SCLF Webinar 37 - Sustainable Soil Management in Scotland | AGM

Scotland’s soils are an important natural resource. They play an essential part in all of our lives, providing us with a wide range of benefits. We have 4 speakers for our extended webinar to mark World Soil Day, where we explore how the land contamination sector is contributing to sustainable soil management:

 

Sarah Hamill, West Dunbartonshire Council | Mountains or Molehills?

Sarah will provide a brief overview of the 'Ten Principles of Good Soils & Stones management' a document recently published by the Society for the Environment which seeks to provide a clear and straightforward outline of how all sectors can better consider how to use and reuse soils and stones. I will then demonstrate what we are doing in West Dunbartonshire Council to encourage developers to consider and address this at an early stage of a project.

Hendrik Nollet, DEME Environmental | On-site soil remediation

Sarah has over 20 years’ experience in contaminated land management for both the private and public sectors. Sarah was appointed as the Contaminated Land Officer for West Dunbartonshire Council in 2006 and has been involved in various projects from small scale desk studies/investigations to large scale residential/commercial developments and remediation projects. Sarah currently represents the Central/West Authorities on CLAG (Contaminated Land Advisory Group) and also attends the EPS Land Quality Advisory Group. Sarah also represented Scottish LA’s on the Society for Environment Regulatory & Governance Task Group who recently published the new framework document entitled ‘Ten Principles of Good Soils & Stones Management’.

Hendrik Nollet, DEME Environmental | On-site soil remediation – former oil terminal

DEME Environmental supported the client and consultant, in close collaboration with the authorities, with the development of the remediation strategy for the Bowling remediation project. During an extensive ECI (Early Contractor Involvement) – phase additional testing and pilot trials were performed to define the best remediation technique and remedial design. Based on the type of contaminants (Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons) and type of soil, on-site soil washing was retained as the preferred remediation technique. This technique allows to minimize the disposal and transport costs of contaminated soils and maximize the reuse of materials on site.   

All the materials excavated are stored on an impermeable platform in individual stockpiles of 100m³. Samples are taken from each stockpile for physico-chemical analysis to define the need for treatment. Some of the chemical analysis (e.g., to define the need for treatment) are performed in the on-site laboratory. Verification samples are sent to an external lab for analysis.  Every material movement is logged in a database as along with all the physico-chemical data of the stockpiles. Each fraction generated by a treatment process is recorded and logged. The data management system allows us to trace the materials from the moment they are excavated till the moment they are backfilled.   

The areas to be remediated were divided into 20 × 20m grids. Some areas required excavation to a depth of 7m below the ground level. A mobile water treatment plant (200m³/h) allowed DEME Environmental to manage the water on site and to keep the excavation pits as dry as possible during the excavation. Quite a challenge with the river Clyde flowing adjacent to the site. Forecasts show that 480,000 tons of materials will be excavated by the end of the project of which 150,000 tons will be soil washed. The soil washing technique allows us to reduce the TPH concentration in the soils with more than 90%.   

In addition, the backfilled materials need to comply with a geotechnical criterion for reuse on site. Some of the materials need to be stabilized to improve the geotechnical properties. Lime and/or OPC (Ordinary Portland Cement) are added to materials in an on-site continuous stabilization unit prior to backfilling.   Of all excavated materials, about 90% will be reused on site.

Hendrik Nollet is working as a Project Manager for DEME Environmental. DEME is a leading contractor in the fields of offshore energy, environmental remediation, dredging and marine infrastructure.  With over 15 year of professional international work experience, he successfully executed together with his team several strategic remediation projects in Sweden, Norway, Italy, Canada and the UK. He is pushing sustainable value creation forward within the company. He integrates the Sustainable Development Goals into his daily operations.  Hendrik earned his engineering degree and Ph. D from Ghent University. Triggered to address strategic and managerial challenges he is in the process of completing an MBA at the Vlerick Business School. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling.

Gavin Broomfield, VHE Construction | Reuse of soils for infilling on brownfield sites

A presentation looking at the various options for using offsite derived soils to infill on brownfield sites. The presentation will present a number of case studies where soils have been used on sites other than the site of origin to satisfy large infill requirements, predominantly in large underground voids, particularly former gas holders.  The presentation will cover a number of the different licencing options, how they can be utilised to promote the reuse of soils and the challenges that may need to be overcome to allow the reuse of the soils.

Gavin manages the delivery of projects throughout Scotland. He has nearly 30 years’ experience in the contaminated land and waste management industries, with over 20 years spent specifically in land remediation contracting working on projects encompassing an array of both in-situ and ex-situ technologies for soil and groundwater treatment.  Gavin is an experienced Project and Contracts Manager whose expertise ranges from civil engineering and earthworks, contaminated land and groundwater assessment and design and remediation, through to tank and vessel cleaning, waste disposal and chemical handling including the design and implementation of water treatment systems on development sites.  He is an experienced specialist in the transportation and safe disposal/treatment of landfill leachate and liquid waste and holds WAMITAB CoTCs and Continued Competence certificates in Hazardous Waste Treatment, Contaminated Land Remediation and Non-Hazardous Landfilling.

Jonathan Atkinson, CL:AIRE | The CL:AIRE International Soil Passport Declaration under the DoWCoP 

The DoWCoP scheme covers sustainable management and re-use of excavated materials, making use of materials to enable sustainable development of brownfield sites and infrastructure developments. The International soil passport option expands potential use on a project by project basis in other jurisdictions to show best practice is followed by developers.

After 34 years in the Environment Agency Jonathan has recently moved to work with CLAIRE,  leading on best practice guidance and frameworks for positive materials management on sustainable development sites, enabling land contamination issues to be dealt with comprehensively.   He has worked on risk assessment of closed landfill sites, landfill engineering and environmental enforcement on permitted sites, on a variety of land contamination projects. He was part of a team of GW&LC specialists. He is a Chartered Environmentalist and a Member of the Institution of Environmental Science

The short SCLF AGM will follow so please stay and lend your support.