Soil Remediation Timescales and What Affects Them

All projects have a time scale within which they can be completed. For some this can be as little as a few weeks, whilst for others it can be several years. The main determining factors for a project’s time scale are outlined below.

Contamination Type and Depth

Heavy metals and chlorinated solvents are harder to treat than petroleum hydrocarbons. Soil Remediation to a deep plume of contamination can take longer to reach than a simple surface spill and often require treatment in phases.

Chosen Treatment Method

Physical removal and subsequent disposal is generally the fastest method of Remediation. This is because Bioremediation (which involves the use of microbial agents to Bio-degrade the Hydrocarbon in-situ) is generally a slow process and requires several months to enable the Biological process to complete.

Site Size and Access

A small city centre site with good road access can be cleared quickly. A large site with restricted access and underground services can take a long time to clear.

Regulatory Sign-Off

The time taken for site validation is in addition to the time taken to complete the actual remediation works. This can be a complex process and projects following industry guidance on land remediation validation tend to proceed smoothly.

Baseline Monitoring Requirements

In addition, monitoring of groundwater or soil gas prior to and after completion of treatment work may be required to be on a continuous basis for several months in order to establish that the work has been effective. There is more on Soil Remediation at soilfix.co.uk/services/soil-remediation.

Building a realistic program for your project from the outset can help save time and money in the long run.