Over the last few months, we have been concluding a long-term investigation, monitoring and assessment project for a former Scrap Yard site in Wales.
Through investment in site characterisation (including a robust Conceptual Model), a focussed remediation strategy has been designed and implemented by ESP and a partner remediation specialist.
Protection of an adjacent stream was identified as a remedial objective, so to limit contaminant transmission enhance shallow groundwater conditions, an in-situ Permeable Reactive Barrier has been installed at an optimum location (vertically and horizontally) to ensure that firstly, protection/rehabilitation of controlled waters is occurring and secondly, to provide confidence to stakeholders, including our client, that liabilities are managed into the future. A section of the PRB installation whilst in progress is below:
A permeable reactive barrier, is a developing technology that has been recognised as being a cost-effective technology for in-situ groundwater remediation and protection. PRBs are barriers which allow some, but not all, materials to pass through. One definition is; PRBs are an in situ treatment zone that passively captures a plume of contaminants and removes or breaks down the contaminants, releasing uncontaminated water. The primary removal methods include: sorption and precipitation, chemical reaction, and reactions involving biological mechanisms.
The project has been supported with extensive monitoring and warranty.
