SITE CONTAMINATION Land

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SITE CONTAMINATIONLand Groundwater
Presentation, reference, author, date
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SITE CONTAMINATION

• UNIVERSITY
• OF
• SOUTH AUSTRALIA
• 2005

Mike Fanning Team Leader, Site Contamination
Unit South Australian Environment Protection
Authority
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Land Groundwater
SITE CONTAMINATION

• 1. Introduction to Site Contamination
• 2. Assessment of Site Contamination
• 3. Remediation of Site Contamination
• 4. Long Term Issues
• 5. Closure

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Land Groundwater
SITE CONTAMINATION

• 1. Introduction to Site Contamination
• Fundamental Concepts
• and
• General Guidance

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• SITE CONTAMINATION
• is a significant issue
• that must be
• recognised
• and
• considered
• and
• addressed
• But What is Site Contamination?

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• What is Site Contamination?
• If we have a
• SITE within which there is
• CONTAMINATION (as defined in the NEPM)
  resulting from an activity
• and the adverse impacts are assessed taking into
  account the current or intended use of the site
• then we have
• SITE CONTAMINATION

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Therefore SITE CONTAMINATION is

• Any chemical substance or waste inorganic or
  organic - liquid, solid or gaseous
• that have been added to land or water at a site
  by an activity
• above background concentrations
• that represent, or potentially represent, an
  adverse health or environmental impact - taking
  into account the current or intended use of the
  site

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• If Site Contamination is present
• then we should do something about it because the
  site may not be
• suitable for its current or intended use
• as it may present risks to human health and the
  environment
• We should REMEDIATE
• i.e. treat, contain, remove or manage
• the chemical substances or waste so that,
  taking into account the current or intended use
  of the site, they no longer represent, or
  potentially represent, an adverse health or
  environmental impact

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SITE CONTAMINATION

• If remediation has been completed (implemented
  and maintained for the life of the intended use)
  at a site (i.e. the chemical substances or waste
  - treated, contained, removed or managed)then,
  site contamination no longer exists
• and we have a SITE
• fit for use

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ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AUTHORITY

• Concepts of Site Contamination
• Scenario 1 - Plan View

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ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AUTHORITY

• Concepts of Site Contamination
• Scenario 1 - Plan View

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ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AUTHORITY

• Concepts of Site Contamination
• Scenario 1 - Plan View

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ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AUTHORITY

• Concepts of Site Contamination
• Scenario 1 - Plan View

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ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AUTHORITY

• Concepts of Site Contamination
• Scenario 2 - Elevation View

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ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AUTHORITY

• Concepts of Site Contamination
• Scenario 2 - Elevation View

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ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AUTHORITY

• Concepts of Site Contamination
• Scenario 2 - Elevation View

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ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AUTHORITY

• Concepts of Site Contamination
• Scenario 2 - Elevation View

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ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AUTHORITY

• Concepts of Site Contamination
• Scenario 2 - Plan View and Elevation View

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Therefore, for SITE CONTAMINATION to exist

• The following criteria must be satisfied (in
  order)
• Chemical substances or waste MUST have been added
  to land or water at a site BY AN ACTIVITY
• These MUST be above background concentrations
  AND
• They MUST represent, or potentially represent, an
  adverse health or environmental impact, taking
  into account the current or proposed use of the
  site

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What tools are currently available to assist in
the Management of Site Contamination in SA?

• 1. Environment Protection Act 1993
• 2. NEPM - automatically an Environment Protection
  Policy - effected by EPA licences and other means
• 3. Planning Authorities responsibilities -
  Planning Advisory Notice 20/02 - Site
  Contamination - and Letter from EPA to all
  Planning Authorities and Government Departments
• 4. Land Business (Sale Conveyancing) Act 1994
  
• 5. EPA recommendations and Expectations - e.g.
  Use of Environmental Auditors (Contaminated Land)
  
• 6. Environment Protection (Water Quality) Policy
  (1 October 2003)
• 7. DoH - Public Environmental Health Act

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ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AUTHORITY

• The SA EPA is therefore currently developing
• as a very high priority a
• Site Contamination Package
• aimed at providing a holistic approach
• for the adequate management of
• Site Contamination in SA.

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ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AUTHORITY

• The Site Contamination Package includes
• Site Contamination Bill - amendment to the
  Environment Protection Act
• provisions under the Development Act for a
  Statutory Audit System
• Consequential amendments to other legislation,
  particularly Section 7 Statements Regulations
  under the Land and Business (Sale Conveyancing)
  Act
• Series of Guidelines, Information Sheets etc

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ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AUTHORITY

• The policy framework for the Site Contamination
  Bill uses the following as a basis
• The Assessment of Site Contamination NEPM
• Concepts of Site Contamination
• ANZECC Guidelines and Position Paper on Financial
  Liability
• An Environmental Audit System, based on the
  Victorian EPA system
• Planning Legislation requiring a Statutory Audit
  in prescribed circumstances

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RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES

• Refer to the following for guidance
• EPHC/NEPC
• National Environment Protection (Assessment of
  Site Contamination) Measure (NEPM) (and all
  references)
• Proceedings of the Fifth National Workshop on the
  Assessment of Site Contamination
• Assessment of Underground Storage Systems,
  Cattlin and Fanning, SA EPA
• other papers - not necessarily endorsed or
  approved for inclusion in the revision of the
  NEPM
• ANZECC
• Guidelines for the Assessment of On-Site
  Containment of Contaminated Soil, September 1999
• Financial Liability for Contaminated Site
  Remediation - A Position Paper, April 1994

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RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES

• Refer to the following for guidance
• enHealth/NHMRC
• Guidelines for the Management of Asbestos in the
  Non-Occupational Environment - DRAFT
• Toxicity Assessment for Carcinogenic Soil
  Contaminants, NHMRC September 1999
• Environmental Health Risk Assessment, June 2002
• SAHC/Environmental Health Forum
• Monograph Series 1 - 6 South Australian Health
  Commission
• Other Documents
• various specific chemical substances or issue

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RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES

• Refer to the following for guidance
• NSW, WA and other EPA Publications
• US EPA
• OSWER Directive 9200.4-17P - Use of Monitored
  Natural Attenuation at Superfund, RCRA Corrective
  Action and Underground Storage Tank Sites April
  1999
• etc
• Environment Agency UK
• An Illustrated Handbook of DNAPL Transport and
  Fate in the Subsurface
• Guidance on the Assessment and Monitoring of
  Natural Attenuation of Contaminants in Groundwater

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RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES

• Refer to the following for guidance
• Victorian EPA
• SEPP - Prevention and Management of Contamination
  of Land
• The Clean Up and Management of Polluted
  Groundwater (Publication 840)
• Groundwater Quality Restricted Use Zone
  (Publication 862)
• Guidelines on the Design, Installation and
  Management Requirements for Underground Petroleum
  Storage Systems (Publication 888)
• Environmental Auditing in Victoria (Publication
  902)
• Guidelines for Issue of Certificates and
  Statements of Environmental Audit (Publication
  759)
• Environmental Auditor Guidelines for Appointment
  and Conduct (Publication 865)

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SITE CONTAMINATION

• 2. ASSESSMENT OF SITE CONTAMINATION

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SITE CONTAMINATION

• REMEMBERSITE CONTAMINATION is
• Chemical substances or waste
• added to land or water at a site by an activity
• above background concentrations
• that represent, or potentially represent, an
  adverse health or environmental impact taking
  into account the current or proposed use of the
  site

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SITE CONTAMINATION

• Assessment of Site Contamination
• Trigger (refer to list of activities in Planning
  Advisory Notice)
• Purpose (land use, due diligence, liability)
• Site History
• Preliminary Site Assessment
• Total Site Assessment, including Risk Assessment
• Site Remediation Options and Strategies
• Remediation Validation
• Long-term Monitoring
• Community Information
• THINK - who, what, where, when, why, how

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SITE CONTAMINATION

• REQUIRED EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE
• not necessarily in order
• Site contamination assessment and management
• Soil sampling design and methodology
• Assessment and management of major environmental
  issues involving discharge/disposal of industrial
  waste onto land or into air or aquatic
  environments
• Other environmental sampling design and
  methodology eg industrial wastewater, regulated
  waste or air sampling programs
• groundwater sampling design and methodology
• assessments of impacts on groundwater from site
  contamination
• cont/d

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SITE CONTAMINATION

• REQUIRED EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE
• not necessarily in order (cont)
• interpretation of chemical analytical data
• quality control/assurance procedures
• industrial processing, chemical use and waste
  disposal practices
• environmental chemistry
• soil science
• hydrogeology
• human toxicology
• environmental toxicology
• environmental impact assessment associated with
  land, water and air pollution cont/d

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SITE CONTAMINATION

• REQUIRED EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE
• not necessarily in order (cont)
• contaminant transport and assessment of exposure
  pathways and risk
• remedial technologies and geotechnology
• risk communication in relation to site
  contamination issues including demonstration of a
  high level of oral communication skills
• health and safety issues associated with field
  work for site contamination
• other relevant specialised competencies (eg
  contaminated groundwater fate and transport
  modelling and modelling of contaminated vapours
  in soils)

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• Assessment of Site Contamination
• References
• NEPM - Assessment of Site Contamination, December
  1999 - and related references
• Contaminated Sites Monograph Series - Nos 1 to 7
  - various
• Victorian EPA - Environmental Auditor
  (Contaminated Land) Guidelines for Issue of
  Certificates and Statements of Environmental
  Audit - May 2001
• AS 4482.1 Guide to the sampling and investigation
  of potentially contaminated soil, Part 1
  Non-volatile and semi-volatile compounds - 1997
• AS 4482.1 Guide to the sampling and investigation
  of potentially contaminated soil, Part 2
  Volatile substances -
• websites - US EPA - www.epa.gov.au

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SITE CONTAMINATION

• 2. NEPM SCHEDULES
• Schedule A Flow Chart - General process for
  assessment of site contamination
• Schedule B
• B (1) Guideline on Investigation Levels For Soil
  And Groundwater
• B (2) Guideline on Data Collection, Sample Design
  and Reporting
• B (3) Guideline on Laboratory Analysis Of
  Potentially Contaminated Soils
• B (4) Guideline on Health Risk Assessment
  Methodology
• B (5) Guideline on Ecological Risk Assessment
• B (6) Guideline on Risk Based Assessment of
  Groundwater Contamination
• B (7A) Guideline on Health-Based Investigation
  Levels
• B (7B) Guidelines on Exposure Scenarios and
  Exposure Settings
• B (8) Guideline on Community Consultation and
  Risk Communication
• B (9) Guideline on Protection of Health and the
  Environment During the Assessment of Site
  Contamination
• B (10) Guideline on Competencies and Acceptance
  of Environmental Auditors and Related
  Professionals

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SITE CONTAMINATION

• 3. Remediation of Site Contamination

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SITE CONTAMINATION

• 3. Remediation of Site Contamination
• NEPM hierarchy of options
• On-site treatment
• Off-site treatment and return to site
• if the above not practicable
• Consolidation and isolation (containment) on-site
• Removal to an approved site or facility
• or
• On-site management - no net environmental benefit
  or a net adverse environmental benefit
• N.B. 1. Remediation MUST take into account public
  
• and community interests and concerns
• 2. Remediation should optimise current
  and
• future land use(s)

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SITE CONTAMINATION

• 3. Remediation of Site Contamination
• ON-SITE CONTAINMENT and/or MANAGEMENT
• Should take into account
• ANZECC, Guidelines for the Assessment of On-site
  Containment of Contaminated Soil, Dec. 1999
• And in particular the FOUR PRINCIPLES
• 1. Ensure adequate protection of human health and
  the environment
• 2. Minimise on-going management and regulatory
  scrutiny
• 3. Minimise constraints on reasonable and usual
  use of the site
• 4. Minimise unnecessary disposal to waste depots
  and maximise recycling and reuse

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SITE CONTAMINATION

• 3. Remediation of Site Contamination
• Worldwide there are extensive ESTABLISHED,
  INNOVATIVE and EMERGING technologies for the
  TREATMENT of contamination
• In SA, there must be an increasingly greater
  emphasis on the TREATMENT of contamination - in
  preference to the alternative options
• Industry should actively encourage the
  introduction and utilisation of treatment
  technologies in SA
• Treatment technologies developed or introduced
  must be readily available for use
• ALL REMEDIATION MUST take into account public and
  community interests and concerns - CONSULTATION

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SITE CONTAMINATION

• 4. Long Term Issues

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SITE CONTAMINATION

• 4. Long Term Issues
• 1) Land use (current/future)
• 2) Restrictions (reasonable and usual use)
• 3) Monitoring (consider)
• 4) Management (who and how)
• 5) Information (must be readily available)
• 6) Alternatives (consider)

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SITE CONTAMINATION

• 5. Closure

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SITE CONTAMINATION

• 1. Extremely complex issue
• 2. Extensive and wide range of opportunities
• 3. Develop high level of technical expertise and
  experience
• 4. Emerging and developing
• 5. High level of professional satisfaction and
  positive impact on health and the environment
• 6. Remuneration