Top f. What is an ecological risk assessment?
An ecological risk assessment is a process through which the person responsible for conducting the remediation evaluates the likelihood that adverse ecological effects to natural resources have occurred, are occurring or may occur, as a result of a discharge. These adverse ecological effects are the result of any physical, chemical, or biological mechanism that can induce an adverse ecological response. Adverse ecological responses can range from sublethal chronic effects in an individual organism to a loss of ecosystem function.18 Similar to the baseline ecological evaluations discussed above, ecological risk assessments are described in the Technical Requirements for Site Remediation.19 In addition to using the ecological risk assessments to ensure that the remedy is protective of the environment, the Department uses the ecological risk assessment to identify and characterize the injuries to natural resources and natural resource services. Often, the results of the ecological risk as
