Jeffrey T. Rominger, Ph.D.
Principal
Dr. Rominger is an environmental engineer and scientist at Gradient with expertise in environmental fluid mechanics, chemical fate and transport, and environmental forensics. He provides consulting and expert support to clients on issues related to chemical source identification, risk assessment, environmental fate and transport, and chemical fingerprints and fingerprinting techniques. In his work, he has addressed questions related to both legacy and emerging chemicals, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals, pesticides, pharmaceutical ingredients, chlorinated solvents, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins and furans, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as well as others.
Dr. Rominger has worked on behalf of private parties, governments, and neutral parties in the resolution of disputes and allocations. He has provided expert testimony regarding subsurface chemical releases, as well as environmental forensic techniques for PCBs and dioxins.
Subsurface Modeling: Provided expert testimony on the timing of a subsurface petroleum leak from an underground pipe.
Contamination Analysis: Performed a forensic analysis of contamination from multiple point sources in an estuary located in a heavily populated area. Contaminants included PAHs, PCBs, dioxin/furans, and metals. The forensic analysis was used to provide a scientifically sound cost-allocation model for use in negotiations.
Groundwater Analysis: Developed a conceptual framework for the movement of herbicides from their application point to groundwater supplies, and through the subsequent retention and slow release over a multi-decade timescale. Analyzed multiple sites with disparate hydrology using several national databases.
Sediment and Chemical of Concern (COC) Transport: Evaluated hydrodynamics, sediment transport, and multi-decade movement of COCs at a complex environmental cleanup site with multi-decade history and multiple COCs to support equitable and scientifically justified cost allocation among cooperating parties.
Chemical Migration Modeling: Modeled the sorption, desorption, and movement of chemicals in building materials and indoor air.
Environmental Modeling: Modeled the transport of treated effluent from the land surface to the groundwater beneath a chemical manufacturing facility. Analyzed the effluent concentrations and discharge practices and modeled the vadose zone transport and degradation of the chemical of interest under a range of environmental conditions.
Leachate Assessment: Modeled the transport of leachate from surface impoundments in the continental US within a probabilistic framework for a wide range of climatic and site conditions. Our results provided estimated durations for interactions between the impoundment leachate and nearby surface and groundwaters.
Rominger, JT; Nepf, HM. 2014. “Effects of blade flexural rigidity on drag force and mass transfer rates in model blades.” Limnol. Oceanogr. 59:2028-2041.
Nepf, HM; Rominger, JT; Zong, L. 2013. “Coherent flow structures in vegetated channels.” In Coherent Flow Structures at Earths Surface. (Eds.: Venditti, J; Best, J; Church, M; Hardy, R), Wiley-Blackwell, Hoboken, NJ.
Rominger, JT; Nepf, HM. 2011. “Flow adjustment and interior flow associated with a rectangular porous obstruction.” J. Fluid Mech. 680:636-659.
Rominger, JT; Lightbody, AF; Nepf, HM. 2010. “Effects of added vegetation on sand bar stability and stream hydrodynamics.” J. Hydraulic Eng. 136:994.
Luhar, M; Rominger, J; Nepf, H. 2008. “Interaction between flow, transport and vegetation spatial structure.” Environ. Fluid Mech. 8:423-439.