The government introduced the contaminated land regime to ensure that local authorities inspect their boroughs in order to identify and resolve potential land contamination problems. Land that is contaminated by substances which are harmful to the environment and human health can be classified as contaminated land.
The UK has a rich and diverse industrial history. However, it is estimated that approximately 325,000 sites are potentially contaminated.
There are many ways that land can be contaminated. This can include past industrial activities (e.g. Former gas works and factories are examples of these). Historical landfills (e.g. Leaking oil tanks). In some cases, land is contaminated by high levels of chemical substances that are present naturally.
Despite the fact that many of these industries have vanished, they may still have contaminated the land they operated on. This is because we didn’t have the same environmental laws as we have now. For Remediation Contractors, visit soilfix.co.uk/services/soil-and-groundwater-remediation/
What is contaminated soil?
The term ‘contaminated’ in law has a specific meaning. It is not the same meaning as it is used in daily life. For the purposes of legislation, land is only contaminated if there is a link between the pollutant and the harm or the possibility of harm to humans or protected species.
A pollutant linkage
A positive linkage between two pollutants is called a pollutant linkage.
- Contaminant: A substance that is on, under or in land, and has the potential to harm or pollute groundwater.
- A pathway is a route or a series of routes through which a receptor may be exposed to a contaminant or could be affected by it.
- A receptor is a living being, a grouping of living beings, an ecosystem or piece of property that has been (or can be) damaged by contamination; or controlled water which could (or will be) polluted.