contaminated land

In the UK, the definition of contaminated land is set in Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Ambiguity over how this legislation should be applied by regulators, the government in 2000 produced the Contaminated Land Regulations. Until this time, the assessment, investigation and remediation of contaminated land was not a material consideration given by planning authorities.

A focused and targeted investigation is critical in the establishment of risk.  A clear understanding of the key potential contaminants and their locations must be identified prior to the investigation and is an integral component of the Phase I environmental audit approach.

The scope and methodology of any investigation is unique to the site but can be typically be based around the drilling of boreholes, trail pits and window sampling bores.

Selected samples of soils, gases, groundwater and surface water are analysed and quantitatively assessed based on contaminant exposure to the site user, be it residential, commercial or ecological.