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Field Environmental Decision Support Team (FIELDS)
Contact
Brian Cooper
(cooper.brian@epa.gov)
312-353-8651
- Methods
- Projects
- Training
- Other Links
- FIELDS
Analysis and Sampling Tools
a standalone Windows application that combines global positioning information from
a GPS device with single point or continuous field sample data.
The FIeld EnvironmentaL Decision Support (FIELDS) Team is a collaboration of EPA Region 5 employees and research associates which gives EPA the internal capability for rapid and effective contaminated site characterization. We primarily assist Superfund Remedial Project Managers, On-Scene Coordinators and Enforcement Officers requiring decision support for environmental projects.
Utilizing geographic information systems (GIS), the global positioning system (GPS), and customized computer software tools, the FIELDS Team has assisted in the characterization of over 250 contaminated soil, sediment and water sites primarily in Region 5, but also in all other 9 Regions.
Our mission is to combine field expertise with technical innovation to provide rapid, cost-effective, and high-quality decision support to contaminated site characterization and remediation.
Methods
- Bathymetric Surveys
Bathymetry is the measurement of depths of water bodies, providing bottom topography. Transducers mounted on a survey boat measure the time it takes for an acoustic pulse to travel to the bottom and back. Simultaneously, GPS records location, gauges record water level fluctuations, and sound velocity measurements are taken (or compensated for). All this data is integrated using time-tags. - Data Analysis
The FIELDS Team and the FIELDS Tools can provide a range of data analysis services. These services are broadly defined as sample design, database query, and data and decision analysis - Geographic Information System (GIS)
GIS is a computer-based system designed to collect, store, integrate, manipulate, analyze & display data in a spatially referenced environment
Global Positioning System (GPS)
The GPS is a satellite-based navigation system made up of a network of approximately 24 satellites placed into orbit by the U.S. Department of Defense.
Projects
- Indiana
Harbor Canal
The Indiana Harbor Canal is in northwest Indiana within the cities of East Chicago and Hammond. It is a manmade canal formed in the shape of a Y with the Lake George Branch running east west, the Indiana Harbor Branch running north south and the United States Branch running southwest to northeast into Lake Michigan. The canal was built to service the industrial corridor between the Grand Calumet River and Lake Michigan. It was designed for use by the petroleum-based heavy industry that has been in the area since the 1880’s. It is one of the oldest heavy industry corridors in the country.
- Manistique River and Harbor Site
The Manistique Harbor and River Superfund site is located in Manistique, Michigan on the southern shore of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The River and Harbor discharge into the Lake Michigan. The contaminant of concern is PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl). The U.S. EPA and the FIELDS Team have been active at the site since 1995. The FIELDS Team has performed sample designs, bathymetric surveys, and PCB contamination analyses.
Other Links
STORET/WQX - STORET (short for STOrage and RETrieval) is a repository for water quality, biological, and physical data and is used by state environmental agencies, EPA and other federal agencies, universities, private citizens, and many others.
Hotlines and Clearinghouses - Visit the websites or call EPA clearinghouses to request technical information, reports, and documents.
Spatial
Analysis and Decision Assistance (SADA) -
Free software that
incorporates tools from environmental assessment fields into an effective
problem-solving environment.