Contaminated Land

Corus Consulting Limited deals mainly with contaminated land issues brought into prominence by recent legislative drives by the government as a direct result of the growing realisation of the problem of contaminated land, the pressures to take action to prevent contamination and furthermore the remediation of ‘brown-field’ sites for use as future developments.

The Contaminated Land Section offers expertise in a wide range of areas, the four main elements of work include addressing site liabilities associated with property transactions or site development, the application of risk assessments, site investigations in conjunction with the Integrated Pollution and Prevention Control (IPPC) regulations and finally the investigation and application of remediation techniques on contaminated sites.

We are active in networks that are dedicated to improving the understanding of issues in contaminated land such as the Soil & Groundwater Technology Association (SAGTA) and the Network for Industrially Contaminated Land in Europe (NICOLE).

Addressing Site Liabilities
The need to address liabilities associated with sites has been in prominence since the introduction of the ‘polluter pays’ principle. There have been large increases in the investigation of sites to address any legal responsibilities that may be associated with the sale or acquisition of property or with site redevelopment. 

This type of project would involve a full Phase II site investigation in conjunction with British Standard 5930:1999 Code of Practice for Site Investigations, commencing with a preliminary assessment followed by a detailed investigation of the potentially contaminated ground.

Risk Assessments
Corus’ Contaminated Land Section developed a risk ranking method to identify vulnerable areas to enable prioritisation so any further investigative efforts or remediation is applied to the most sensitive location.

A risk ranking report involves several investigative aspects, firstly a desktop study, which is proceeded by a site reconnaissance. The risk assessment model is based on the source-pathway-receptor embodied in the Contaminated Land Statutory legislation; all information is entered into a database to give a ranking score to each area or site thus enabling prioritisation.

Remediation Methods
Corus’ research into the area of remediation has included the application of ‘extensive’ methods with low energy inputs and long treatment times where they are appropriate. Field trials using bioremediation to degrade hydrocarbons in soil using fertilizers to stimulate naturally occurring bacteria have recently been completed.

Corus are currently assessing the feasibility of applying phytoremediation using a variety of plant species to remediate organic and heavy metal contamination.

Site Investigation
To meet the requirements of the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999, Corus has undertaken extensive work in Site Investigation. Following on from risk assessments, the site investigation is utilised in Initial and Closure Site Condition Reports to establish a baseline for contamination in the areas that fall under Part A processes.