Contributor: Walter W. Kovalick, Jr. PhD

Business Title: Director, Headquarters USEPA, Technology Innovation Office

Contact Information:
Technology Innovation Office
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. (5102G)
Washington, D.C. 20460
Phone: 703 603 9910
Fax: 703 603 9135
Email:kovalick.walter@epa.gov
http://www.cluin.org

Affiliation: The Technology Innovation Office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1990 to act as an advocate for new technologies. TIO's mission within the Superfund program is to increase the applications of innovative technologies for the characterization and treatment of contaminated waste sites, soils, and groundwater. TIO has encouraged and relied on cooperative ventures with other partners to accomplish most of its early goals. This effort to leverage resources has lead to numerous joint efforts that have enhanced the state of remediation. Since its creation, TIO has worked with many partners inside EPA, in other federal agencies, and in the private sector to improve the Nation's understanding of remediation treatment technologies and reduce the impediments to their widespread use.

Biography: Dr. Kovalick manages an office chartered to act as champion for the introduction of more innovative site characterization and remediation technologies in the clean-up of abandoned waste sites under Superfund and corrective action under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Formed
in 1990, his office is providing policy leadership and technology information within EPA and enabling the broader use of innovative technologies through other Federal agencies, States, consulting engineers,
technology vendors and by other countries.

He served from January 1993 until June 1994 (during the Clinton Administration transition period) as the Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. This
office is EPA's national program manager for all solid and hazardous waste regulatory programs, as well as site remediation, underground storage tank, chemical emergency preparedness, and innovative remediation technology issues.

For five years prior to December 1989, he was the Deputy Director of the Superfund program where he shared leadership responsibilities for a nation-wide program to respond to hazardous substance releases -- both of an emergency nature as well as from abandoned waste disposal sites.

Joining EPA in 1970 from one of its predecessor agencies, Dr. Kovalick worked at EPA Headquarters and two of its Regional Offices to develop an effective partnership with the States in implementing the Clean Air Act. From 1974 to 1978, he managed a program to develop the initial standards to define hazardous wastes and to regulate generators and transporters of such waste. Until 1984, he directed a staff office of the Office of Toxic Substances to develop strategies and information systems for Agency-wide
regulation of chemicals. He has represented EPA on hazardous waste and chemical issues to several international organizations, served as a consultant to the United Nations Environment Program, and, for the past 9 years, has co-chaired a NATO project to share information on remediation technologies.

Dr. Kovalick holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and Management Science from Northwestern University and a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration and Policy from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He is a
recipient of the President's Meritorious Executive Award and EPA Bronze and Silver Medals for Superior Service. In February, 1991, he was named by Engineering News-Record magazine as one of their "1990 Marksmen." In 1997, he received the EPA Fitzhugh Green Award for Outstanding Contributions to International Environmental Protection over 20 years. In June 2000, he received an EPA Manager's Award for Diversity for his work on minority recruitment. He has served on subcommittees of the National
Research Council and the Department of Energy to advise the Department on technology development issues. He is a member of the Visiting Committee of the Engineering Division of the Colorado School of Mines and the Dean's Advisory Committee, College of Architecture and Urban Studies, at Virginia Tech; in May, 2000, he received the College's Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Accomplishment. He serves on the Editorial Board of Environmental Engineering Science, and is a member of the American Society for Public Administration and the Academy of Management.
Title of Presentation: New Technologies and Internet Resources to Streamline Site Cleanup

Author: Walter W. Kovalick, Jr.

Key Words: remediation, cleanup, contaminated, soil, groundwater, Brownfield, technology

Abstract: Much has been learned about cleaning up contaminated soil and groundwater over the last 20 years. Whether under Superfund, underground tank authorities, or, more recently, Brownfields, site owners, consultants, and state and Federal project managers now have a wealth of information on the available instruments, techniques, and technologies to solve these problems. This presentation will briefly describe the technological "state of play" for measurement and clean up of soil and groundwater, point to some of the new approaches that will foster "smarter" site decision making and getting the "best performance" out of existing technologies, and comment on the new technologies that are becoming available to solve the remaining difficult problems.