CONTAMINATED SITE REMEDIATION

Facilitating future land use, mitigating environmental liability and risk and meeting statutory requirements.

Contaminated and potentially contaminated land can have major economic, legal, social and planning implications for the community. Contamination to soil and groundwater can limit land use potential or increase costs for developers, property owners and local authorities. The investigation and clean-up of site contamination is important to protect the environment, human health and assets.
General awareness of contamination and methods to resolve site contamination issues has increased as land demand continues to grow, and the affects of contamination on human health and the environment become better understood. Increasingly, organisations and government departments have fostered a greater understanding in the community of the social, environmental and commercial effects of contaminated land issues, commensurate with developments in legislation and environmental risk sciences which drive requirements for the assessment of site contamination.

Contaminated and potentially contaminated site assessment is a multi-disciplinary scientific process for identification of land contamination issues, and which yields a basis to determine appropriate and tailored management steps that can be implemented to mitigate human health and environmental risks, and minimise net financial liabilities and the financial risk associated with a site.

The Bureau Veritas HSE Pty Ltd Contaminated Site Remediation Team comprises a highly experienced group of scientists and engineers from a wide range of disciplines, who are able to design and implement cost effective remedial action plans for the cleanup of contaminated sites. Bureau Veritas’ contaminated site remediation works are designed to minimise or eliminate client liabilities associated with soil or groundwater pollution.

Objectives of contaminated site remediation are to:
- Meet enforced regulatory requirements;
- Enable on-going or future (redevelopment) land use of properties to meet client expectations and objectives;
- Minimise or eliminate liabilities resulting from the release of dangerous goods or spills of pollutants; and
- Protect human health and environmental receptors.

Our company or principal staff accreditations include:
- Specialist remediation engineers and scientists;
- ISO 9001 Quality Management System;
- Three (3) EPA appointed Environmental Auditors (Contaminated Land) – Victoria;
- One (1) DEC appointed Contaminated Sites Auditor – Western Australia;
- NATA Accredited Soils Testing Laboratory (asbestos);
- Member of Australian Contaminated Land Consultants Association (ACLCA) - Victoria and Western Australia;
- Member and bronze level sponsor of Australasian Land and Groundwater Association (ALGA).

Our approach includes:

Remediation Strategy: The primary requirement for successful remediation is to evaluate the drivers for remediation and the endpoints of any clean-up actions that are necessary to meet stakeholder objectives.

Data Analysis: The results of a detailed site assessment will be carefully reviewed to determine the source of contamination, the geochemical and geophysical nature of the contamination, and the environmental setting media in which the contamination resides.

Risk Assessment: Following the Data Analysis, a risk assessment may be required to assess the fate and transport mechanisms of the contamination in the environment and the risks that are posed to sensitive receptors. Where relevant, detailed risk assessments can determine appropriate end points and site-specific clean-up criteria that may be less onerous (and less costly) than default State guideline criteria.

Appraisal of Relevant Remedial Technologies: Following determination of the requirement for remediation at a site, an appraisal of applicable remedial technologies is undertaken to determine the feasibility and costs associated with each technique. This includes a review of the technological, logistical, financial and environmental aspects of each technology and the relevance of the technology for the contaminants of concern.

Determination of Remedial Technique: During the selection stage, consideration must also be given to the relevant policies and guidelines of each State, including principles of waste reduction and the waste hierarchy to ensure the remedial strategy adopted does not result in a detriment to environmental objectives.

Verification of Remedial Methodology: Depending on the type and magnitude of the remediation methodology employed, Bench Scale and/or Pilot trials can be employed to fine tune the selected remediation methodologies before they are implemented in the field. The results of the trial are used for finalisation of the remediation program to be implemented for a site.

Implementation of Remedial Method: Remediation specialists manage the implementation of the approved Remediation Action Plan. For many remediation projects, management activities can include all or components of the following tasks: preparation of subcontractor tenders; engagement and management of subcontractor services; field management of engineering design; health, safety and environmental monitoring; regulatory liaison; community consultation; performance monitoring; systems operation and maintenance; and site validation testing.

Reporting: Preparation of a factual report detailing the outcomes of remediation and whether follow-up monitoring is required.