Protocol for the Derivation of Environmental and Human ... - CCME

Part A, Section 1
1.2 Program Overview and Scientific Tools for Site Managers
In April and November 1990, the CCME held workshops with government, industry, and
environmental groups to set priorities for remediating contaminated sites. Workshop participants
identified the need to promote the consistent identification, assessment, and remediation of contaminated
sites in Canada. They also identified the need to develop common scientific tools for site assessment
and remediation. Key recommendations from the workshops included:
• a simple classification system (high, medium, low risk) to identify priority sites;
• a "two-tiered" approach (i.e., generic and site-specific) to develop assessment and remediation
guidelines; and
• consider both human health and the environment when developing common tools for the NCSRP.
These recommendations form the basis of work performed by the CCME Subcommittee on the
Classification of Contaminated Sites and the CCME Subcommittee on Environmental Quality Criteria
for Contaminated Sites (SEQCCS). The scientific tools developed not only apply to orphan sites, but
may also help investigating and remediating contaminated sites. While these scientific tools provide
guidance, federal, provincial, and territorial governments have specific remediation guidelines within their
jurisdictions
The framework of the NCSRP consists of a tiered series of screening and assessment tools to help site
managers develop remediation objectives (Figure 1). This framework relies on generic guidelines and
site-specific objectives. The generic guidelines are simple numerical values, based on generic scenarios
developed for different land uses, and employ conservative assumptions. Generic guidelines help
evaluate the relative risk posed by contaminants at a site but may not always be an appropriate
remediation goal at a particular site. To tailor cleanup levels to a site, site-specific risk assessment
guidance and how to adapt generic guideline to site-specific environmental quality objectives are
included in the framework.
A number of scientific tools (listed below) have been, or are being, developed as part of the assessment
and remediation of contaminated sites. A brief description of each tool can be found in the following
sections:
• National Classification System for Contaminated Sites (CCME, 1992) (Section 1.3.1);
• Interim Canadian Environmental Quality Criteria for Contaminated Sites (CCME, 1991) (Section
1.3.2);
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