Completing a Groundwater Response

Due to the complexity of groundwater remediation, achieving site groundwater remedial action objectives can take years or even decades. The following section provides guidance to help assess whether remedial action is working as anticipated and if remedial goals or technologies need to be modified to restore groundwater to beneficial use.

Groundwater Road Map (PDF)(31 pp, 669 K)
July 2011, OSWER 9283.1-34

This fact sheet focuses on Superfund groundwater response actions to restore all or part of an aquifer.

Groundwater Remedy Completion Strategy (PDF)(30 pp, 1.2 MB)
May 2014, OSWER 9200.2-144

This document is part of a suite of groundwater guidance developed by EPA to focus resources on information and decisions needed to complete groundwater cleanups.

Guidance for Evaluating Completion of Groundwater Restoration Remedial Actions (PDF)(5 pp, 1.6 MB)
November 2013, OSWER 9355.0-129

This document provides guidance for EPA regional offices on determining when a groundwater restoration remedial action is complete. It recommends evaluating contaminant of concern (COC) concentrations on a well-by-well basis to assess whether aquifer restoration is complete.

This document includes recommended well-specific factors for EPA regional offices and other stakeholders to consider in evaluating the groundwater in each monitoring well for purposes of the Guidance for Evaluating Completion of Groundwater Restoration Remedial Actions (PDF) (5 pp, 1.6 MB).

Groundwater Statistics Tool (Version 2) (XLSM)(1 MB)
Groundwater Statistics Tool Users Guide (PDF)(36 pp, 2 MB)

The updated Groundwater Statistics Tool from September 2018 evaluates contaminant of concern (COC) concentrations on a well-by-well basis to determine whether a groundwater restoration remedial action is complete. The tool supports the Guidance for Evaluating Completion of Groundwater Restoration Remedial Actions (PDF)(5 pp, 1.6 MB) and comports with principles outlined in the Recommended Approach for Evaluating Completion of Groundwater Restoration Remedial Actions at a Monitoring Well (PDF)(18 pp, 375 K)

Methods for Evaluating the Attainment of Cleanup Standards, Vol. 2: Groundwater (PDF)(361 pp, 5.2 MB)
July 1992, EPA 230-R-92-014

This document provides site managers and contractors with statistical methods for evaluating whether groundwater remediation has met pre-established cleanup standards for one or more chemical contaminants. (The first volume addressed evaluating attainment in soils and solid media.)

Methods for Monitoring Pump-and-Treat Performance (PDF)(111 pp, 2.1 MB)
June 1994, EPA/600/R-94/123

This publication provides guidance for monitoring the effectiveness and efficiency of pump-and-treat remediation systems, with emphasis on the "pump" part of the technology rather than chemical enhancements.