VEGETATED TREATMENT OF VEHICLE WASH SEDIMENTS: DESIGN OF A
MULTIMEDIA AID DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM
1
Suzette R. Burckhard, 2Kipp Thompson, 2Vernon R. Schaefer, 3Peter Kulakow, 4Blase
Leven, and 5A. Paul Schwab
1,2
Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Box 2219, South Dakota State
University, Brookings, SD 57007; 3Department of Agronomy, 2004 Throckmorton Plant
Science Center, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506; 4Great Plains/Rocky
Mountain HSRC, 101 Ward Hall, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506;
5
Department of Agronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1284; 1Phone:
(605) 688-5316, 1E-mail: suzette_burckhard@sdstate.edu; 3Phone: (785) 532-7239, 3Email: kulakow@ksu.edu; 4Phone: (785) 532-0780, 4E-mail: baleven@ksu.edu; 5Phone:
(965) 496-3602, 5E-mail: paul_schwab@hotmail.com.
The design of a vegetated treatment system requires a vast amount of knowledge
regarding plants, climate, soils, contaminants, and their interactions. Most practicing
environmental professionals do not have this background. As a method to bridge the gap
of knowledge needed in designing a vegetated treatment option, a series of decision
support tools were designed. The first tool was an introductory pamphlet of information
regarding vegetated treatment options. The second tool was a decision support tree to help
environmental professionals choose vegetation types for a particular site. The third tool is
a graphical user interface decision support system that will allow the environmental
professional to calculate specific parameters, such as time of treatment, regarding the site.
The last tool is a manual detailing answers to various questions regarding vegetated
treatment options. In this presentation, a multimedia decision support system, combining
these tools, will be shown. A short introduction to the problem and the need for this
solution will be followed by a demonstration on the use of the product for a particular case
study. Additional information regarding product development will be covered as needed
during the presentation.
Key words: phytoremediation, petroleum hydrocarbons, contaminated soil, vegetation