LLoowweerr PPaassssaaiicc RRiivveerr RReessttoorraattiioonn PPrroojjeecctt Work Plan August 2005 Version: 2005/08/02 PREPARED BY: Malcolm Pirnie, Inc. 104 Corporate Park Drive White Plains, NY 10602 FOR: US Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 US Army Corps of Engineers Kansas City District Contract No. DACW41-02-D-0003 WORK PLAN LOWER PASSAIC RIVER RESTORATION PROJECT Prepared by: Malcolm Pirnie, Inc., in conjunction with Battelle and HydroQual, Inc. August 2005 Version: 2005/08/02 LOWER PASSAIC RIVER RESTORATION PROJECT WORK PLAN TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction.......................................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 Overview........................................................................................................ 1-1 1.2 Site Background and History......................................................................... 1-3 1.2.1 A Brief History ............................................................................................ 1-3 1.2.2 Federal and State Agencies’ Involvement ................................................. 1-10 1.2.3 Project Delivery Team and Workgroup Structure (PMP Task ZAB)........ 1-11 1.3 Community Involvement and Public Outreach (PMP Task JI) ................... 1-12 2.0 Environmental Setting ......................................................................................... 2-1 2.1 Geologic Setting............................................................................................. 2-1 2.2 Surface Water Hydrology .............................................................................. 2-1 2.3 Climate........................................................................................................... 2-5 2.4 Shoreline Features.......................................................................................... 2-5 2.5 River Miles and Reaches ............................................................................... 2-6 3.0 Work Plan Rationale............................................................................................ 3-1 3.1 Data Quality Objectives and Fundamental Questions ................................... 3-1 3.2 Tools to Be Developed to Address the Objectives and Answer the Fundamental Questions................................................................................................ 3-2 3.2.1 Conceptual Site Model................................................................................. 3-3 3.2.2 Predictive Fate and Transport and Bioaccumulation Model........................ 3-5 3.2.3 Treatability Pilot Studies.............................................................................. 3-5 3.3 Historical Data Evaluations and Field Investigations.................................... 3-5 3.4 Field Sampling Plan Volumes ....................................................................... 3-6 4.0 Preliminary Evaluation ........................................................................................ 4-1 4.1 Preliminary Historical Data Evaluation......................................................... 4-1 4.1.1 Data Sources ................................................................................................ 4-9 4.1.2 Data Quality............................................................................................... 4-13 4.1.3 Summary of Results................................................................................... 4-15 4.1.4 Data Gaps Identified from Preliminary Historical Data Evaluation.......... 4-19 4.2 Geochemical Evaluation of Existing Data................................................... 4-20 5.0 Field Investigation Tasks ..................................................................................... 5-1 5.1 Overview........................................................................................................ 5-1 5.2 Bathymetric and Geophysical Surveys (PMP Tasks JAA, JDE)................... 5-1 5.2.1 Base Maps and Bathymetric, Aerial, and Supplemental Land Surveys ...... 5-1 5.2.2 Geophysical Surveying................................................................................ 5-4 5.3 Sediment Investigations (PMP Tasks JAC, JFB) .......................................... 5-5 5.3.1 Confirmatory Coring for Geophysical Surveys ........................................... 5-5 5.3.2 High Resolution Sediment Coring............................................................... 5-6 Work Plan Version 2005/08/02 Lower Passaic River Restoration Project i August 2005 5.3.3 Low Resolution Sediment Coring................................................................ 5-8 5.3.4 Vertical Mixing/Bioturbation..................................................................... 5-10 5.3.5 Sediment Transport Investigation.............................................................. 5-11 5.3.6 Sediment Sampling in Mudflats................................................................. 5-14 5.4 Hydrodynamic and Water Quality Investigations (PMP Tasks JAB, JFB). 5-16 5.4.1 CSO Sampling ........................................................................................... 5-19 5.4.2 Tributary and Head of Tide Water Column Sampling............................... 5-19 5.4.3 Tidal River Water Column Sampling ........................................................ 5-21 5.5 Sediment Porewater and Groundwater Sampling (PMP Task JFB) ............ 5-22 5.6 Atmospheric Deposition Monitoring (PMP Task JFB) ............................... 5-23 5.7 Cultural Resources Review (PMP Task JG)................................................ 5-24 5.8 Biota and Ecological Risk Sampling (PMP Tasks JDE, JDN, JFB)............ 5-25 5.8.1 Benthos Sampling ...................................................................................... 5-26 5.8.2 Fish and Shellfish Sampling ...................................................................... 5-26 5.8.3 Bioassay Sediment Sampling..................................................................... 5-27 5.9 Habitat Delineation and Assessment (PMP Task JDE) ............................... 5-28 5.10 Candidate Restoration Site Sampling (PMP Task JD) ................................ 5-29 5.10.1 Candidate Restoration Sites Soil and Sediment Investigations ............. 5-30 5.10.2 Candidate Restoration Sites Water Quality Investigations.................... 5-31 5.10.3 Candidate Restoration Sites Socioeconomic Analyses.......................... 5-31 5.10.4 Candidate Restoration Sites Real Estate Surveys .................................. 5-31 5.10.5 Investigations of In-River and Tributary Restoration Sites (PMP Task JDE) 5-32 5.11 Environmental Dredging and Sediment Decontamination Technologies Pilot (PMP Task JAE) ........................................................................................................ 5-33 6.0 Data Presentation ................................................................................................. 6-1 6.1 Project Database Overview............................................................................ 6-1 6.2 Objectives ...................................................................................................... 6-1 6.3 PREmis Description....................................................................................... 6-2 6.4 PREmis Utilities............................................................................................. 6-3 6.4.1 Management................................................................................................. 6-3 6.4.2 Data Storage................................................................................................. 6-4 6.4.3 Data Upload and Validation......................................................................... 6-4 6.4.4 Evaluation .................................................................................................... 6-6 7.0 Hydrodynamic, Sediment Transport, Chemical Fate and Transport, and Bioaccumulation Modeling............................................................................ 7-1 7.1 Overview........................................................................................................ 7-1 7.2 Purpose and Objective of the Lower Passaic River Modeling (PMP Task JAF) 7-1 7.3 Model Framework and Approach .................................................................. 7-2 8.0 Risk Assessment (PMP Task JDE)...................................................................... 8-1 8.1 Overview........................................................................................................ 8-1 8.2 Human Health Evaluation.............................................................................. 8-2 8.2.1 Data Review and Evaluation........................................................................ 8-2 8.2.2 Exposure Assessment................................................................................... 8-3 Work Plan Version 2005/08/02 Lower Passaic River Restoration Project ii August 2005 8.2.3 Toxicity Assessment .................................................................................... 8-4 8.2.4 Risk Characterization................................................................................... 8-4 8.3 Ecological Evaluation .................................................................................... 8-4 8.3.1 Problem Formulation (Step 3) ..................................................................... 8-6 8.3.2 Study Design and Data Quality Objectives