CONTAMINATED LAND AND AQUIFER PROTECTION

The paper discusses the definition of contaminated land, its legislati ve controls, how it is identified and how a hazard ranking exercise ma y be carried out on a property portfolio in order to deal constructive ly with the problem of contaminated land. Such land is important becau se it can have substantial financial penalties attached to its investi gation and remediation. The potential liabilities now arising from env ironmental impairment are such that anyone involved in the acquisition , ownership or disposal of land has to take an interest in it. The leg islative background and environmental policy considerations which affe ct contaminated land are described, as well as the role of the Nationa l Rivers Authority in dealing with the subject. The principal types an d sources of contaminated land are identified and current guidelines a nd standards for dealing with it are discussed. A technique developed for Scottish Enterprise whereby a property portfolio can be ranked in order of its potential hazard by combining the sensitivity of a site w ith its contamination potential in order to define environmental risk is described, and the necessity to seek professional and experienced a dvice in evaluating the consequences of contaminated land is highlight ed.