Contaminated Site Clean-Up Information (CLU-IN): Upcoming Internet Seminars

ITRC: Reuse of Solid Mining Waste, September 3, 2026

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 20:45:35 GMT

Solid mining waste represents a significant quantity of waste material in the United States and around the world. Solid mining waste has a range of physical and chemical properties that make it both potentially valuable and potentially hazardous to human health and the environment. From a commercial perspective, mining removes most of the primary minerals of interest; however, waste materials can still contain valuable minerals and other materials that can be recovered. The different types of mining sites and potential wastes for reuse provide a significant challenge but also an opportunity for innovation.

Improvements in extraction and mineral processing technologies have occurred over time making it possible to recover minerals present in low concentrations. Interest in trace metals and rare earth elements (REEs) has increased, especially with the drive towards renewable energy sources increasing demand for key minerals required for solar panels and batteries. The reuse of solid mining waste can consist of reprocessing and repurposing the waste for resource recovery or a new application or product. This reuse serves as a solution to two significant needs:

a domestic supply of minerals and materials for sustainable development and national defense purposes
the reclamation and remediation of land to reduce risks to human and environmental health

The ITRC Reuse of Solid Mining Waste training and guidance document is geared towards state regulators and environmental consultants, mining and manufacturing stakeholders, community and tribal stakeholders, and other who have an interest in the potential reuse of solid mining waste.

The guidance and this associated training course includes:

Mining wastes introduction
Considerations for reusing mining waste: waste characterization, economic and market considerations, life cycle and risk assessment, regulatory considerations, & stakeholder considerations
Potential applications for the reuse of solid mining waste: examples of construction, environmental, and industrial reuses
Review of technologies used in mineral beneficiation and processing

Additionally, the guidance includes several case studies illustrating a range of current mining waste reuse scenarios. Prior to attending the training class, participants are encouraged to view the associated ITRC Reuse of Solid Mining Waste document.

Understanding Vapor Intrusion - Introductory Concepts & Fundamentals - A Two Part Series: Session 1, September 8, 2026

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 20:54:18 GMT

The Vapor Intrusion 101 training series provides an overview of vapor intrusion (VI) and presents information from the 2026 ITRC VI Toolkit (which includes fact sheets, technology information sheets, and checklists).

This course introduces participants to the fundamentals of vapor intrusion, the process by which vapor-forming chemicals in contaminated soil or groundwater volatilize and migrate into buildings. The course will discuss sources, pathways, and receptors. It will identify and assess VI risks in various settings (residential, commercial, industrial) and familiarize participants with regulatory frameworks and guidelines (e.g., USEPA, state-specific regulations). The participants will gain working knowledge of how to develop a Conceptual Site Model (CSM), design and implement sampling strategies, establish data quality objectives (DQOs), and conduct data and risk evaluations. It will provide an overview of mitigation strategies, including various closure strategies, land use covenants, and institutional controls.

Session 1 will focus on:

What is Vapor Intrusion
VI Exposure Pathway
VI in Practice - including common CSMs, Scenarios, and Chemicals
Potential Limiting Factors for VI - PVI vs Chlorinated VI, Geology, Hydrogeology, and Building Operating Conditions
How is VI Different & Challenges in Evaluating VI

Session 2 will focus on:

How VI is Different
How to assess VI - CSM, Sample Collection, Data Interpretation, Risk Assessment, and Project Life Cycle
Managing VI Risk at a Site - Mitigation, Remediation, Monitoring
What does Closure look like & Various Exit Strategies

The course will provide connections to the 2026 ITRC VI Toolkit to help the audience understand how to find and use these new resources for VI sites.

Understanding Vapor Intrusion -Introductory Concepts & Fundamentals - A Two Part Series: Session 2, September 22, 2026

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 20:54:19 GMT

What is Vapor Intrusion
VI Exposure Pathway
VI in Practice - including common CSMs, Scenarios, and Chemicals
Potential Limiting Factors for VI - PVI vs Chlorinated VI, Geology, Hydrogeology, and Building Operating Conditions
How is VI Different & Challenges in Evaluating VI

Session 2 will focus on:

How VI is Different
How to assess VI - CSM, Sample Collection, Data Interpretation, Risk Assessment, and Project Life Cycle
Managing VI Risk at a Site - Mitigation, Remediation, Monitoring
What does Closure look like & Various Exit Strategies

The course will provide connections to the 2026 ITRC VI Toolkit to help the audience understand how to find and use these new resources for VI sites.

ITRC: Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CEC) Identification Framework, October 1, 2026

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 20:47:55 GMT

In 2023, the ITRC Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CEC) Framework was published to help environmental regulatory agencies and other stakeholders identify, evaluate, and manage CEC's while acknowledging uncertainties in their environmental fate and transport, receptor exposure, and/or toxicity. Such an approach can be conducive to improved allocation of regulatory response resources and provide a foundation for communicating potential risk to stakeholders.

The ITRC framework is comprised of a white paper and four associated fact sheets. In the white paper, CEC are defined as: "substances and microorganisms including physical, chemical, biological, or radiological materials known or anticipated in the environment, that may pose newly identified risks to human health or the environment." The framework is meant to help environmental regulatory agencies and other stakeholders by providing examples of CEC monitoring programs and guiding the user through the process of identifying CEC key characteristics, how to communicate real and perceived risk from CEC to the public, and how laboratory analytical methods can be used in the identification process.

The ITRC CEC training presents this entirely new framework for identification, prioritization, and communication of CEC. This course includes the following topics:

An overview of the framework, how and why it was developed, the factors that influence the creation of CEC management units at the state level, and a listing of existing CEC monitoring programs.
A discussion of key variables that may be used as criteria to identify and prioritize CEC for response actions. This portion of the course includes a case study that illustrates how the identification and prioritization process works with an "unknown" chemical CEC.
Practices and methods for stakeholder messaging and how to share incomplete information on CEC that could impact human health and the environment. This portion of the short course builds upon the ITRC Risk Communication Toolkit by providing additional detail addresses communications plans, message maps, and audience identification.
A paradigm for how laboratory methods can be used to identify CEC ranging from:
- "Is compound X in the sample and at what concentration?" (i.e., known knowns) to
- "Which compounds from the list are in this sample?" (i.e., known unknowns) to
- "What is in the sample?" (i.e., unknown unknowns).

CEC are typically compounds or substances whose occurrence or effect is unknown but may or may not be understood through similar compounds or substances. This module includes a discussion of the use of targeted and untargeted analysis to identify a CEC.

Participants will learn the elements of the CEC framework and gain an understanding of the framework application from case studies. Participants are encouraged to review the ITRC CEC Framework prior to the class.

ITRC: Microplastics, October 8, 2026

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 20:48:16 GMT

In response to one of the biggest emerging environmental concerns, ITRC formed the Microplastics Team in 2021 to develop the Microplastics Guidance Document. Plastics have become pervasive in modern life and are now used in a wide range of commercial and industrial applications. Microplastics may result from the degradation and fragmentation of larger plastics, or they may be intentionally produced for specific applications and products. Regardless of their origin, microplastics are now ubiquitous in our environment. Because of their small size and pervasiveness in the environment, microplastics, along with any other contaminants which are adhered to the microplastics, may be inadvertently consumed by humans and other organisms.

The online ITRC Guidance Document is geared toward an audience with reasonable level of scientific understanding, but not microplastic-specific knowledge. The guidance provides a user with information on microplastics and the state of the applied science without having to go to the scientific literature.

The target audience for the guidance and this training course includes state regulators and environmental consultants, as well as community and tribal stakeholders.

The guidance and this associated training course uses a conceptual site model to navigate microplastics in the environment and explore the following general areas:

An introduction to microplastics, their sources, and worldwide distribution
The pathways through which microplastics can enter and travel in the environment and their distribution in various media (water, soil, sediment, air, and biota)
A current look at the most common techniques and best practices for sampling and analyzing microplastics
Potential human health and ecological risks associated with microplastics in the environment
An overview of existing regulations related to microplastics and macroplastics at the state, federal, and international levels
Examples of prevention and mitigation strategies and best management practices to reduce microplastics from entering the environment and the emerging technologies to abate, treat, and remediate microplastics once they exist in the environment
Identification of data gaps and the need for further research
Several case studies illustrating a range of current microplastics-related topics

Prior to attending the training class, participants are encouraged to view the associated ITRC Microplastics Guidance Document.

ITRC PFAS Introductory Training, October 13, 2026

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 20:48:37 GMT

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large and complex class of anthropogenic compounds whose prevalence in the environment are an emerging, worldwide priority in environmental and human health. The ITRC PFAS Team, formed in 2017, has prepared readily accessible materials to present PFAS information to stakeholders, regulators, and policy makers. The PFAS team represents a diverse cross-section of expertise and experience working on PFAS.

This training will include emerging science on PFAS, including topics such as Properties of PFAS, Fate and Transport, Sampling and Analysis, and Treatment Technologies. The technical presentations will be focused on those who are relatively new to PFAS. The training will last approximately 90 minutes and include time for questions.

Vapor Intrusion Mitigation (VIM-1) - A Two Part Series: Session 1, October 22, 2026

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 20:55:26 GMT

ITRC's Vapor Intrusion Mitigation training is a series of eight (8) modules, presented over two sessions. If you took the ITRC VIM series previously, the content has stayed the same, but the new course directs people to the Vapor Intrusion (VI) Toolkit resources published in January 2026 by ITRC.

The Vapor Intrusion Mitigation training series provides an overview of VIM and presents information from the 2026 Vapor Intrusion (VI) ToolkitITRC VI Toolkit (which includes fact sheets, technology information sheets, and checklists).

Session 1:

Introduction & Overview of Vapor Intrusion Mitigation Training Team
Conceptual Site Models for Vapor Intrusion Mitigation
Community Engagement During Vapor Intrusion Mitigation
Rapid Response & Ventilation for Vapor Intrusion Mitigation
Remediation & Institutional Controls

Session 2:

Active Mitigation Approaches
Passive Mitigation Approaches
System Verification, OM&M, Curtailment and Shutdown

When certain contaminants or hazardous substances are released into the soil or groundwater, they may volatilize into soil vapor. VI occurs when these vapors migrate up into overlying buildings and contaminate indoor air. The ITRC VI Toolkit combines the previous ITRC VI-related guidance documents (VI 2007, PVI 2014, VIM-1 2020), along with updates, into one comprehensive resource toolkit (including fact sheets, technology information sheets and checklists) published in January 2026.

After the Vapor Intrusion Mitigation series, you should understand:

How to locate and utilize the relevant document, fact sheets, technology information sheets, and checklists
The importance of a VI mitigation conceptual site model
How community engagement for VI mitigation differs from other environmental matters
When to implement rapid response for VI and applicable methodologies
The differences between remediation, mitigation, and institutional controls
Available technologies for active and passive mitigation, and design considerations for various approaches
How/when/why different mitigation technologies are appropriate
How to verify mitigation system success, address underperformance, and develop a plan for curtailment of a mitigation system and shutdown

We encourage you to use the ITRC VI Toolkit and these training modules to learn about VI mitigation and how you can apply these best practices to improve decision-making at your sites. For regulators and other government agency staff, this understanding of VI mitigation can be incorporated into your own programs.

While the training makes every effort to keep the information accessible to a wide audience, it is assumed that the participants will have some basic technical understanding of chemistry, environmental sciences, and risk assessment. As with other emerging contaminants, our understanding of VI mitigation continues to advance. This training provides the participants with information on areas where the science is evolving and where uncertainty persists.

ITRC: Introduction to Hydrocarbons, October 27, 2026

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 20:50:13 GMT

Petroleum is a complex mixture of many compounds. Regulatory and technical guidance documents commonly focus on the hydrocarbon components of that mixture, or perceived risks that they present. However, focusing on a specific area of concern often causes practitioners to overlook other aspects of a release. For example, concerns related to exposure to total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) risks may be overlooked while pursuing concerns related to light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) recovery or petroleum vapor intrusion (PVI).

This class is designed to provide a basic overview of hydrocarbon behavior in the subsurface and how to scientifically assess concerns arising from the release of petroleum products into the environment. It will highlight key issues that help identify and manage TPH, LNAPL, and PVI risks together. Key concepts will include:

Fundamentals of petroleum hydrocarbons

Petroleum chemistry
How TPH, LNAPL, and PVI are related

Building an integrated conceptual site model (CSM)

What is a CSM…what is its purpose?
When is a CSM complete?

Identifying and managing the risks from petroleum hydrocarbons

Defining LNAPL risks based on acute, saturation, composition, or aesthetic concerns
Emphasize the importance of biodegradation in risk management decision making
How to select remedial goals and remedies that align with your goals

This course is based upon three separate Guidance Documents developed by ITRC that address the course content in detail:

Light Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (LNAPL), LNAPL Site Management: LCSM Evolution, Decision Process, and Remedial Technologies (LNAPL-3)
Petroleum Vapor Intrusion (PVI), Fundamentals of Screening, Investigation, and Management (PVI-1)
Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH), TPH Risk Evaluation at Petroleum-Contaminated Sites (TPHRisk-1)

Vapor Intrusion Mitigation (VIM-1) - A Two Part Series: Session 2, November 3, 2026

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 20:55:27 GMT

ITRC's Vapor Intrusion Mitigation training is a series of eight (8) modules, presented over two sessions. If you took the ITRC VIM series previously, the content has stayed the same, but the new course directs people to the Vapor Intrusion (VI) Toolkit resources published in January 2026 by ITRC.

The Vapor Intrusion Mitigation training series provides an overview of VIM and presents information from the 2026 ITRC VI Toolkit (which includes fact sheets, technology information sheets, and checklists).

Session 1:

Introduction & Overview of Vapor Intrusion Mitigation Training Team
Conceptual Site Models for Vapor Intrusion Mitigation
Community Engagement During Vapor Intrusion Mitigation
Rapid Response & Ventilation for Vapor Intrusion Mitigation
Remediation & Institutional Controls

Session 2:

Active Mitigation Approaches
Passive Mitigation Approaches
System Verification, OM&M, Curtailment and Shutdown

After the Vapor Intrusion Mitigation series, you should understand:

How to locate and utilize the relevant document, fact sheets, technology information sheets, and checklists
The importance of a VI mitigation conceptual site model
How community engagement for VI mitigation differs from other environmental matters
When to implement rapid response for VI and applicable methodologies
The differences between remediation, mitigation, and institutional controls
Available technologies for active and passive mitigation, and design considerations for various approaches
How/when/why different mitigation technologies are appropriate
How to verify mitigation system success, address underperformance, and develop a plan for curtailment of a mitigation system and shutdown

PFAS Sorption Based Technologies for Separation & Concentration of PFAS from Water, November 12, 2026

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 20:50:32 GMT

Removal of PFAS from water has become an important concern for water utilities; landfill operators; industry professionals; and state, local, and tribal decision makers. Sorption-based technologies, specifically granular activated carbon, ion exchange resins, and foam fractionation have proven to be effective solutions in this area, but choosing the most suitable sorption-based method or system configuration can be daunting. To aid treatment practitioners, the ITRC PFAS team published a technical guidance document titled "Sorption-based Technologies for Separation and Concentration of PFAS from Water" (Section 18 of PFAS-1). This training module is intended to assist in using the information presented in this document by providing an overview of the central topics along with easily digestible summaries of critical information.

This training will be crafted for an audience with some basic understanding of PFAS and that has likely already attended the PFAS 101 training and the ITRC PFAS Beyond the Basics: Fate and Transport, Site Characterization, and Source ID training.

Resources and further details for the topics included in this training are available in the ITRC PFAS-1 guidance document, specifically in Sections 12 and 18.

Learning objectives:

Review operating principles of sorption-based technologies.
Understand how site conditions and treatment objectives influence technology selection.
Become familiar with testing methods (from foamability tests to isotherm tests to full-scale demonstration tests) used to verify treatment effectiveness, optimize performance, and compare technologies.
Identify water quality parameters that may adversely affect sorption-based technologies and the available pretreatment methods to address them
Learn how test data can be combined with cost and sustainability information to select a specific technology or system configuration.

ITRC's Vapor Intrusion Toolkit Resources – An Orientation, July 21, 2026

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 18:41:55 GMT

This orientation will provide a brief overview of vapor intrusion and introduce attendees to the 2026 ITRC Vapor Intrusion (VI) Toolkit and its many resources.

The VI Toolkit includes the Vapor Intrusion Technical and Regulatory Guidance and a suite of fact sheets, technology information sheets, and checklists, all of which are individually available for download and use. Also provided is a series of YouTube Playlists featuring ITRC-produced videos and content from other organizations. Key topic areas addressed in the toolkit include:

Vapor intrusion fundamentals and conceptual site models
Site screening and investigation strategies
Sampling and analysis
Data evaluation and risk assessment
Modeling
Vapor intrusion mitigation
Community engagement

The Toolkit provides a comprehensive overview of vapor intrusion concepts, recommended practices, and decision-making approaches across a wide range of site conditions. The Toolkit replaces, combines, and updates three previous ITRC vapor intrusion guidance documents: Vapor Intrusion Pathway: A Practical Guidance (VI-1, 2007), Petroleum Vapor Intrusion: Fundamentals of Screening, Investigation, and Management (PVI 1, 2014), and Technical Resources for Vapor Intrusion Mitigation (VIM-1, 2020). It reflects advances in science, policy, and field experience, and is designed to support regulators, practitioners, and stakeholders in conducting consistent and effective vapor intrusion assessments.

The course will provide connections to the 2026 ITRC VI Toolkit to help the audience understand how to find and use these new resources, and upcoming live ITRC training opportunities that will provide more in-depth education concepts provided in the Toolkit.