Soil remediation
From testing and the remediation plan, through approvals, to supervision of the works.
Remediation means treating soil, ground and groundwater to remove or reduce risk-causing substances, control them and limit their spread, so that the contaminated site no longer poses a threat to human health or to the state of the environment (Polish Environmental Protection Law). With a fast response after a spill, corrective works may cost around PLN 50,000; on an untested site with a long industrial history the cost can exceed the value of the plot.
Why time matters
The later the response after an uncontrolled spill, the wider the contamination spreads. Clean-up costs depend more on the volume of contaminated soil than on the amount of product that entered it, and a great deal also depends on transport pathways and on the potential receptors of the contamination.
Where the reaction is fast, corrective works after a spill of a risk-causing substance may be limited to roughly PLN 50,000 — largely the cost of disposing of soil contaminated with petroleum substances. On an untested site with a long history the cost of remediation can exceed the value of the plot itself, and depending on what was done there, other and more troublesome contaminants may appear.
How we run a remediation project
- Detailed soil testing in accordance with the Regulation of the Minister of the Environment of 1 September 2016 on the assessment of land surface contamination (Journal of Laws 2016, item 1395); sampling must be accredited.
- Preparation of the remediation plan — the Remediation Action Plan (RAP).
- All administrative and technical approvals, obtained on behalf of the client.
- Continuous supervision of the works, with ongoing soil and water sampling to verify that the target is being reached.
- Documentation confirming that remediation has been carried out.
What remediation is, in law
Polish law defines remediation as treating soil, ground and groundwater with the aim of removing or reducing the quantity of risk-causing substances, controlling them and limiting their spread, so that the contaminated site ceases to pose a threat to human health or to the state of the environment — taking into account the current and, where possible, the planned future use of the land. Remediation may also consist of natural attenuation where that brings the greatest benefit to the environment.
The official definition entered Polish law in 2014, with the amendment to the Environmental Protection Law. An earlier milestone was 30 April 2007, when EU rules summed up as "the polluter pays" came into force. Contamination that occurred before that date, or that results from activity concluded before it, and damage caused by an emission or event more than 30 years ago, is classified as historical contamination.
Remediation methods
Methods are grouped as physical (sorting, electro-remediation, extraction, barriers), chemical (hydrolysis, stabilisation and immobilisation, dehalogenation, soil washing), electrochemical, thermal (evaporation, incineration, vitrification) and biological (bioremediation, phytoremediation, entomoremediation).
They are also divided by where they are applied. In situ remediation takes place where the contamination occurs, without moving the ground — biological methods, soil vapour extraction and aeration, barriers, electro-remediation, soil washing and stabilisation all work well here. Ex situ remediation involves removing the contaminated ground for storage or treatment, using incineration, thermal desorption, extraction, automated soil segregation or chemical and photochemical oxidation.
Methods are frequently combined depending on the type and extent of the contamination. Biological approaches, which accelerate and optimise the microbial breakdown that occurs naturally in the environment, bring the greatest benefit to the environment.
Remediation and reclamation are not the same
Reclamation is a broader concept. It means restoring degraded or devastated land to useful or natural value by shaping the terrain and water conditions, initiating soil-forming processes and introducing vegetation — so that the land can serve construction, agricultural, forestry or recreational purposes. Remediation is narrower: removing or controlling the concentration of harmful substances, including in surface waters, using physical, chemical, electrochemical, thermal and biological methods.
Who should be interested
Polish law does not oblige an owner to test for contamination, but under the 2007 EU directive the owner of the land bears responsibility for historical contamination unless it can identify and prove who caused it, and the polluter is liable for any damage to the natural environment.
Remediation therefore matters both to those who want to sell land — to raise its value and avoid later claims that it is degraded — and to those buying it, so that a project starts on sound ground. It is also relevant to businesses such as filling stations, and to farmers using pesticides. Testing is worth carrying out during or at the end of industrial activity, so that the next owner receives land in a condition as close to natural as possible.
What the remediation plan must contain
Historical contamination is remediated in accordance with a remediation plan agreed with the regional director of environmental protection. The plan sets out:
- the precise definition of the remediation site — address, land register plot numbers and area,
- the names of the harmful substances present in soil, ground and surface water, and their planned concentrations after remediation,
- the method of carrying out the remediation,
- the start and completion dates,
- how the completed remediation will be confirmed and when the documentation will be submitted, including the results of contamination testing.
Free quote for remediation services
Describe the site and the type of contamination — we will select a method, estimate the cost and take the case through the administrative approvals.