The Environmental Protection Act 1990, Part 2A, defines contaminated land as follows:
“Any land that appears to the local authority within whose jurisdiction it is located to be in a condition whereby significant harm or a substantial possibility of harm is occurring, is caused by substances on, under or in the land; or significant contamination of controlled waters has been, or will be, caused.”
Note that contamination can affect land that doesn’t meet the legal definition.
Many beautiful rural areas of the country have a rich history of different uses. Some of these uses leave contaminants on the ground that can affect the quality of soil. Over the years, site practices have evolved and improved. Many activities that are now considered unacceptable used to be the norm.
Examples of land contamination that may have occurred include:
- Landfills and areas of filled-in ground
- Garages, petrol stations and road haulage sites
- Gas Works
- Mines
- Dry Cleaning
- Businesses that own their fleets of vehicles
- Railway Land
- The processing of animal and animal products
- Photo processing industry
- Printing and binding works
- Sewage treatment works
- Textile and dye works
- Timber Treatment and Products Work
- Sites for waste recycling and treatment
To assess the risk of contaminated land, we need to identify the source, the receptor or the thing that may be affected, and the pathway or process by which the contamination can reach the receptor.
People living in these areas could be the receptors of any contamination in the landfill, while children playing in gardens and homegrown vegetables could be the pathways. It is known as a contamination linkage.
We must consider the following receptors:
- People
- The groundwater and rivers
- Ecological sites
- Crops, livestock, and other produce
- Ancient monuments and buildings