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Question
Is the Triad equally applicable to soil, surface water, groundwater, and sediment issues?
 
Answer

Conceptually, a Triad approach is equally applicable to any setting where contaminated environmental media is present that requires characterization and potential remediation. The more heterogeneous the media and contaminants, the more valuable the Triad will be to avoid collecting non-representative and misleading data sets. Most real-time measurement technologies apply to specific media types and specific contaminants or classes of contaminants within these media types. For individual sites, media characteristics and decision requirements will need to be evaluated against available measurement technology options to determine site-specific appropriateness and applicability.

In practice, implementation of components of the Triad may also be constrained by applicable state or Federal regulations. Examples of these types of constraints include state guidelines that may specify the number, types of samples, and the analytical methods required to demonstrate compliance with cleanup standards at particular classes of sites (e.g., surface water analytical requirements promulgated by the Federal government as part of the Clean Water Act). However, even in those instances portions of the Triad can be used to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of project planning and implementation.