- Success Stories
- Emergency Preparedness & Response
Large-Scale Decontamination Proves Successful
In the spring of 2022, we worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard on a project called Analysis for Coastal Operational Resiliency-Wide Area Demonstration (WAD) which tests large scale decontamination following the release of surrogate bioagents. The team conducted a WAD at a military base in Virginia to test decontamination using various technologies on numerous surfaces. Our involvement included securing service contracts, equipment, and supplies; assisting with test bed set up and field work; managing and shipping collected samples; and providing assistance in demonstration execution.
In addition, our EPA Research Laboratory Support contract team assembled a novel prototype machine, which quickly collects samples of resuspended air particles from over hundreds of square feet. It is intended to be used to confirm decontamination of biological agent contamination (pictured below).
Prior to this exercise, our team led a smaller-scale exercise in January 2020 to decontaminate a U.S. Coast Guard response boat. We tested and successfully used three different technologies during this process.
Both of these field exercises enabled us to understand the data collected in a controlled, laboratory environment in a different way. We conducted the exercise in an outdoor environment, on a larger scale, and with front line responders to ensure that the procedures, decon chemicals and technologies evaluated in the lab can be ready to be stood up in real events. This is an extraordinary accomplishment as multiple agencies work together to sample and decontaminate with the goal to successfully clean up and restore important assets following a biological agent contamination event.
Learn more about this full operation:
See More Success 麻豆传媒 Stories
Conducting Greenhouse Soil Tests for Soil Remediation Recommendations聽
There are thousands of abandoned mines in the Western United States and residual heavy metal concentrations can be high in mine spoils. These spoils can also be quite acidic. Acidic soils with high concentrations of heavy metals can significantly impact the re-establishment and growth of native plant species at these sites. Even after removal of soils with the…
Supporting the National Integrated Drought Information System Team
Drought is one of the most expensive and far-reaching natural disasters we face, contributing to wildfires and impacting everything from the food on our tables to the water in our taps and the barges carrying cargo down our rivers. To help communities, farmers, and leaders stay ahead of these dry spells, the National Integrated Drought…
More Than 1,600 Great Lakes Water Samples Analyzed
More than 30 million people rely on the Great Lakes for drinking water, and they support a fisheries industry valued at $5.1 billion annually.聽Monitoring the Lakes鈥 water chemistry聽is a vital part of maintaining the quality of this key natural resource.聽 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for collecting and testing water samples in…