Which statement best describes the evaluation of remedial alternatives?

• A. Data collected during the RFI or RI are used to develop remedial alternatives
• B. The evaluation ignores any data from RFI/RI
• C. The EPA provides no guidance for RI/FS
• D. It occurs before RFI/RI

Answer: (A)

The evaluation of remedial alternatives is built directly on information gathered during the RI and carried into the Feasibility Study. During the Remedial Investigation, the site is characterized: what contaminants are present, where they are, in what concentrations, how far they have spread, and how people or ecosystems could be exposed. The Feasibility Study uses that detailed data to develop a range of remedial options and to compare them against decision criteria such as effectiveness, reliability, implementability, cost, and community acceptance. Without RI/FS data, you wouldn’t know which remedies are actually appropriate for the site, how well they would work, or what trade-offs exist. The process is guided by EPA procedures and precedents, and the evaluation clearly happens after data collection, not before it.