Groundwater Protection, Groundwater Remediation and Pollution Prevention
Introduction
Enviros (previously Aspinwall & Company) has carried out many groundwater protection, and groundwater remediation projects, often in conjunction with treatment of the flows collected. The first were carried out during the 1980's when it first became apparent that substantial groundwater contamination was taking place at some landfills, as result of past landfill tipping practices, and before modern regulation. Instances of major contamination from operational landfills are thankfully much rarer these days.
However, we are involved in a number of current groundwater projects, and many old closed landfills are filling with leachate from groundwater and surface water penetration from above, and are increasingly at risk of causing pollution. Indeed, such problems have been known to occur even after all the government guidelines of the time, were followed, and therefore where no blame is to be laid on the shoulders of those involved.
There is also reason for concern that many old landfills may eventually require groundwater remediation measures, unless good monitoring practise is followed, and preventative measures taken before large quantities of leachate enter the environment.
Our involvement often arises from initial landfill monitoring work. This is work which we continue to carry out for a variety of clients, and we have the ability in-house to provide all the skills necessary to take such projects from the identification of the problem, through modelling, feasibility, and design stages to the completion of any necessary groundwater remediation works. On other occasions we are approached due to our leachate treatment skills.
Other sections within Enviros carry out projects in Contaminated Land Remediation, which include groundwater protection, groundwater remediation and pollution prevention, and details can be found elsewhere on the Enviros website. Therefore, on this page we have limited our discussion to landfill groundwater contamination.
Groundwater Protection
Groundwater protection refers to measures carried out to prevent groundwater contamination, before the event occurs, and is one of the main aims of current landfill design. Email steve.last@leachate.co.uk, with your name and postal address, if you would like a copy of a paper, not currently available on this website, which explains why very long term groundwater protection will be essential. This is because current best landfill design practise will result in wastes which will continue to generate pollution for much longer than ever before. In Europe the primary legislation upon which groundwater protection is based, is the Groundwater Directive.
Groundwater Remediation (Foxhall Groundwater Remediation Scheme)
Groundwater remediation refers to measures undertaken to to clean up a groundwater after pollution has occurred. An example of such a project which has was comprehensively reported at the time of construction in 1991, is the Foxhall Groundwater Remediation Scheme. We have reproduced the original paper in two forms, firstly in web page form which you can read if you click here, or alternatively, as a Microsoft Word™ file in compressed (zipped) format, if you click here. If you prefer, you may also email steve.last@leachate.co.uk, with your name and postal address, to request a free copy of the original off-print.
Why is Groundwater Protection so important? Why is Leachate Management Important? Click here.
Examples of Groundwater Projects
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