Remediation and Reuse of Contaminated Land
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT (ASSIGNMENT 2)
BSC (HONS) CIVIL ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT
NAME: FELIX GHANSAH MINTAH
PERSONAL ID: 633104
A. ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ON REMEDIATION AND REUSE OF CONTAMINATED LAND.
A contaminated land is a land which contains substances that are actually or potentially hazardous to health or the environment. Land can also be defined as contaminated if only there is significant pollutant linkage. This means that, there must be: * an evidence of the presence of a contaminant, a pathway and a receptor that might suffer ‘’significant harm’’, * a ‘’significant possibility of significant harm’’, * Signs that pollution of control waters is occurring or is likely to occur.
This definition is based on the source-pathway-receptor pollutant linkage – the concept for assessing the risk of contaminated land in the UK. In the context of a contaminated soil, the health of human beings, animals or plants, ground or surface water and buildings which are normally polluted with substances contained by contaminated soil are termed receptors with respect to the definition of contaminated lands. The contaminants are referred as the ‘’Source’’ while the soil is termed as the pathway.
Countries such as US and UK have large industrial productions which have contributed to land contamination. They have many sites where land has become contaminated by activities such as mining, industry, chemical and oil spills and waste disposal. Land Contamination can also occur naturally as a result of the geology of the area, or through agricultural use.
In 1994, Ramp Industries, a facility three miles north of downtown Denver in the US which has operated for 12 years as a broker of low-level radioactive and mixed waste was cited by US Environmental Agency for a variety of hazardous and radioactive material violations. It was revealed that there were approximately 5,000 55-gallon drums of waste which had contaminated the property and could end up
BSC (HONS) CIVIL ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT
NAME: FELIX GHANSAH MINTAH
PERSONAL ID: 633104
A. ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ON REMEDIATION AND REUSE OF CONTAMINATED LAND.
A contaminated land is a land which contains substances that are actually or potentially hazardous to health or the environment. Land can also be defined as contaminated if only there is significant pollutant linkage. This means that, there must be: * an evidence of the presence of a contaminant, a pathway and a receptor that might suffer ‘’significant harm’’, * a ‘’significant possibility of significant harm’’, * Signs that pollution of control waters is occurring or is likely to occur.
This definition is based on the source-pathway-receptor pollutant linkage – the concept for assessing the risk of contaminated land in the UK. In the context of a contaminated soil, the health of human beings, animals or plants, ground or surface water and buildings which are normally polluted with substances contained by contaminated soil are termed receptors with respect to the definition of contaminated lands. The contaminants are referred as the ‘’Source’’ while the soil is termed as the pathway.
Countries such as US and UK have large industrial productions which have contributed to land contamination. They have many sites where land has become contaminated by activities such as mining, industry, chemical and oil spills and waste disposal. Land Contamination can also occur naturally as a result of the geology of the area, or through agricultural use.
In 1994, Ramp Industries, a facility three miles north of downtown Denver in the US which has operated for 12 years as a broker of low-level radioactive and mixed waste was cited by US Environmental Agency for a variety of hazardous and radioactive material violations. It was revealed that there were approximately 5,000 55-gallon drums of waste which had contaminated the property and could end up
References: 1. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2002). Model Procedures for the management of land contamination. 2. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2002). Potential contaminants for the Assessment of Land. 3. Interdepartmental Committee of redevelopment of contaminated land (1987). Guidance on the Assessment and Redevelopment of contaminated Land. 4. The Land Regeneration and Urban Greening Research Group (2006). Imported soil or soil-forming materials Placement. 5. The Land Regeneration and Urban Greening Research Group (2006). Application of Sewage Sludges and Composts . 6. Donkor et al (2006). Artisanal Mining of Gold with Mercury in Ghana.