INFOTOX | Strategic Thinking and Land Remediation

Land remediation is usually a grudge spend by companies; something they’d rather not do, but may be compelled to get on with. It may be required as the result of an unfortunate spill incident, or after years of substandard operating practices on an industrial site. The company may have inherited a problematic site from another entity, or the need may arise from a proposed change in land-use. Regardless of the cause, remediation generally involves costs that companies prefer not to incur, and poses practical and legal risks that companies would rather not face.

It is precisely these issues of cost and risk that make it crucial that any land remediation programme is approached strategically, and not in a piece-meal or ad hoc fashion. First, the purpose of the remediation intervention must be clear. Remediation may aim to satisfy a legal non-compliance problem, or it may be intended to avoid damaging an environmentally sensitive wetland. It may aim to prevent a negative health impact on an adjacent community, unlock the development potential of a piece of land, or attempt to achieve a combination of aims. The design of the remediation intervention must then specifically target this purpose. This design will be based on the results of a site investigation, and will usually involve the development of a range of remedial options and techniques that will then be evaluated, with a decision being made on the preferred option(s).

The expertise required for this design and that will be needed to effect the solution must be identified, and is likely to require the involvement of scientists, legal practitioners and execution agents such as a civil engineering team. Remediation projects may fail where such expertise is not brought in, and the selection of this team of people is a crucial stage in the remediation process.

The entire process requires diligent management in order to ensure that the strategic objectives of the project are met, right through to its completion. At that point a period of monitoring may be required to ensure and possibly to demonstrate to the relevant authorities that the intervention’s purpose has been achieved.

INFOTOX’s extensive experience in this field means that it is well-placed to provide strategic guidance to clients embarking on such a process of land remediation, in order to ensure that their objectives are met.