envirologolarge A new report by the Environment Agency explains how to check whether the remediation of land contamination has been professionally carried out, proved successful and met the intended goals.

This new report, Verification of Remediation of Land Contamination, offers guidance on designing a verification programme to increase confidence in the outcome of a remediation strategy. Four key stages are involved in the verification process.

The first stage covers development of the remediation strategy, and includes reviewing existing information and that collected in the development of this strategy.

The second stage – developing the verification plan – involves identifying the roles, responsibilities and sampling approach needed to show that remediation goals have been satisfied. A verification plan normally sets out the requirements for gathering data, including sampling and testing criteria, and the records that should be retained to demonstrate compliance with the specified criteria.

In the third stage, the verification plan is implemented and reported. This verification report should provide a complete record of all remediation activities on site and the data collected to support compliance with agreed objectives and criteria. It should also include a description of the work and details of any unexpected conditions found during remediation and how they were dealt with.

In the final stage, long-term monitoring and maintenance may be needed to satisfy long-term remediation goals.

With greater media and public scrutiny of environmental issues, more openness and flexibility is needed in environmental decision-making. This report encourages the use of an evolving conceptual model, with uncertainties being reappraised as more information becomes available. Multiple lines of evidence should be collected to support the primary remediation goal, which is usually to reduce the level of a contaminant in soil or groundwater.

The report recommends integrating different lines of evidence, using best professional judgement, by following authoritative guidance, and/or by establishing relationships between linked pieces of evidence during remediation planning.