Remediation of contaminated industrial sites

Ground and groundwater pollution are the unfortunate legacies of our industrial heritage. Nowhere is this more common that in our older towns and cities where the sources of pollution are typically associated with coal gas producing plants, chemical producers, steel producers and processing plants such as tanneries. In recent times, dependence upon oil and its by-products has resulted in the pollution of many refinery sites, particularly those situated alongside major estuaries and rivers. The paper briefly examines the influence of recent legislation aimed at directing the remediation industry away from wholesale excavation and off-site disposal towards treatment and reuse through on-site and off-site solutions. Examples are presented to illustrate the remediation of gas-producing, refinery and chemical sites. Recent investigations to verify closure records for a number of dump sites containing the decontaminated remains of a chemical warfare agent plant and laboratory facility are described, together with the use of a vapour containment system to prevent the uncontrolled release of chemical warfare agents to the atmosphere.