DEVELOPMENT OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION INDEX FOR POTENTIAL HAZARDOUS MATERIAL RELEASES USING BERKELEY, CHARLESTON, AND DORCHESTER COUNTIES, SOUTH CAROLINA

Currently, emergency response for hazardous chemical releases is focused on human health and infrastructure (societal) impacts. This research is designed to take emergency planning and response to the next level with the integration of environmental impacts. It is essential that responders and remediators are aware of the potential impacts of a chemical release on the natural environment and plan mitigation strategies to improve response and recovery scenarios. This project is designing a methodology for creating a “chemo-environmental” impact index for hazardous chemical releases. The study develops a rubric for understanding the affects of potential hazardous material releases on the natural environment.

This study will use information developed in the Berkley, Charleston, and Dorchester Council of Governments’ (BCD-COG) Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Program as baseline information. As part of this program, potential hazardous chemical release sites are being mapped and evaluated for their societal impacts. This presentation will describe the methodology and innovations designed to develop an environmental degradation index that will complement the standard hazardous chemical release analysis. This study will provide a regional (potentially national) model for understanding “chemo-environmental” interactions by providing a numerical index of environmental degradation.