When doing a site assessment, a contractor may notice that there are contaminants within the earth, whether that’s the soil or sediment, or the surface water or groundwater. Part of a contractor’s job is to help protect human health and help to restore the environment—or at the very least, avoid contaminating it further. Environmental remediation consists of removing this pollution to avoid the spread of contaminants to surrounding communities and the threat to public health.
Taking care of the environment now is a way to sustain it for future generations. That’s why environmental remediation is so important. And it’s not just important for the environment, but for the people in surrounding communities. If groundwater is contaminated, that can have serious consequences for residents in the area.
There are a variety of methods for cleaning up chemical or toxic spills and oftentimes it’s dependent upon the contaminant and the site itself. There is typically no quick solution. Remediation technologies are categorized into ex-situ and in-situ methods. Ex-situ consists of excavating contaminated soil and removing contaminated water, and then treating the surface. On the other hand, in-situ methods aim to treat the soil or water without removing it. Examples of ex-situ methods include the disposal of affected soil to a landfill and pumping and treating the water. In-situ methods include solidification and stabilization, soil vapor extraction, permeable reactive barriers, monitored natural attenuation, bioremediation-phytoremediation, chemical oxidation, steam-enhanced extraction, and thermal desorption.
The solution must a be a safe one that does not cause more harm to the site itself. For instance, one of the methods for environmental remediation involving increased radiation levels consists of evacuation or site isolation. If the site naturally has higher radiation levels, evacuating it may do more harm than good by ruining an ecosystem.
Environmental remediation is typically subject to a number of regulatory requirements. At Landwehr Construction, we work closely with the appropriate regulatory agencies to make sure your project is done right and done safely and efficiently.