PM

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

SMs
Coopers
EESI Remediation Ltd
Geo-Environmental Services
Land Science
Ward Limited

Environment Agency

WSP

Cornelsen Limited

Ibex Consulting Engineers Ltd

Geosphere Environmental
Geosyntec

R3 Environmental Technology Ltd

UK & Ireland Spill Association

Arup?

Soilfix Ltd?

both new and renewing this month

Principal Members: A&J Waste Services Limited, Cognition Land & Water, JJMac Ground Stabilisation Limited, Natural Resources Wales
Supporter Members: Englobe, McAuliffe Environmental Ltd, Ramboll, University of Portsmouth

PM = Soilflo,

SM = Geoshield Limited, Hydrock Limited, Oracle Environmental Experts Ltd, Worley Europe Ltd

Principal Members: Jackson Remediation Ltd, Persimmon PLC

HS2 Principal Members: Eiffage Kier Ferrovial BAM JV

Supporter Members: Asbestos Audit Limited, Rhodar Industrial Services, Southern Testing, Stantec UK

New and renewing

Principal Members
Earth Exchange UK Limited
Sirius

HS2 Principal Members
Balfour Beatty Vinci Joint Venture

Supporter Members
ERS Remediation (Environmental Reclamation Services)
Foxhall Environmental Services Limited
GeostreamUK
Greenfisher Contracting Ltd
Jacobs
JBA Consulting
Remedia Group
Sensor
Winvic Construction Ltd

Principal Members: Shell Global Solutions (UK)
Supporter Members: Cardiff University, Coopers, Deep Soil Mixing Ltd, Wesson Environmental

Principal Members: Bristol & Avon Transport & Recycling Ltd, National Grid

Supporter Members:

ByrneLooby Partners (UK) Ltd, Rhondda Geotechnical Services, RPS, Statom Group Limited Environmental Remediation, UK Remediation

Principal Members: Arcadis, Atkins, Willmott Dixon Group
Supporter Members: BAE Systems Properties Ltd, Ecologia Environmental Solutions Holdings Limited, GO Projects Limited, M A Smith Environmental Consultancy, Smiths (Gloucester) Ltd, The Environmental Protection Group Ltd

New and renewing in both groups.

PMs

Gavin Griffiths Recycling Limited, Keltbray Ltd, RSK Group.

SMs

Gallagher, H Fraser Consulting Ltd, Hart Environmental Limited, Lithos Consulting, NewFields Europe, Terra Environmental 

Renewing Principal 

VertaseFLI Ltd

Renewing Supporters

FCC Environment

Land Science

Reactive Integrated Services Ltd

S Roberts & Sons (Roberts Waste Ltd)

TJ Transport

Just 3 supporters (1 new 2 renewing)

CDM Smith
Envirosurveying Ltd
SLR Consulting Limited

New and renewing for all as there is a mix

Principal
Ashwood Homes
Environment Agency
Fisher German Priestner
Natural Resources Wales
WSP

Supporter
Englobe
Firth Consultants Ltd
Geosphere Environmental
Ibex Consulting Engineers Ltd
Kalex Limited
Ramboll
Rodgers Leask
Rural Arisings Ltd
UK & Ireland Spill Association
Ward Limited

New Principal - AECOM

New and renewing Supporter - Ensure Environmental Consulting Limited, Ground Risk

Principal Members:
John F Hunt Regeneration Ltd
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
Soilfix Ltd
WSP

Supporter Members:
Archon Environmental
Asbestos Audit Limited
Cornelsen Limited
Geo-Environmental Services
Geosyntec
Hydrock Limited
Listers Geotechnical Consultants Ltd
PWA Geo-Environmental Ltd
R3 Environmental Technology Ltd
University of Portsmouth

New and renewing members this month include:

Principal

A&J Waste Services Limited
Persimmon PLC

Supporter

Arup
Delta-Simons Limited
Geoshield Limited

McAuliffe

Oracle Environmental Experts Ltd

VHE Construction

Principals

Keltbray

National Grid

Supporters

Keyway

Smiths (Gloucester) Ltd

UK Remediation

University of Plymouth

Principal Members: Bristol & Avon Transport & Recycling Ltd

Supporter Members: Lexia Solutions Group Limited, Rhondda Geotechnical Services, RPS, Wesson Environmental

Principal Members: ERM, Potteries Demolition Company Ltd, Sirius, Soilflo 

HS2 Principal Members: Eiffage Kier Ferrovial BAM JV

Supporter Members: Advisian (Worley Europe Ltd), Churngold Remediation Ltd, Remedia Group, Southern Testing, Winvic Construction Ltd

Principal Members: AFS Earthmoving & Aggregates LLP, Shell Global Solutions (UK)

Supporter Members: Deep Soil Mixing Ltd, Peter Brett Associates, Sensor UK Ltd

renewing supporters

ByrneLooby

Ecologia

Principal Members: none

Supporter Members:
BAE Systems Properties Ltd
ERS (Environmental Reclamation Services) Ltd
FCC Environment
Lithos Consulting
M A Smith Environmental Consultancy
NewFields Europe
SLR Consulting Limited
The Environmental Protection Group Ltd

Principal Members:

Ashwood Homes
Fisher German Priestner
Northern Ireland Environment Agency

Supporter Members:

Atkins Ltd
Coopers
Donald Ward Ltd
EESI Contracting Ltd
Envirosurveying Ltd
Geonation20
Kalex Limited
Land Science

Am doublechecking these, will confirm on Wed - thanks

PMs

Arcadis
HS2
RSK Group

Willmott Dixon Group

SMs

Reactive Integrated Services Ltd

S Roberts & Son

Terra Environmental

TJ Transport Ltd

Principals

ERM
John F Hunt Regeneration Ltd
Soilfix Ltd

Supporters

Geo-Environmental Services

University of Portsmouth

Principal Members: 

Shell Global Solutions (UK)

Soilflo

SPASF PRIRODA

Supporter Members:

Doncaster Membrane Installations Limited
Oracle Environmental Experts Ltd
Southern Testing
University of Portsmouth (not sure if paid or not?)

New Principal Members:  (No renewals)

Persimmon Plc (their website) or Persimmon Homes (our website)?

The Sirius Group (their website) or Sirius Engineering Group (our website)?

Supporter Members:

Advisian (Worley Europe Ltd)
Arup
Hydrock
Remedia Group

Principals

Bristol & Avon Transport & Recycling Ltd

Supporters

RPS
Smiths (Gloucester) Ltd
UK Remediation
University of Plymouth
Wesson Environmental

New and renewing members are:

HS2 Principals - prob double check with Nick that we can publicise these. Prob we can as they're listed on our website, but just didnt make the eAlert before i don;t think,

Balfour Beatty Vinci Joint Venture
Eiffage Kier Ferrovial BAM JV

Supporters

AECOM
Cardiff University
Deep Soil Mixing Ltd
Jacobs
NHBC
Peter Brett Associates (Stantec)  - double check their website as it looked weird to me!
Rhondda Geotechnical Services
Sanctus Limited
Winvic Construction Ltd

The Environmental Audit Committee are carrying out an inquiry on soil health. They are inviting written submissions, to be submitted no later than 5 pm on Thursday 14 January 2016.

The Committee invites written submissions,  on:

• How could soil health best be measured and monitored? How could the Government develop a strategy for tracking soil health?
• What are the benefits that healthy soils can provide to society?
• What are the consequences of failing to protect soil health for the environment, public health, food security, and other areas?
• What measures are currently in place to ensure that good soil health is promoted?  And what further measures should the Government and other organisations consider in order to secure soil health?
• What role (if any) should soil health play in the Government’s upcoming 25 year plan for the natural environment?

Submissions must be written on the form available at 

http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/environmental-audit-committee/inquiries/parliament-2015/soil-health/

SR2008 No27: mobile plant for the treatment of soils and contaminated material, substances and products rule set has been re-published to include ex-situ treatment of pumped water in Table 2.1 Activities and the requirement to notify the Environment Agency prior to deployment at 4.3.5.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standard-rules-sr2008-number-27

CL:AIRE is delighted to announce the creation of the Water and Land Library (WALL). The objective of WALL is to make freely available a comprehensive listing of links to water and land references, both past and present, produced by respected industry publishers including the Environment Agency, AGS, BRE, CIRIA, NHBC, CL:AIRE and others.

The development of WALL has been made possible due to the generous industry support from National Grid Property and Shell Global Solutions (UK) Ltd.

The structure of WALL mirrors the information map that comprises part III of CLR 11: Model Procedures for the Management of Land Contamination and includes sections on Risk Assessment, Options Appraisal, Implementation of the Remediation Strategy, Site Characterisation and Project Management.

BREEAM and CEEQUAL are merging to create a single, science based sustainability standard and certification tool for civil engineering and infrastructure projects in the UK and around the world.

ISO DIS 18504: Guidance on sustainable remediation has been prepared in draft and is now available for public comment. Comments are required by BSI by: 12th January 2016.

This standard is likely to be adopted as a British Standard and therefore your comments on this draft are important. This is the last opportunity to make substantive technical comments. If you would like a copy of the standard please contact Michael Smith at: michael.a.smith@btinternet.com

The latest NanoRem newsletter for Autumn 2015 has just been published and posted on the NanoRem website. The newsletter can be downloaded directly from this link: http://www.nanorem.eu/Displaynews.aspx?ID=842

The Society of Brownfield Risk Assessment (SoBRA) plans to launch a new registration scheme to demonstrate competence as a land contamination risk assessor.

If you are interested in being included on the register, then visit www.sobra.org.uk

Radioactive Waste Management (RWM), the government-designated developer of a geological disposal facility for the UK, has launched a public consultation concerning the way in which geology contributes to the safety case of a Geological Disposal Facility.

The consultation runs till 4 December 2015 and they want to encourage as many people as possible with relevant expertise to contribute to it.

RWM are currently running a number of workshops across the country to provide more detail and answer people’s questions about the exercise. The consultation and details of the workshops can be accessed by following the link http://nda.gov.uk/rwm/national-geological-screening/consultation.

Steve Forster - chair of the JIWG Asbestos in Soil working group recently gave a presentation at the Brownfield Briefing Remediation Conference on 15 October 2015.

He gave an update on the wide variety of activities that the JIWG are working on. The presentation can now be downloaded by following the link http://www.claire.co.uk/index.php?option=com_cobalt&view=record&cat_id=42&id=507&Itemid=108

The draft ISO/DIS 18400-204 Soil Quality Standard on Sampling and Guidance on sampling of soil gas is now open for consultation. This standard is similar in scope to BS 8576 and will not therefore be adopted as a British Standard.

However, it might be important for UK consultants working overseas because they might be required to follow it.

BS 8576 was drawn on during its preparation.

Comments should be sent to the Secretary of BSI committee EH4 – Jessy Mathew by 15 December 2015. If a copy of the draft standard is required, please contact Michael Smith

HSE Asbestos: The Analysts' Guide 2016 is now available for public consultation.

The document contains two sections of interest to soils work: Section 7 and Appendix 7. The HSE would appreciate comments and suggestions on these sections and any other parts of the document.

The closing date for comments is 20 November 2015.

HSE are aware that there are still references, photographs and diagrams to be added and paragraph cross-referencing to be finalised so these do not have to be commented on.

Link to the document: http://webcommunities.hse.gov.uk/connect.ti/asbestos.licensing/viewdocument?docid=590885

The European Commission will boost competitiveness by investing almost €16 billion in research and innovation in the next two years under Horizon 2020, the EU's research and innovation funding scheme.

The new Work Programme 2016-17 offers funding opportunities through a range of calls for proposals, public procurements and other actions like the Horizon Prizes, together covering nearly 600 topics.

The programme will support a range of cross-cutting initiatives: the modernisation of Europe's manufacturing industry (€1 billion); technologies and standards for automatic driving (over €100 million); the Internet of Things (€139 million) to address digitalisation of EU industries; Industry 2020 in the Circular Economy (€670 million) to develop strong and sustainable economies; and Smart and Sustainable Cities (€232 million) to better integrate environmental, transport, energy and digital networks in EU's urban environments.

For further information, visit http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/home.html

On 14 October 2015, the Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP hosted Defra's Open Environment workshop to launch their 25 year environment plan.

To read the welcoming speech which described Defra's aspirations visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/open-environment-speech-by-elizabeth-truss

CL:AIRE is looking forward to meeting its Members at a Networking Evening on Thursday, 26 November at The Building Centre, London WC1E 7BT. Registration closed on 20 November.

The CL:AIRE Networking Series is a programme of events aimed at bringing together the CL:AIRE Membership companies with the aim of creating new company connections, to discuss common industry problems, potential solutions and to highlight the latest developments in the industry.

Arrival 18.30
Two short presentations from CL:AIRE Principal Members:

• Reusing materials in remediation projects - Steve Edgar, VertaseFLI
• LNAPL transport and fate in the subsurface - Alan Thomas, ERM

Drinks and Networking 19.15-20.30

Event ends at 20.30

Registration is now closed.

CL:AIRE is delighted to be partnering with The Geological Society in holding a one day conference in Cardiff, Wales on Monday 21 March 2016 focussing on land contamination.

As part of the Geological Society’s Year of Water this one day meeting will discuss the latest policy and how new technology can benefit the management, regulation, assessment and characterisation of land affected by contamination.

The meeting will comprise a series of 20 minute presentations and abstracts (<400 words) are invited from those wishing to present.

The following topics are of particular interest:

• Latest policy on dealing with land contamination and putting this into practice
• Reducing the costs of dealing with land contamination (investigation and remediation)
• Remote sensing in land contamination
• Rapid measurement techniques during site investigation
• New and innovative remediation technologies
• Sustainable remediation

Please submit abstracts or raise any queries to Gareth Farr, Chair of the Geological Society’s Southern Wales Regional Group at: garethf@bgs.ac.uk  or 02920 521962.

The deadline for submissions is 27 November 2015.

A new publication is available which presents the state of the art on the application of stabilisation/solidification (S/S) in the field.

S/S is a remedial technology that has attracted widespread use around the world. S/S employs readily available cement-based binders that can be formulated into a targeted ‘system’ that cements soil or waste into a hardened engineering material. The application of S/S results in the physical and chemical stabilisation of contaminated material over the long term, enabling disposal or re-use on- or off-site.

This "Manual of Practice" has been designed as a practical reference for regulators, site owners, engineering firms, and others involved in selecting, designing, bidding, and providing oversight for the remediation of sites using S/S. It provides guidance on applicable contaminants, site characteristics, project planning, equipment capabilities, production rates, performance specifications and the quality assurance of S/S treated materials.

A Special Issue of the Journal of Environmental Management is being prepared on "Global trends in sustainable and green remediation" with an open call for contributions closing 30th November 2015.

The latest Land Forum minutes from the meeting held on 30 June 2015 have now been uploaded onto the dedicated webpage www.claire.co.uk/landforum

An update (version 1.07) to the contaminated land exposure assessment (CLEA) software has been published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/contaminated-land-exposure-assessment-clea-tool.

The update includes the library data sets from the Defra research project SP1010 (Development of Category 4 Screening Levels for assessment of land affected by contamination).

The handbook referring to version 1.05 is still valid as the functionality has not changed significantly. The revised software (version 1.07) has been published under the Government Open Licence which should be referred to for terms of use.

CL:AIRE is delighted to be supporting the 4th International Sustainable Remediation Conference (SustRem), which is being held on 26-28 April 2016 in Montreal, Canada.

The call for abstracts is now open and closes on 14 October 2015.

The conference aims to stimulate international exchange by providing a venue for public, private, and academic sectors to share experiences and perspectives on how contaminated sites can be remediated with a smaller overall footprint and more positive outcomes, and how their reuse can contribute to a more sustainable land development.

For further information and details on the call for abstracts, please visit: http://www.rpic-ibic.ca/en/events/federal-contaminated-sites-fcs-national-workshop/2016-fcs-national-workshop/sustrem-home/call-for-abstracts-sustrem

The Environment Agency (EA) has decided to withdraw the Soil Guideline Value (SGV) for nickel and the supporting reports following discussions with Public Health England (PHE) about new information. The SGV report, the toxicity (TOX) report, and the supporting information document for nickel will remain available for historical reference on the EA archives.

The SGV for nickel was published in 2009.  In February 2015, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published their scientific opinion on the public health risk from the presence of nickel in food and drinking water.  The full report is available here: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/4002.htm.

EFSA recommend an oral TDI for nickel that is considerably lower than the oral HCV used in the derivation of the SGV.  The EA is withdrawing their reports in light of this new expert opinion.  The EA will not be updating them as it no longer undertakes work to derive new SGV or TOX reports, but it will continue to recommend that relevant public health bodies are consulted on any new industry-led guideline value projects.

The 2015 revision of BS5930 has been completed and is now available from the BSI website http://shop.bsigroup.com/

BS 5930:2015 deals with the investigation of sites in order to assess their suitability for construction and to identify the characteristics of a site that affect the design and construction of the project. It also considers related issues including the environment and the security of adjacent land and property. 

As a result of the consultation carried out on the proposed National Quality Mark Scheme for Land Affected by Contamination (NQMS), it has come to the attention of the Land Forum that there is some misunderstanding about the proposed scheme particularly amongst local authority contaminated land officers and environmental health officers.

Local authority representatives who sit on the Land Forum have therefore produced a short briefing note explaining the main aims of the proposed scheme, its key features and has addressed some of the common concerns raised by local authority officers.

Download the NQMS briefing note (pdf 19KB)

The SoBRA asbestos sub-group continues to develop an extended risk assessment framework which will feed into the JIWG Code of Practice. 

Several documents have now been published and are freely available to download from the SoBRA website: http://www.sobra.org.uk/resources/

• Soil Sampling Protocol for Asbestos in Soil
• Conceptual Framework for Asbestos Risk Assessment & Control
• Design of an Activity Based Sampling Protocol for the Testing of Asbestos Fibre Release Potential from Residential Garden Soil
• Dust Monitoring Protocol for Earthwork Activities at Brownfield Sites
• Example Part 2A Asbestos Cement Decision Algorithm

These documents are discussion papers, designed to help scope the final UK-specific framework, and constructive feedback on these is welcomed.

The latest update of the work of the Asbestos in Soils Joint Industry Working Group (JIWG) is now available to download. 

The report highlights:

• Progress on the different sections of the JIWG Code of Practice
• Update on the JIWG Code of Practice Companion Document: Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012: Interpretation for Managing and Working with Asbestos in Soil and Construction & Demolition Materials: Industry Guidance
• SCA Blue Book Analytical Method
• Soil Background Research Project
• SoBRA Risk Assessment Work Group
• JIWG Risk Assessment Algorithm

Visit the Asbestos in Soil pages at www.claire.co.uk/asbestos

The chairs of the SuRF International groups and associated  partners met on 2 July 2015.  The notes of the meeting have now been published on the dedicated website www.claire.co.uk/surfinternational and can be downloaded directly here (pdf 241KB).

A second Committee Draft of ISO 18400-104 which provides guidance on investigation and sampling strategies has been published for comment. This is an important standard because it will in due course replace (BS) ISO 10381-2 and become “normative” in BS 10175, i.e. essential for its proper application.

The present draft is a much revised version of the earlier draft issued towards the end of last year.

The main text is comparatively short but there are lengthy informative annexes. Any comments would be very welcome even if they refer to a single paragraph or short section of the draft.

The closing date for comments to be received by BSI is 1 September 2015

Copies of the draft standards together with a comment template can be obtained from the Secretary of BSI Committee EH4 – Soil quality jessy.matthew@bsigroup.com or michael.a.smith@btinternet.com

CL:AIRE is looking for contaminated soil to help a UK research project.

Dr James Stratford is a researcher working in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick. He is currently involved in a BBSRC/EPSRC funded project studying chlorotoluene degrading bacteria and those which degrade other chlorinated organic contaminants.

He is looking for a range of sites where different microbial populations (soil samples) can be collected which are naturally adapted to these types of contaminants. Sites would need to be contaminated fairly heavily with this chemical to be of use.

Ideally sites will have large concentration gradients of 2-chlorotoluene where a clearly identified point source of contamination is causing strong localised contamination which disperses into the surrounding soil.  The research team is happy to measure the concentrations of 2-chlorotoluene in the soil so it's not necessary for this to be known exactly.  They would also prefer to take soil samples themselves to enable them to make some in situ measurements.

The work will most likely result in peer reviewed high impact research papers and any assistance provided would of course be acknowledged.

If you have a site that fits the criteria above, please contact Rob.Sweeney@claire.co.uk

SAGTA has announced an open consultation to gather views from industry of which compounds would be of greatest benefit to have a C4SL.  Further information can be downloaded here (pdf 48KB) and the spreadsheet for completion is provided here (xlsx 19KB).

The closing date for responses is Monday 7 September 2015 and should be sent to: Richard.Boyle@hca.gsi.gov.uk

Following the consultation on the proposed National Quality Mark Scheme (NQMS) for Land Affected by Contamination carried out between March and May 2015, a summary report of the the results of the consultation has been published by the Land Forum. Download the NQMS consultation summary report (pdf 371KB)

Click here for more information >>>

We have recently added the following new sites to our Register of Materials which supports the use of the CL:AIRE Definition of Waste: Development Industry Code of Practice.

CL:AIRE keeps a Register of Materials and services which might fall within the DoWCoP.

It helps to link material holders with projects requiring materials.

Organisations involved in the management of development sites are urged to register key information to be held confidentially and presented by CL:AIRE.

CL:AIRE will act to make the introductions and offer any further services as required in order to ensure successful partnerships are achieved.

For any technical queries relating to the Definition of Waste: Code of Practice please contact Nicholas Willenbrock at nick.willenbrock@claire.co.uk

CL:AIRE staff - Nicola Harries and Rob Sweeney have recently returned from AquaConSoil 2015 - the 13th International UFZ-Deltares Conference on Sustainable Use and Management of Soil, Sediment and Water Resources, in Copenhagen, Denmark with several hundred delegates from all over the world.

They presented three posters which are available for download:

Nicola presented in a Special Session on "Sustainable Remediation – avoiding greenwash by striving to demonstrate better results", describing the ongoing interaction among the different national SuRF networks, as detailed on the Progess in Sustainable Remediation poster.  

In addition, Rob and Nicola supported two Special Sessions that were on nanoremediation and were organised by the NanoRem project.

The Standing Committee of  Analysts Blue Book Method for the determination of asbestos in soil and associated materials has been amended and reviewed extensively by a working group led by Hazel Davidson of DETS. 

This document is now ready for wider consultation, review and comment.

SuRF-UK Phase 3 work was recently presented at AquaConSoil 2015 the 13th International UFZ-Deltares Conference on Sustainable Use and Management of Soil, Sediment and Water Resources, in Copenhagen, Denmark through poster and platform presentations. 

"Practical Application for the SuRF-UK tool kit: Sustainable Management Practices" was presented by Frank Evans of National Grid and SuRF-UK Steering Group Member and "Practical Application for the SuRF-UK tool kit: Framing and Qualitative Sustainability Assessment" was presented by Dr Jonathan Smith of Shell Global Solutions (UK) Ltd. and chair of SuRF-UK.

Both were extremely well received and gave SuRF-UK even greater profile globally.

In addition, a new joint SuRF-UK / NICOLE report on regulatory ‘hooks’ for sustainable remediation was presented by Dr Richard Bewley of AECOM, which is available from the SuRF-UK website.

Further details on all SuRF-UK materials are available at www.claire.co.uk/surfuk

The 2015 Constructing Excellence Annual Conference is taking place on 11 November at Lords Cricket ground, and will consider a wide range of issues facing construction while looking ‘beyond the built environment’.

This year’s conference aims to show how other industries are tackling a number of the key issues that are facing our industry, and that are set out in the Construction 2025 strategy.

Network for Industrially Contaminated Land in Europe (NICOLE) has published a booklet on “Risk Based Management of Mercury-Impacted Sites”. 

The Mercury Working Group of NICOLE has spent the last couple of years collecting relevant case studies and developing best practice recommendations for the characterisation and risk assessment and remediation / management of Hg-impacted sites. The booklet is the final deliverable of the Working Group.

You may download the booklet with the temporary link or email the NICOLE secretariat for a new link.

The Specialist in Land Condition (SiLC) Register has developed the Land Condition Skills Development Framework (LCSDF) Tool to assist individuals and organisations to record and monitor capabilities which can be used as part of a performance review and/or appraisal processes and to drive the performance of individuals.  The LCSDF can be downloaded from the Skill framework page from the Downloads menu on the SiLC website.

Sustainable Remediation Forum - UK has now set up a LinkedIn Page. 

The page will be used to share news and discussion items relating to sustainable remediation in the UK and across the globe.

GWSDAT (GroundWater Spatiotemporal Data Analysis Tool) version 2.1 has just been released on the CL:AIRE website.

This free software application, developed by Shell, is open source, user-friendly and can be used for the visualisation and interpretation of groundwater monitoring data.  

To learn more about GWSDAT and its key features... 

Nanoremediation is an emerging remediation technology where nanoparticles are applied in situ for the treatment of contaminated groundwater and soil. Nanoremediation processes generally involve reduction or oxidation, which in some cases may be facilitated by an embedded catalyst.

Nanoscale zerovalent iron (nZVI) is the most commonly used particle to date.

NanoRem (Taking Nanotechnological Remediation Processes from Lab Scale to End User Applications for the Restoration of a Clean Environment) is a research project, funded through the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme. NanoRem focuses on facilitating practical, safe, economic and exploitable nanotechnology for in situ remediation of polluted soil and groundwater.

Part of the project is to understand the future promise of iron nanoparticles/nanoscale zero valent iron (nZVI) use in remediation as a remediation technology and to understand more about stakeholders thoughts and knowledge of the technology and its future opportunities.  NanoRem has recently produced an interim 'Risk-Benefit and Markets Appraisal, Initial Exploitation Strategy and Consultation' on the use of nZVI.

This short report summarises NanoRem’s initial findings and was made available at the end of April.

NanoRem is interested to collect additional opinions from different practitioners and stakeholders about the issues raised in this report and its interim findings.  In order to do this NanoRem has created a short questionnaire where they would greatly value your input.

Please follow the link to access both the report and the questionnaire: http://www.nanorem.eu/Displaynews.aspx?ID=810>>>

SAGTA has called for interested parties to submit Expressions of Interest to be considered for inclusion in a short list to be invited to tender for the role of Project Manager in the planned C4SL project.

Interested parties are invited to respond in writing to the SAGTA Secretary by close of business on Friday 12 June 2015. 

Further details can be found by following the links:

C4SL2 Process Delivery (PDF)>>>

Pre-qualification for Expressions of Interest (PDF)>>>

To help promote the uptake of the LNAPL illustrated handbook, CL:AIRE has produced a brief summary document, Guidance Bulletin (GB04), which is now available to download.

This bulletin describes an illustrated handbook that presents best-practice guidance on the behaviour of light nonaqueous phase liquids (LNAPLs) in the subsurface.

The LNAPL illustrated handbook can be downloaded for free at www.claire.co.uk/LNAPL (PDF 17MB)

Download the free Guidance Bulletin GB04 (153KB)

The RSC Environmental Chemistry Group are holding a one-day symposium on nanomaterials on Wednesday 24th June 12-5pm, hosting Eva Valsami-Jones as their annual Distinguished Guest lecturer.

You can register for the event on the RSC website.

The consultation being led by the Land Forum to gather stakeholders feedback on the proposed National Quality Mark Scheme for Land affected by Contamination (QMLC) opened on March 16th 2015 and will run to May 15th 2015.

www.claire.co.uk/qmlc

To participate in the consultation please follow the link: www.claire.co.uk/qmlc-consultation

For further details on the proposed QMLC, including the objectives and benefits of the scheme, details on the role of the SQP, how the scheme would be administered and frequently asked questions follow the link: www.claire.co.uk/qmlc-scheme

Defra has recently published the results of the research project  SP1011 - An examination of contaminated land sector activity in England and Wales. 

This research project was undertaken by Cranfield University and CL:AIRE in 2014.  The report can now be downloaded by following the link: http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu&Module=More&Location=None&Completed=0&ProjectID=136

The Nuclear Industry Group for Land Quality (NIGLQ) has published a Nuclear Industry Code of Practice on Routine Water Quality Monitoring, the development of which was funded by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s Direct Research Portfolio.  It covers groundwater, open freshwater bodies, ‘in-pipe’ and ‘end of pipe’ surface water drainage and inter-tidal surface waters. 

The focus is on routine (long-term) water quality monitoring, defined as “the collection of water quality data and related hydrometric data at regular intervals over time, in accordance with a documented protocol, with defined criteria for assessment of results, such that results that are not in line with expectations can be identified and appropriate actions initiated”.  

The document concentrates on those aspects of routine water quality monitoring specific to nuclear sites and radioactive contaminants.  It also provides summary guidance relating to non-radioactive contaminants and topics common to both radioactive and non-radioactive contamination, such as sampling point design, hydrochemistry and relevant hydrometric parameters, and signposts other guidance and standards where applicable, and as such may be useful outside the nuclear industry context.

The document is free to download from the NDA website and is also uploaded to the SAFEGROUNDS+ website via the ‘Guidance/NIGLQ’ webpage

R041 - March 2014 - Nr Hatfield - 170,000 m3 - 2016 to 2017 - Clay soil & stones - Engineering fill for landscape improvement project

R042 - Chesterfield - 150,000 m3 required - material needed now until Sept 2015 - Clean fill (sub soil, topsoil and clays - For capping and public open space fill

For more information and to see all sites listed please click here>>>

SoBRA is developing a registration scheme in order to recognise and reward the technical skills associated with land contamination risk assessment.

As part of this they have now created a section on the SoBRA website pertaining to the Accreditation Scheme, which can be found here http://www.sobra.org.uk/membership/accreditation-scheme .

In order to finalise the scheme they want to gain the input from the wider land contamination community and, as such they have invited people to review the proposed scheme and provide feedback at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DTL8T33 .

Only a few places remaining for the next course on Wednesday, 22nd April 2015, in London. Book now>>>

The remaining Category 4 Screening Levels (C4SLs) workshop is now only one month away on 28th April 2015 in Manchester, to avoid disappointment book now>>>.

Manchester: 28 April 2015 
Venue: Manchester Conference Centre, Weston Building, Sackville Street, Manchester, M1 3BB

For further details and to download the PDF flyer follow the link>>>

CL:AIRE is pleased to announce that it is hosting, jointly with the West Midlands Regional Group of the Geological Society, an evening lecture and networking session on Tuesday May 12th at the University of Birmingham.

The lecture is titled LNAPL Transport and Fate in the Subsurface and will draw from the recently published LNAPL Illustrated Handbook. The lecture will be given by the Handbook's editor, Dr Michael Rivett, Senior Lecturer in Contaminant Hydrogeology, University of Birmingham.

Registration for this event is free for Fellows of the Geological Society and CL:AIRE Members.

To register and for more information, please download the Event Flyer here>>>

In the last month live groundwater level information for England has been made available via the following website: http://www.gaugemap.co.uk/

This groundwater level information is particularly relevant for people living in areas prone to groundwater flooding.

CL:AIRE is pleased to announce that the winter ADVOCATE newsletter is ready to download from the CL:AIRE website.

Read about the research of Alice Badin and Natalia Fernandez de Vera here>>>

ADVOCATE (ADVancing Sustainable In Situ RemediatiOn for ContAminaTed Land and GroundwatEr) is a Marie Curie Initial Training Network, funded by the European Union. The network was established to coordinate European research on in situ remediation concepts and applications from laboratory scale through to field scale evaluation and technology demonstration.

The notes from the recent Land Forum meeting that was held on 27th January 2015 have now been uploaded onto the dedicated website www.claire.co.uk/landforum and can be downloaded directly by following the link>>>

The Category 4 Screening Levels (C4SLs) workshop is now only two weeks away on 11th March 2015 in Birmingham, to avoid disappointment book now.

If Birmingham doesn't suit you, please remember there is also London and Manchester on the following dates.

London: 24 March 2015 
Venue: Friends House, 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ

Manchester: 28 April 2015 
Venue: Manchester Conference Centre, Weston Building, Sackville Street, Manchester, M1 3BB

For further details and to download the PDF flyer follow the link>>>

CL:AIRE is delighted to announce that Lucion Environmental Ltd has recently provided sponsorship towards the development of the Joint Industry Working Group Asbestos in Soil Made Ground and Construction & Demolition Materials Code of Practice.

We would like to thank them for their kind contribution.

If your business is interested in becoming a sponsor to assist in the development of the code of practice, please contact Nicola Harries and she will discuss the sponsorship opportunities available.

The Lancaster-China Catalyst programme aims to exploit the global links of Lancaster University for the benefit of UK companies.

From 2014-2017, with initial investment from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), Lancashire County Council and participating businesses, the programme will provide UK companies with an opportunity to work with Chinese partners on developing innovative products, services and technologies for the Chinese and/or global markets.

Building on Lancaster University’s long standing expertise and strong relationships with Guangdong, a dedicated project support team in the UK and in China, and with access to key channel partners such as CBBC, UKTI and Innovate UK, the Catalyst programme comprises the following key elements:-

• A staged programme of support to UK companies to develop partnerships with commercial partners in China
• UK company access to collaborative partners within China for new product and service development
• A programme of planned visits for UK companies to China and Chinese-partner visits to the UK
• Dedicated human resources to companies via an experienced UK and China-based support team
• A dedicated team of graduates with technology, management and design expertise
• An opportunity for recent graduates to form part of an international team and study for an MSc in International Innovation
• Access to UK companies and their Chinese partners, to significant grant investment from Chinese government funders
• Access to expertise from across Lancaster University and Chinese academic partners to underpin product or service R&D and commercialisation

For more information:

Download the PDF>>>

Visit the Lancaster China Catalyst website >>>

The North West Regional Group of the Geological Society are hosting a careers afternoon to aid graduates and post graduates, as well as those geologists who are between jobs or want to explore new career paths with potential new ventures.

The afternoon will comprise a number of talks by geologists in a varied range of geological fields to discuss what is involved with their specific field. The speakers will also discuss their career path and their experiences to date.

To find out more:

Download the pdf >>>

Click here to register>>>

As part of the work programme 2016-2017 of the societal challenge 5 “Climate Action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials” (SC5) of the Horizon 2020 framework programme, the European Commission intends to open calls for large-scale pilot/demonstration projects. 

The following areas are targeted:

• Systemic eco-innovation for a circular economy
• Climate services
• Nature-based solutions
• Water

This call for ideas for pilot/demonstration projects is intended to:

• help identifying which research and innovation areas attract most interest from innovators and innovation users and
• stimulate developers and providers of innovative solutions to engage in projects of greater ambition in terms of scope, scale and impact.

Deadline to submit your ideas – 28 February 2015. For more information, click here to submit your proposal>>>

The Environment Department at the University of York is now looking for organisations who are interested in hosting students on Year in Industry placements from July 2016. 

Students entering into a Year in Industry placement will have just completed their second year of study and must have achieved an overall average of at least 55% to remain on the Year in Industry programme.  Host organisations could of course add additional stipulations in their placement job description.

They are also looking for organisations to host shorter work experience placements (4-12 weeks) for students of the Environment department to run over the summer vacation.  At present we are looking for placements for 2015 that would need to run between 22 June - 25 September 2015.

CL:AIRE will be attending and supporting the UK's largest geoscience department geocareers event on Wed 4 March at Plymouth University.

CL:AIRE staff will be representing the contaminated land and brownfield management sector in general. We will be aiming to encourage new recruits in to the discipline.

If your company or organisation is looking to recruit graduates, CL:AIRE would be pleased to help present these opportunities on the day. 

Please make contact with nick.willenbrock@claire.co.uk to discuss further.

CL:AIRE is pleased to announce that three more ADVOCATE bulletins are now ready to download, with the others to follow over the next few months. 

CL:AIRE’s ADVOCATE bulletins describe practical aspects of research which have direct application to the characterisation, monitoring or remediation of contaminated soil or groundwater.

• ADVOCATE Bulletin 6 (written by Oksana Coban)>>>
  Nitrogen biotransformation in horizontal subsurfaceflow constructed wetlands treating contaminated groundwater
• ADVOCATE Bulletin 7 (written by Natalia Fernandez de Vera)>>>
  Vadose zone characterisation at industrial contaminated sites
• ADVOCATE Bulletin 8 (written by Lukasz Cieslak)>>>
  The plume fringe: a zone of increased potential for biodegradation in contaminant plumes

The finalised notes of the JIWG meeting held on 5 November 2014 have now been uploaded onto the dedicated web page: www.claire.co.uk/asbestos and can be downloaded directly by following this link>>>

From 1 January, Steve Edgar, a Director of Vertase FLI, succeeded Mike Summersgill as the Chairman of CL:AIRE's Technology and Research Group (TRG) after Mike's three year tenure.  The TRG provides independent strategic peer review, support and technical steering functions in support of CL:AIRE’s activities.
 
At Vertase FLI, Steve guides the remediation team through the more challenging remediation sites the UK has to offer. He initially cut his teeth as a geologist for a consultancy working on a variety of remediation projects in the nineties during the founding years of the remediation industry.

He has spent most of his career in remediation contracting, designing and implementing in situ and ex situ remediation projects on sites ranging in size and complexity from petrol forecourts to tar and chemical processing plants.

Steve has tackled some of the trickiest sites remediation wise, in the UK and for some of the most demanding clients. Professionally he has a passion for good science coupled with practicality which stands him and Vertase FLI in good stead within the industry.

Would you like to learn about the CL:AIRE Definition of Waste Code of Practice and learn how to reuse soils and excavated materials as a non-waste?

The next course will be on the 24 February in London. For more info and bookings follow this link >>>

CL:AIRE is delighted to announce it is running three workshops in association with the project consortium partners that developed the Category 4 Screening Levels (C4SLs) on the following dates:

For further details and to download the PDF flyer click here>>>

SAGTA has announced its intention to support the next phase of C4SL development and has written to a number of organisations inviting them to join a Steering Group in order to provide oversight of the initiative.

By inviting a number of organisations to join the new Steering Group, SAGTA hope to derive more C4SLs for approximately 50 further compounds. The aim is to freely disseminate this information to industry. 

SAGTA have provided substantial investment, and are now asking other industry bodies to invest in developing the C4SL initiative. These funds will support the necessary toxicological study works, and also allow for a dedicated Project Manager whose role will be to link the Steering Group and the C4SL production team. This coordinated approach will drive the development of this initiative, and achieve the delivery of further C4SLs.

For further information on the initiative, letter inviting industry to participate and press release, please follow the link: http://www.sagta.org.uk/Activities.html

This is a reminder to download your copy of the “LNAPL illustrated handbook”, published in December 2014. It is already one of CL:AIRE’s most downloaded publications, so get your free copy at www.claire.co.uk/LNAPL (PDF 17MB)

The LNAPL illustrated handbook presents best-practice guidance for the assessment and remediation of light non-aqueous phase liquids (LNAPLs) in the subsurface.

LNAPLs notably include fuels and oils, for example petrol (gasoline), diesel and heating oils, and are amongst the most commonly encountered organic contaminants in the subsurface environment due to their ubiquitous use, accidental release and, perhaps, poor (historical) disposal.

Central to the handbook and the management of risks posed is the development of conceptual models of LNAPL behaviour in common hydrogeological systems.

The production of the LNAPL illustrated handbook was funded by Shell Global Solutions (UK) and supported by the Environment Agency.

CL:AIRE is delighted to announce the publication of the “LNAPL illustrated handbook”, entitled Illustrated handbook of LNAPL transport and fate in the subsurface. 

The LNAPL illustrated handbook presents best-practice guidance for the assessment and remediation of light non-aqueous phase liquids (LNAPLs) in the subsurface. LNAPLs notably include fuels and oils, for example petrol (gasoline), diesel and heating oils, and are amongst the most commonly encountered organic contaminants in the subsurface environment due to their ubiquitous use, accidental release and, perhaps, poor (historical) disposal. Central to the handbook and the management of risks posed is the development of conceptual models of LNAPL behaviour in common hydrogeological systems.

The LNAPL illustrated handbook provides a blend of technical detail and real world conceptualisation of the LNAPL problem and appropriate methods to investigate and manage it. The handbook also facilitates access to a wealth of detailed research, guidance and case study literature within the various topics covered. It will be useful to the practitioner and research communities, and also provide a valuable educational resource to others having a less direct interest or specialised knowledge.

The LNAPL illustrated handbook has been written by the following authors - Derek Tomlinson (Geosyntec Consultants), Steven Thornton (University of Sheffield), Alan Thomas (ERM), Stephen Leharne (University of Greenwich) and Gary Wealthall (Geosyntec Consultants) - and edited by Michael Rivett (University of Birmingham).

The production of the LNAPL illustrated handbook was funded by Shell Global Solutions (UK) and supported by the Environment Agency.

The LNAPL illustrated handbook can be downloaded for free at www.claire.co.uk/LNAPL (PDF 17MB)