Underground Transport Restoration (UTR) Operational Technology Demonstration (OTD)
The Underground Transport Restoration (UTR) Operational Technology Demonstration (OTD)(374 pp, 18 MB, About PDF) was a full-scale study focused on gathering sampling, decontamination (decon), waste management, and cost analysis information for the remediation of a subway system after contamination with a Bacillus anthracis (Ba) surrogate (Bacillus atrophaeus, subspecies globigii [Bg]).
The study venue was located at Fort A.P. Hill (FAPH) in Bowling Green, VA. The work involved all aspects of remediation of a subway system tunnel and platform (except for rolling stock, maintenance yards, and related facilities) contaminated with a biological surrogate for Ba, including pre-decon and post-decon verification sampling and waste management. The UTR OTD was an interagency effort involving multiple federal agencies and national laboratories, including:
- EPA,
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS),
- U.S. Department of Defense (DOD),
- Sandia National Laboratories (SNL),
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL),
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratories (MITLL), and
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).
EPA was responsible for managing the OTD. The primary OTD objective was to expand the understanding of the operational effectiveness of decon methods and strategies developed in a laboratory by testing them in an underground transportation facility, from site preparation to waste treatment and disposal.