Columbia Environmental Research Center
Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR)
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides scientific support to the Department of the Interior's Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) program. The NRDAR program has earned national recognition for restoring natural and cultural resources throughout the United States as well as in international habitats. USGS Science Centers from across the country conduct studies at the request of the NRDAR program, often to support formal litigious claims or to provide evidence for government settlement positions. USGS scientists conduct research and provide technical expertise to determine the extent to which natural resources have been impaired as the result of hazardous substance releases and support restoration activities for the recovery of those resources.
To learn more about how USGS science supports the NRDAR program contact Jo Ellen Hinck, the USGS NRDAR Coordinator, or USGS subject matter experts.
Below are USGS science resources and products that demonstrate our knowledge, skills, and abilities for consultation and/or participation in assessment and restoration activities.
Data Resources
USGS collects, monitors, analyzes, and interprets scientific information about natural resource conditions. Our diverse expertise enables us to carry out large-scale, multidisciplinary investigations and provide impartial scientific information to resource managers, planners, and other customers.
USGS NRDAR Experience and Expertise
USGS scientists conduct research and provide technical expertise, at the request of the NRDAR program, to determine the extent to which natural resources have been impaired as the result of hazardous substance releases and support restoration activities for the recovery of those resources.
Presentations for the DOI ORDA Science Webinar Series
The science webinar series highlights expertise, data, and information developed for NRDAR cases or for potential new methods application. A variety of scientific topics have been presented by USGS scientists and others in this series.
Science at Mining Sites
Mining activities have the potential to release harmful substances into the soil, air and water. Extraction and processing produce tailings piles that can contain radioactive elements, mercury, and heavy metals; leach ponds of cyanide and brine solutions; metallic dust; and waste rock. Environmental contamination at mine sites can be particularly challenging to evaluate due to the variety of...
Science Related to Chemical Releases
Chemical or hazardous substance spills can occur during production, transportation, storage, and disposal activities. They kill fish and wildlife, destroy habitat, and contaminate critical resources. These environmental injuries can linger for decades and be difficult to assess. The impact of these type spills is complex and depends upon where they occur, the amount spilled and the chemical...
Science Related to Oil Spills
Crude oil or oil distilled product (e.g. gasoline, diesel fuels, jet fuels) spills can occur during oil exploration, production, and transportation activities. Environmental impacts of spills are complex and can be difficult to assess. The chemical makeup of oil and oil products is diverse which affects oil behavior (e.g. volatilization, sinking). Oil degradation and fate are also influenced...
Damage Assessment and Restoration Tracking System (DARTS)
USGS science support staff provide database management and system administration for the NRDAR Damage Assessment and Restoration Tracking System (DARTS).
Student Internship Program
The USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC), the DOI Office of Restoration and Damage Assessment (ORDA), and the University of Missouri, School of Journalism established a student internship program for journalism and science education majors. Interns involved in the program gathered information about restoration projects that were implemented through the Natural Resource Damage...