ESP were employed to assess physical and chemical risks at a site in South Wales to enable the client to progress the structural design of the buildings and to establish zones of groundwater contamination that may require treatment.
The site was affected by historic on-site storage of benzole, in addition to a significant thickness of soft, compressible soils creating weak ground conditions.
Following a comprehensive desk-study, a range of physical investigation works were implemented comprising trial-pits, rotary drilling, laboratory testing in soil, leachate, groundwater and surface-water phases, gas and vapour monitoring.
A geotechnical assessment of the underlying strata allowed the building foundations to be economically designed. Careful settlement calculation allowed the use of shallow foundations at the site, reducing construction costs.
A comprehensive Controlled Water Risk Assessment allowed the design of a robust remediation scheme to reduce contaminant levels to a sustainable concentration, that would not pose a significant risk to off-site environmental receptors.
