Contaminated land/sites refers to areas that contain substances in or under land and/or water that are actually or potentially hazardous to human health or the environment. Contamination can occur naturally as a result of the geology of the area, or through agricultural use or industrial use.
The increasing need for residential land, particularly close to urban centres, has resulted in the redevelopment of old industrial areas. Some, with a long history of industrial production, may have been affected by chemical spills and inappropriate waste disposal practices (including filling and reclamation) due to former uses such as mining, industrial and fuel storage. The need for owners to meet their due diligence responsibilities and the redevelopment and divestment of these sites requires that their condition be known in terms of contamination and its potential to impact the environment and future users/occupiers.
The site contamination assessment determines the nature, extent and magnitude of contaminants. This then allows the assessment/determination of the resulting actual or potential risk to human health or the environment and hence any need for site remediation. Remediation is the treatment, containment, removal or management of contamination in soils and water, including groundwater, to address actual or potential risk to human health or the environment, taking into account the current or intended use of the site. The majority of remediation methods involve activities on the site.
We believe that a contaminated site management strategy must strive to achieve a balance between the triad of outcomes in environmental sustainability, corporate responsibility and commercial viability, while meeting our client’s objectives in the most cost-effective manner. To achieve this our contaminated sites specialists provide high-level strategic advice for the management and divestment of contaminated sites in a commercially and environmentally equitable manner. We have extensive experience in the management and delivery of contaminated sites projects of varying magnitudes and use of smart, innovative solutions.
Services
- Preliminary site investigation
- Detailed site investigation and risk assessment
- Remediation strategic advice and strategy development and implementation (in-situ and ex-situ)
- Remediation design and tender specification
- Remediation environmental management and planning advice
- Remediation environmental assessment preparation
- Remediation and validation implementation management