The three workshops held, Ground Water, Ecological Risk and Human Health Risk, held on Sunday 23 June (preceeding the main conference) were to address the issues and source characterization and contaminant modeling in ground water, ecological and human health risk assessment. These workshops were very popular and filled quickly.

Groundwater Workshop

CONVENER: Dr Mike Annable (University of Florida), Professor Suresh Rao (Purdue University) and Mr Dave Thomas (Golder Associates)

This workshop aimed to cover the topics of site characterisation techniques, water flow and contaminant transport and applications to site remediation design and management.

The morning session included contaminated site scenarios, regulatory drivers, hydrologic, biogeochemical and traditional site characterisation techniques followed by innovative site characterisation techniques and TRIAD approaches. This session also addressed the fundamentals and principles of groundwater flow and contaminant transport including flow and transport equations, non-reactive solute transport, sorption and retardation models and transformation synthesis.

The afternoon continued with a look at modelling followed by US and Australian case studies in this area. The session focussed on applications to site remediation design covering technology types, excavation and containment options, extraction methods including in-situ flushing, air sparging and thermal techniques and passive options for remediation such as monitored natural attenuation, transformation and destruction. The workshop concluded with a discussion of Australian case studies.

Ecological Risk Workshop

CONVENER: Associate Professor Megharaj Mallavarapu and Dr Belinda Thompson

This workshop focussed on providing state of the art knowledge on scientific basis for ecotoxicology and risk assessment of contaminants (both organics and inorganics) and contaminated sites. This course was targeted at scientists, research students, regulators, contaminated land auditors, consultants and industries responsible for management of contaminated sites.

Program:
This course included both theory and practical lectures including case studies. Theoretical lectures included:

• Scientific basis for Ecological risk assessment
• International framework for Ecological risk assessment
• National framework for Ecological Risk assessment and NEPM
• General concepts involving contaminant bioavailability
• Tools and techniques for Ecological risk assessment
• Heavy metal bioavailability: influence of soil and metal properties
• Organic contaminant bioavailability: influence of soil and contaminant properties
• Consequences of bioavailability to risk assessment of contaminated sites
• Case studies on ecological risk assessment

Human Health Risk Workshop 

CONVENERS: Professor Simon Pollard and Professor Paul Nathanial

The workshop offered instruction in risk assessment essentials and an expert exposure assessment update for contaminated land professionals.

The morning session addressed the essential features of human health risk assessment for practitioners, including problem definition and conceptual model development, source-pathway-receptor screening, risk criteria and the appropriate use of soil guidelines, options appraisal and risk communication.  The session addressed the realistic capabilities and common misconceptions of risk assessment, allowing participants to apply these concepts professionally and responsibly within a regulatory context.

The afternoon session provided an expert exposure assessment session, bringing participants up to date on aspects including recent work on individual exposure pathways, exposure and land use scenarios and the derivation of soil assessment guideline values.  Participants left with a firm understanding of the professional use and capabilities of human health risk assessment and an appreciation of its limitations.  The aim was to avoid a ‘numbers-driven’ mentality, instead applying risk and exposure assessment to informing better, more credible and scientifically defensible decisions on land contamination and risk management.