Impact/Purpose:
This research focuses on assessing remediation alternatives as part of the US Superfund regulation and adaptive management plans and provides two scientific contributions. Firstly, a set of key decision-making characteristics of the contaminated site clean-up process is presented to aid in selecting the most appropriate decision support method(s). The main factors are the capability of dealing with uncertainty in the evaluation of performance and the reduction of compensation between assessment criteria. Secondly, an approach for structuring the metadata included in reports describing the performance of eligible remediation alternatives is proposed. This provides additional information for decision support methods that can perform a comprehensive analysis of the alternatives and provide a decision recommendation (e.g., ranking, sorting, choice). FY20 – SHC Product
Description:
This study proposes a set of key decision-making features of the contaminated site remediation process to assist in selecting the most appropriate decision support method(s). Using a case study consistent with the requirements of the U.S. regulation for contaminated sites management, this article shows that suitable Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis methods can be selected based on a dynamic and evolving problem structuring. The selected methods belong to the family of PROMETHEE methods and can provide ranking recommendations of the considered alternatives using variable structures of the criteria, evaluation of the alternatives and exploitation of the preference model. It was found that in order to support a quick and up-to-date application of powerful decision support techniques in the process of remediation of contaminated sites, decision analysts and stakeholders should interact and co-develop the process.
Fuente: United States Environmental Protection Agency