Project Number: 1245-12000-040-20
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 29, 2010
End Date: Sep 30, 2013

Objective:
Cooperate in testing methods to reduce soil DDx (DDT, DDE, DDD and other breakdown products of DDT) and dieldrin by earthworms to see if addition of organic matter to contaminated soils, or growing crops on contaminated soils can reduce DDT and dieldrin uptake by earthworms and thus lower risk and raise clean-up cut-off limits and greatly reduce soil removal/replacement costs while protecting the environment.

Approach:
1) Collect representative soils from DDx and dieldrin contaminated areas of the North Farm at BARC; 2) Identify earthworm species which occur in these soils; 3) Test the effect of organic matter amendments (manure compost; biosolids compost; biochar) on bioaccumulation of DDx by common soil earthworms; 4) Test the effect of growing crops in the earthworm bioaccumulation assay soil on the bioaccumulation of DDx and dieldrin by earthworms; 5) Examine the effect of treatments on nutrient and trace element accumulation by the earthworms; 6) Examine the effect of the soil amendments on changes in soil microflora which may affect earthworm activities; and 7) DDx and dieldrin and other halogenated hydrocarbon analyses to be provided by cooperators.