Corporation
Long Branch, NJ - Long Branch Coal Gasification
Camden, NJ - Martin-Aaron site
Milltown, NJ - Ford Avenue Redevelopment Project
NY, Statewide - New York State Department of Housing and Community Renewal
EPA Region 3
Washington, DC - Lamont - Riggs Park
New Castle, DE -Hamilton Park
Delaware City, DE - Metachem
Cumberland, MD - Highway Petroleum Abandoned Gas Station
Elkridge, MD - Former Baltimore Transformer and Coil Brownfield
Frederick, MD - East St./Carroll Creek Brownfield Sites
Hagerstown, MD - Central Chemical Superfund Site
Baltimore, MD - Superfund and Brownfield Sites in Herring Run Watershed
Princess Anne, MD - Brown Derby Abandoned Gas Station
Salisbury, MD - Lester's Garage Abandoned Gas Station
Baltimore, MD - Woodberry Land Trust
Pen Argyl, PA - Pen Argyl landfill and expansion
Cumberland, MD
Frederick, MD
Princess Anne, MD
Salisbury, MD
CHSUE RESEARCH
The interdisciplinary and multimedia nature of urban environmental problems demand a diverse array of scientific talent and facilities. The Research Program involves five partnering institutions: Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland—College Park, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Morgan State University, and the University of Connecticut. The CHSUE initiated its Research Program with seven projects that addressed contaminants and sources that are known to be prevalent in urban environments. The initial seven projects are listed below. Click on the title for a link to the research summary document. These projects are completed or are nearing completion.
RP#1. The Fate and Potential Bioavailability of Airborne Urban Contaminants
Robert Mason (UM), Joel Baker (UM), and John Ondov (UM).
RP#2. Measurements and Large Eddy Simulations of Plume Dispersion in an Urban Boundary Layer Marc Parlange (JHU), Charles Meneveau (JHU), Joseph Helble (UConn), and John Ondov (UM).
RP#3. Geochemistry, Biochemistry, and Surface/Groundwater Interactions for As, Cr, Ni, Zn, and Cd with Applications to Contaminated WaterfrontsAllison MacKay (UConn) and Barth Smets (UConn).
RP#4. Co-Contaminant Effects on Risk Assessment and Remediation Activities Involving Urban Sediments and Soils William Ball (JHU) and Edward Bouwer (JHU).
RP#5. Speciation of Chromium in Environmental Media Using Capillary Electrophoresis with Multiple Wavelength UV/Visible Detection Alan Stone (JHU) and Charles O'Melia (JHU).
RP#6. Zero-Valent Metal Treatment of Halogenated Vapor-Phase Contaminants in SVE Offgas A. Lynn Roberts (JHU) and Howard Fairbrother (JHU).
RP#7. Environmental Assessment and GIS System Development of Brownfield Sites in Baltimore. Guangming Chen (MSU), Gbekeloluwa Oguntimein (MSU), and Sedley Williams (MSU)
In May 2003, a request for proposals from the partnering institutions was issued by the CHSUE. The following six projects were selected by the CHSUE Science Advisory Committee for funding. The new projects listed below reflect a combination of new research initiatives and continuation of the progress made with the initial research projects. The composition of the Science Advisory Committee is available at http://www.jhu.edu/hsrc/sac.htm. Click on the title for a link to the research summary document.
RP# 8. Large Eddy Simulation of Dispersion in Urban Areas Marc Parlange (JHU) and Charles Meneveau (JHU)
RP # 9. Solubilization of Particulate-Bound Ni(II) and Zn(II) Alan T. Stone (JHU)
RP #10. Co-Contaminant Effects of Risk Assessment and Remediation Activities Involving Urban Sediments and Soils: Phase II William Ball (JHU), Edward Bouwer (JHU) and Allison MacKay (UConn)
RP#11. Transport of Hazardous Substances between Brownfields and the Surrounding Urban Atmosphere Joel Baker (UMCES), Robert Mason (UMCES), and John Ondov (UM)
RP #12. Seasonal Controls of Arsenic Transport Across the Groundwater-Surface Water Interface at a Closed Landfill Site Allison MacKay (UConn), Barth Smets (UConn) and Howard Fairbrother (JHU)
RP #13. Research Needs in EPA Regions Covered by the Center for Hazardous Substances in Urban Environments Gbekeloluwa B. Oguntimein (MSU), Guangming Chen (MSU), and Sedley Williams (MSU)