New Jersey was one of several states recently recognized for streamlining the approval process for environmental technologies. Due to the involvement and contributions of the ITRC member states, the ITRC received the federal government's Hammer Award, which is presented annually to groups making significant progress in cutting red tape and improving government services. The technology was developed by the United States Navy as part of a collaborative effort with the Army and Air Force. The LIF sensor is capable of providing rapid, qualitative to semi-quantitative information about the distribution of subsurface petroleum contamination. The traditional approach to site characterization, which depends on collection of discrete soil and water samples followed by laboratory analyses, is usually a slow, iterative and costly process because the samples are collected with little prior knowledge as to the extent or exact location of the contaminant plume.
Significant delays occur in site characterization while samples are analyzed.
Subsequent borings must be drilled with no knowledge of the results from other boring locations, or the process must stop to await results from previous sampling. The LIF sensor is intended as a method to delineate the boundaries of the subsurface contaminant plume prior to installing monitoring wells or collecting soil samples. It is not intended to replace traditional soil borings and monitoring wells, but rather to maximize the effectiveness, and minimize the number of conventional borings and wells. Hazardous Waste Environmental Technology Certification Program.