Soil/ground water remediation

Introduction

Today, there are many regulations that aim to control the contamination of water resources. Unfortunately, past human activity such as production at industrial sites frequently resulted in pollutants being left in the environment. These substances can represent an ongoing threat to the quality of water resources. Also, even with regulations in place, incidents such as accidental chemical spills can occur. If these released substances are not dealt with, these too can spread and threaten future water quality. In such cases, the solution may well be to clean up the affected soil and groundwater.

Our niche

The Netherlands has a long experience of doing exactly this. This remediation of sites such as former industrial production plants can be achieved by removing contaminated material and treating it, or safely containing it at another location. Alternatively, the contamination can be dealt with in situ. The Dutch have particularly strong experience with the latter. This includes use of measures such as containment, to avoid further spread of contaminants, and the use of pumping systems and of chemical treatments to extract and treat pollutants.