Complete Rehabilitation of Contaminated Land
If the level of contaminants revealed by Phases 2 and 3 exceeds the standards in force, soil remediation work will have to be carried out. This Phase 4 purely concerns soil or water decontamination work. Remediation work is often required in cases where leaks or spills have increased the environmental liability of the site. Oil-burning heating equipment and chlorinated solvents (often used in the dry cleaning industry) are the most common contaminants.
Historically, decontamination has been strongly associated with heavy excavation work as well as noise and visual pollution. Nowadays, innovative technologies allow decontamination work to be carried out in a non-invasive manner, taking into account the specificities of each site treated and with a very low carbon footprint. Enutech offers in situ treatments (i.e. no excavation is required) to conduct remediation work in all types of sectors.
In Situ Treatments: Process
From a technical point of view, in-situ decontamination can be accomplished by injecting a biogeochemical solution designed locally, in our laboratories, to specifically address the contaminant concentrations that characterize the site. The injection is performed through injection wells or by Direct Push, which allows the solution to degrade the contaminant.
Other types of eco-responsible rehabilitation are possible, such as phytoremediation. It consists of decontaminating soil and purifying groundwater using plants. Plants are chosen according to their properties and their ability to accumulate contaminants. Phytoremediation suits shallow contamination sites. It is a technique that we consider and use when the decontamination context allows it.
Rehabilitation Work: Who Should Pay?
Under Bill 72 of the Environmental Quality Act (EQA), remediation is the responsibility of the legal entity that used the land when the contamination occurred. Any person who has had custody of contaminated land (as owner, tenant or otherwise) will be held responsible for the remediation of the land, unless he or she can demonstrate that he or she acted with due diligence or that the contamination was caused by a third party.
Some financial institutions that guarantee a loan make the granting of the loan conditional on the completion of the rehabilitation work.