Ecological Evaluation Technical Guidance - State of New Jersey

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5.0 Technical Guidance for Preparing Ecological EvaluationsThe purpose of the EE is to assess actual or potential adverse ecological effects onwildlife and plants in ESNRs resulting from site-related contamination and in certaincircumstances other contamination not related to the site such as historic fill material anddredged materials (Section 6.4.8). During the EE, the site is examined for the cooccurrenceof the following:(1) ESNRs on, adjacent to, or potentially impacted by the site;(2) the presence of COPECs at the site or AOC and in the ESNRs; and(3) the presence of a contaminant migration pathway from the site to the ESNR, orevidence of contaminated material having been placed directly into an ESNR.The outcome of the EE will be a recommendation either to conduct an ERA or to notconduct further ecological evaluation. The investigator must be experienced in the use oftechniques and methodologies for conducting ERAs in accordance with appropriateUSEPA guidance, which includes, but is not limited to ERAGS (C.58:10C-16 (c)).The EE is an iterative process beginning with the EE that is conducted pursuant toN.J.A.C. 7:26E-1.16, and finishing with conclusions regarding the need for an ERAconducted pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:26E.4.8.5.1 Ecological Evaluation Pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:26E-1.16Pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:26E-1.16 and in accordance with Section 5.2, an EE must beinitiated in the SI phase with the initial results of the EE submitted as part of theReceptor Evaluation Form and supporting documentation pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:26E-1.16. The EE documents the following:(1) whether ESNRs are present on or adjacent to the site or are in locationsreceiving discharges from the site;(2) a preliminary identification of whether the site contains any contaminantsabove ESCs (based upon existing data if available); and(3) an initial assessment of possible contaminant migration pathways.Much of this stage of the EE process can be completed using desk-top information,although a qualitative field survey should be conducted to verify the presence ofESNRs.5.2 Ecological Evaluation Pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:26E-4.8Under N.J.A.C. 7:26E-1.16, the first two steps of the Ecological Evaluation (EE) areconducted to verify the presence of ESNRs and COPECs (above ESCs at the AOC orESNR). After this stage, if ESNRs and COPECs are present, then pursuant toN.J.A.C. 7:26E-4.8(a) and 4.8(b) sampling within the potential migration pathwayand ESNR to support the EE may be conducted during the RI. At a minimum, theinvestigator must determine whether contaminant concentrations are present at theAOC in excess of ESCs or SWQS (N.J.A.C. 7:26E-1.16). Supplemental samplingspecific to that ESNR may be warranted to determine whether COPECs in excess ofESCs are present in the ESNR. The investigator may decide that food chainmodeling is appropriate as part of the completion of the EE. If food chain modelingwill be conducted as part of the EE, the modeling should use conservative inputEcological Evaluation Technical Guidance Document 17Version 1.2 8/29/12
parameters as specified in ERAGS (i.e., area use factor of 1 and maximumsoil/sediment concentration). Detailed procedures for conducting food chain analysiscan be found in Section 6.1.3.1.Guidance for the identification and sampling of ESNRs, COPECs, and contaminantmigration pathways is provided below.5.2.1 Environmentally Sensitive Natural ResourcesPursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:26E-1.16, the investigator must identify whether ESNRsare present on the site or area of concern, adjacent to the site or area of concern,or may be, have been, or are impacted by contamination from the site or area ofConcern. ESNRs are habitats where concern for plant and wildlife exposure tosite COPECs is paramount. Man-made features, such as ditches, waste lagoons,and impoundments should be evaluated to determine whether they function asESNRs or they discharge to an ESNR. Use the following information sources toidentify ESNRs: NJDEP’s i-Map NJ DEP, available with user guidance athttp://njgin.state.nj.us/dep/DEP_iMapNJDEP/viewer.htm with links toInternet mapping applications; NJDEP’s “Landscape Project” with data downloads available athttp://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/landscape;NJ Natural Heritage Program, information on rare, threatened and endangeredspecies, http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/natural/heritageA qualitative habitat or vegetative community survey should be performed toprovide a general description of land use, to identify the ESNRs present at thesite, and to confirm the information obtained from the NJDEP’s GeographicInformation System (GIS). The investigator should be familiar with state andfederal guidance and literature references for plant community assessment, suchas the Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands(Federal Interagency Committee for Wetland Delineation, 1989). The dominantplant species for each vegetative stratum (e.g., canopy, shrub, vine, andherbaceous layer) should be visually estimated as per standard procedure. Thequalitative survey should be conducted during the prime growing season ifpossible (May to September) to assess indicators of stressed vegetation, such asstunted growth, chlorosis, brown or drying leaf tips, barren soil. Absence ofstressed vegetation does not mean absence of contamination or impact.The investigator should document biota observed or expected to use or inhabiteach ESNR for any period of time, whether year-round or during the breeding,foraging, resting, migration or wintering seasons. Wildlife should be identified bytaxonomic class, common and scientific names, feeding guild, and location ofresidence among the habitat types. Wildlife should be identified based on actualsightings or evidence (e.g., tracks, scat, nests, song, and call). Expected wildlifeshould be based on literature reviews or professional judgment.Ecological Evaluation Technical Guidance Document 18Version 1.2 8/29/12
Page 1 and 2: Ecological EvaluationTechnical Guid
Page 3 and 4: 6.2.1.3 Biological Sampling of Fish
Page 5 and 6: Acronyms and AbbreviationsADDAETAFA
Page 7 and 8: Executive SummaryThis document prov
Page 9 and 10: environmentally sensitive areas pur
Page 11 and 12: Figure 3-1: Flow diagram to describ
Page 13 and 14: assessment may also include evaluat
Page 15 and 16: “Hazard quotient” or “HQ” m
Page 17: “Site investigation” means the
Page 21 and 22: document otherwise). The investigat
Page 23 and 24: 5.3.2.1 Potential Contaminant Migra
Page 25 and 26: 71 0Sampling pointsSampling transec
Page 27 and 28: 5.3.4 Background ConsiderationsIt i
Page 29 and 30: III. GroundwaterAnalytical data fro
Page 31 and 32: 5.5 Ecological Evaluation ReportThe
Page 33 and 34: Step 1 - Preliminary Screening Leve
Page 35 and 36: specific measurements of receptor h
Page 37 and 38: Figure 6-2: Ecological Conceptual S
Page 39 and 40: ingested, air inhaled, or material
Page 41 and 42: Fugacity, which is described as the
Page 43 and 44: environment. As noted in ERAGS, the
Page 45 and 46: Sample SelectionAfter completing th
Page 47 and 48: While there are many laboratories t
Page 49 and 50: ioavailability, and by doing so, of
Page 51 and 52: For the purposes of surface water,
Page 53 and 54: higher trophic level receptors. Lip
Page 55 and 56: Details regarding surface water tox
Page 57 and 58: e present at intervals greater than
Page 59 and 60: elatively sedentary organisms that
Page 61 and 62: COPECs. The following references ar
Page 63 and 64: tests (USEPA, 2002e). After collect
Page 65 and 66: multiple reference area soils repre
Page 67 and 68: In ERAs, tissue residue analyses ar
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Objectives of the ERA: including a
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evaluation might necessitate the co
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N.J.A.C. 7:26E-4.8(c)1. The ERA may
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sediment (i.e., that fraction that
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Twelve dioxin-like PCB congeners ha
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indicates burial of potential dioxi
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of evidence for evaluating risk unt
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7.2.1 Apparent Effects Threshold Ap
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when site conditions are most simil
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destroying 10 acres of the mature f
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ASTM (American Society for Testing
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Establishing Sediment Quality Crite
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N.J.A.C. (New Jersey Administrative
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USEPA. 1989c. Risk Assessment Guida
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http://www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/regu
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USEPA 2006a. Data Quality Assessmen
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Appendix A - Habitat Survey FormsEc
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Ecological Evaluation Technical Gui
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Appendix B - Sampling Procedures fo
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Appendix C - Surface Water Toxicity
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Short-term chronic studies, endpoin
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Appendix D - Sediment Toxicity Test
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Toxicity Test DesignSediment toxici
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Appendix E - Sediment Pore Water an
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The seven-day daphnid survival and
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esults are then evaluated using USE
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Surber or Square-foot BottomThis sa
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Appendix H - Soil Toxicity TestingS
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another sample may still have a sub
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conservative approach from an ecolo
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Data PresentationTabular presentati
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Ecological Evaluation Technical Guidance - State of New Jersey

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