WEBINARS

This webinar was delivered by Simon Firth and has been designed to follow on from SoBRA's Introduction to CLEA webinar from April 2022. It will provide greater detail on the principles behind the CLEA model and how it can be used for conducting DQRA for human health. The webinar will use worked examples (for lead, hexavalent chromium and TCE soil contamination) to illustrate how CLEA might be used for DQRA in different situations. The webinar will include a brief introduction to toxicology and give pointers on where to find health based guidance values. It will also give some specific advise to those working in Scotland. Simon is an independent environmental consultant with 27 years’ experience in land contamination. Starting out as a hydrogeologist he has since developed significant expertise in human health and environmental risk assessment both in the UK and internationally. Simon routinely conducts and peer reviews land contamination risk assessments and is a scrutineer for SoBRA's risk assessor accreditation scheme. He has been instrumental in the development of published generic soil and groundwater screening values for protection of human health in the UK (including the C4SLs and SoBRA GAC) and has contributed to various UK guidance documents on risk assessment.

BS 10176 "Taking soil samples for determination of volatile organic compounds" came into effect on 31st May 2020, but how do you know when to use it and which preservative to use? This presentation will go through the different options. The webinar will be delivered by Kate Wiley, Technical Director at Element and a graduate chemist who has worked in environmental laboratories for the past 25 years in commercial, operational and technical roles.

We had 2 presentations during this webinar: Automation in site data collection and processing by using Ambilytics software - by Anna Ward, Ambisense (https://ambisense.net/) Environmental Data Management and Industry 4.0 - by Dr Marianne Broadgate, Earthsoft (https://earthsoft.com/) Own the workflow, make better decisions! EarthSoft is the recognized leader in providing environmental data management systems and support worldwide. We provide more than two decades of focused experience on automated workflow solutions for public and private entities in the areas of chemistry, biology, geology, limnology, water, air quality, soil, sediment, waste, and associated compliance monitoring data. EarthSoft has been dedicated to enriching the capabilities of our EQuIS product line and our clients’ experience for more than 25 years. EarthSoft’s commitment to innovation has cultivated a large and diverse client base of laboratories, consultants, industry, and government agencies. Question Clarification: Q. Is there a data volume threshold for these systems? A. When it comes to Industry 4.0 this does generally involve larger and more diverse datasets at the moment, but in time this will probably encompass all data sets and involve small organisations as well as large ones, particularly from the EDMS perspective. In terms of EQuIS we have plenty of smaller customers and with our cloud solution can offer a very cost effective solution for small organisations, but we are very scalable so our solution works well for very large multisite customers too.

Our previous speakers from the Ground Gas mini series, Matt Askin (GGS) and Steve Wilson (EPG), are joined by Sarah Hamill (West Dunbartonshire Council) and Esther MacRae (The Highland Council) in a panel discussion chaired by Alex Lee of WSP. The purpose of the panel session is to get the conversation going on some of the issues and approaches that have been highlighted in the previous webinars. The panelists share their experiences in undertaking, submitting and reviewing gas risk assessments and protection measures for new developments.

In 2019 Geoff Card, James Lucas and Steve Wilson published a paper on ground gas risk assessment in Ground Engineering. The industry needs to move away from a preoccupation with gas concentrations and really move towards a risk based approach based on likely flows from the ground. This webinar was delivered by Steve Wilson, Environmental Protection Group. Steve is a Chartered Engineer and SoBRA Accredited Risk Assessor who has been pleading with people for over 20 years to consider the CSM in gas risk assessment. He regularly undertakes gas risk assessments that demonstrate gas protection is not required on low risk sites, even though gas concentrations in monitoring wells are elevated.

In 2019, Simon Talbot and Geoff Card published a CL:AIRE Technical Bulletin based on over 10 years’ worth of continuous ground gas monitoring demonstrating the additional insight provided into ground gas sources and behaviours. Matt will summarise how these approaches can be used as part of a ‘lines of evidence’ approach to inform actual ground gas risk to both current and proposed developments. This webinar was delivered by Matt Askin of GGS. Matt is a chartered scientist with over fifteen years’ experience in the UK environmental sector. With a background in both regulatory and consultancy roles, he has extensive skills in investigating and managing environmental challenges. Matt has particular expertise in the investigation, monitoring, risk assessment and management of hazardous ground gases, with substantial knowledge of landfill, waste deposit and brownfield sectors. More recently he has been focussed on improving the environmental performance of the onshore oil and gas sector, specifically ways to reduce greenhouse gases and other associated emissions. Matt is also a long-standing Fellow of the Geological Society and has served on a number of regional and specialist group committees, including the Society’s Environment Network. He has a keen interest in innovation and a proven track record of using new and repurposed technology to improve the environmental performance of activities, both for clients and wider society.

Risk from ground gas is a material and potentially costly consideration for many building developments. The recent Gorebridge incident is a case in point. However whilst a great deal of useful guidance is available, the industry's approach tends to be somewhat variable. The purpose of the presentation is, first of all, to get back to basics and a solid understanding the CSM; and then to use the available tools, both in site investigation and risk assessment, to develop bespoke approaches to risk management that are technically robust and sustainable. This webinar was delivered by Alex Staton, a contaminated land specialist and hydrogeologist with 18 years’ experience in consulting. He is a SoBRA accredited risk assessor for permanent gases and controlled waters, and also a SiLC and SQP.

[!!Contains graphic image of blistered hands as a result of contact with Giant Hogweed - 38.25 to 38.48 minutes!!] The presence of Japanese knotweed on a development site need not cost the earth or delay a project. With the correct outlook, management and processes in place a system can be designed and undertaken to eradicate this pernicious species. Various options are available and the presentation explores the decisions behind undertaking the most effective process for your site, considering all aspects of the development. This webinar will be delivered by Mark Prout, Managing Director of Ebsford Environmental Invasive business group. Mark has over twenty years of practical experience in the world of Invasive Species management. At Ebsford Environmental Limited he has developed the Enviroscreen 20-20TM into an economic and effective treatment for the removal of Japanese knotweed from development land. In excess of 600,000 tons of Japanese knotweed contaminated soils have been screened and reused on site on some of the largest JK projects ever undertaken

[Apologies for poor sound and video quality during some of the presentation due to bandwidth problems] The importance of getting SuDS to work cannot be overstated given both the economic and social impacts flooding events place on the UK. As SI practitioners, we're likely familiar with the request to establish what the infiltration potential of a site is. This feeds into a question the drainage engineer needs to answer: is 'drainage to ground' viable and if so, by how much? On day-to-day development work, the requirement for testing infiltration potential often comes at a point in time when we, in the SI sector, are completing desk studies. Mobilising infiltration testing to site is often costly and carries both real and commercial risk. For clients too, there is obvious reluctance to spend money at this early stage of a project. Is there not a better way of doing things? This presentation by Russell Bowman will argue, yes, and a way that presents an opportunity for the SI sector to better demonstrate value and maybe, just maybe, justify the fees that should rightly be spent in the ground. Russell has worked in the site investigation / remediation sector for 15 years. He has a background in hydrogeology and is currently working alongside a firm that offers an innovative infiltration drainage system - in practice this involves reviewing numerous GI reports, many of which are in Scotland. He's also working to promote design-focused thinking within the sector.