Site Remediation at Teralba

We were recently contacted, as we often are by a previous client to assist them with a Housing Development project which resulted in them saving approximately $450,000. They had a SEPP 55 Preliminary Site Investigation, a Detailed Site Investigation (DSI), and a Remedial Action Plan (RAP) undertaken by another company and were very concerned with the expected cost for the Contaminated Site Remediation which was in excess of $600,000. As the project was to supply a lower cost housing alternative for the less privileged the cost was of particular concern. Upon review of the documentation in the previous reports it became apparent that the site had not been characterised correctly in relation to the extent of the potential contamination along with its waste classification in relation to the leachate potential of the contaminant (in this case Lead). This resulted in an overestimation of the amount of material to be disposed of from the site and an incorrect waste classification of the material to disposed of which placed it in the highest waste category of Hazardous. These two factors resulted in the very high estimated cost for the site remediation.

Anderson Environmental undertook Geotechnical Drilling of the site with a combination of solid flight and direct push techniques to characterise the lateral and vertical extent of the contaminated material which was present. Laboratory analysis utilised the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) to determine the leachability of the contaminant. This test is to determine the Waste Classification of the material which resulted in it being classified as Restricted Solid Waste resulting in a much lower site remediation cost than Hazardous Waste.

With the accurate information from the Geotechnical Drilling and Site Characterisation along with the correct Waste Classification a Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment (Detailed Site Investigation) report and Remedial Action Plan (RAP) was written. This resulted in less contaminated material to be disposed of at a lower waste classification rating thus significantly reducing the site remediation cost.

The client was extremely pleased with the project outcome and the saving of $450k which resulted in a huge cost saving for an extremely viable project outcome.

As Environmental Consultants servicing Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne we have full time experience since 1992. We assist clients with providing services covering SEPP 55 (Preliminary and Detailed Site Investigations) Remedial Action Plans (RAP), on-site Remediation and Site Validation and Closure. We are often undertaking Risk Assessments for Pre-Purchase Inspections for clients before the purchase of development sites. Please give us a call or contact us via the “Contact Us” page of our website so we can address your specific project requirements.