The Department of Energy (DoE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) in the USA has developed a series of innovative initiatives to support improved groundwater monitoring and remediation across the DoE complex, including a new publicly available web-based application.
The Tracking Restoration and Closure (TRAC) application uses a combination of infographic and story map tools to communicate information on progress toward site closure. Further information is available here. Access to TRAC is available here.
The system visually presents complex information, making it more digestible for those who may not be groundwater experts while still providing all the critical technical information in one place. As part of National Water Quality Month, EM announced other groundwater-related initiatives that will work in concert with TRAC, including the Advanced Long-Term Environmental Monitoring Systems (ALTEMIS) and a new soil and groundwater remediation strategy. The TRAC application features a map of all EM sites with metrics on high-priority contaminants of concern. Users can zoom in to specific sites to view geospatial footprints of groundwater plumes and their remediation strategies and get updates and information on progress toward site closure. TRAC also enables effective communication with regulators, stakeholders, and partners, enhancing EM's ability to identify efficiencies for remediation.