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Frequently
Asked Questions:
1.
I have petrol contaminated groundwater, I
have been told by my consultant that it may
present a vapor risk to occupants of the adjoining
commercial site. Is this right?
Geo-Logix has conducted vapor investigation
risk assessments throughout the USA and Australia.
Based on our experience with fate and transport
modeling and field verification it would be
very unlikely that there is any risk. You
will have to confirm this though. We would
recommend some simple risk assessment modeling
and if government regulators were involved
we would also recommend some field verification
samples. This would be a lot cheaper than
drilling offsite wells. 2.
I have petrol contaminated groundwater which
is currently being monitored to determine
if the contamination is spreading. We are
sampling the wells once every six months.
How long will this go on for? Geo-Logix
would recommend sampling once every three
months at least for the first year. Groundwater
elevation, flow direction, flow velocity
all fluctuate over the hydrological cycle
(4 seasons). Fluctuations in groundwater
effects the level of contamination detected,
therefore if this is not considered you
will have a hard time convincing regulators
that the contamination is stable after monitoring
on a 6 monthly basis. I would advise a 3
monthly basis for 1 year, review the data
and establish concentration trends, then
if possible reduce the sampling frequency
of those wells which are not critical. The
correct data is important when trying to
present a scientific argument. Monitoring
should continue until the data is sufficient
to demonstrate that the contamination does
not present a risk to public health and
the environment.
3.
I have a dry cleaning business and wish
to sell the property. How much is an environmental
investigation likely to cost? For
a small corner dry cleaning facility you
would be looking somewhere between $15 -
$25,000. Reason being in most circumstances
an educated purchaser will be seeking professional
advice regarding contamination. Therefore,
at a minimum I would be installing three
groundwater wells. The real risk associated
with dry cleaning facilities would be groundwater
contamination. If Perc is present there
will be considerable investigation costs
trying to determine the extent of contamination
and risks it may pose.
4.
How much does an environmental investigation
cost for a commercial property?
It is dependant on the size of the property
and the past use. We would recommend you
get a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment
conducted prior to the environmental investigation
stage. A Phase 1 is a compilation of desktop
information obtained from reference resources,
government databases, and owner/operator
interviews. It is a cheap way to determine
whether there has been potential contaminating
activities onsite or at adjacent sites.
Depending on your objective and circumstance
this report may be sufficient for your due
diligence. If you proceed to an actual investigation
the Phase 1 will enable a consultant to
develop a site history based sampling plan,
focusing the investigation on areas of likely
contamination. A Phase 1 typically costs
$2000 - $7000, a Phase 2 could cost anywhere
from $10,000 - $50,000 depending on the
size of the site and its history.
5. Council has requested I obtain
a contamination report review from a NSW
EPA Auditor, why was my consultants report
not accepted? Without knowing the
background there could be a number of reasons
why council required an Audit. Under SEPP
55 Council is required to address potential
land contamination at the Development Application
stage. Council may request an Audit if they
suspect the original report has not followed
guidelines or they have no capacity to interpret
its technical nature. Auditing is an expensive
process. In our opinion Auditing is time
consuming, expensive, a conflict of interest,
and diverts resources away from the real
issues, and that being whether the contamination
presents a risk to public health and the
environment. We would strongly recommend
you approach council and see if a third
party review from a technically competent
environment professional is sufficient.
The national policy on contamination provides
a definition for technically competent professionals.
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