Soil Remediation and Protection
Environmental Remediation can become an issue to deal with is case of:
- Relocation of enterprises
- Site regeneration
- Calamities / malfunction of installations
- Acquisitions
- Risk-control
- Permits and licenses
As a consultant, we have more over 25 years experience with various types of pollution or contaminants and in a broad range of situations. Acting in the best interest of our clients, we seek tailor-made solutions and make sure that your business development is not blocked by contamination of remediation activities on your site.
Soil Protection (NRB)
The Netherlands Soil Protection Guideline for industrial activities (NRB) has been developed to ensure that permit conditions are uniform and harmonized. Using the NRB the design of soil protection measures and facilities within establishments can be assessed and direction given to the decision-making on an optimal soil protection strategy. The NRB Guideline confines itself to normal industrial operations and foreseeable incidents.
Industrial activities referred to in the Establishments and Licenses Decree of the Environmental Management Act are required to have an environmental permit. The competent authority may attach conditions to that permit based on the ALARA principle in Environmental Management Act. The ALARA principle entails that the measures and facilities on the one hand should offer the greatest possible protection for the environment but on the other hand these measures should be reasonable. The permit-granting authority, by drawing up adequate conditions and supervising their enforcement, must prevent soil contamination for those industrial activities that threaten the soil. The NRB describes the soil risk of such activities and indicates what soil protection measures and facilities can be taken to restrict the risk.
The point of departure of national soil policy is that soil risks deriving from industrial activities must be confined as much as possible to a negligible risk by means of effective measures and facilities. The duty of care principle of the Soil Protection Act and the Environmental Management Act entail that the permit holder is obliged to clean up the soil pollution (duty to cleanup) he has caused and is liable for the cost of restoring the soil quality. Even in the case of a negligible soil risk soil contamination cannot be completely excluded. The soil quality consequently has to be established by means of a soil pollution investigation before the industrial activity commences. Soil pollution might then emerge by comparing the data of the final soil investigation with the soil investigation made at the start.
The NRB does not have any formal legal status but as a tool that has been confirmed at administrative level it does have a powerful steering function. The NRB is not binding. Deviations from it are possible provided these are clearly motivated in e.g. the preamble to the environmental permit. Consequently application of the NRB is not optional. There may be deviations but there have to be clear reasons for these bearing in mind equality before the law. It is only once the NRB has been converted into conditions in permits or general administrative orders that legally binding regulations arise.
As a consultant, we know about your business and in what way soil protection according to the NRB can be taken care of. Cost effective measures can be taken to meet the legislations.
Our services and specialties include design, inspection and supervision on realization constructions meant for soil protection on your site.