Pol 09 - Land contamination mitigation – Above Green

(4 credits)

Aim

To ensure that there are no land contamination issues associated with the asset site.

Question

Credits	Answer	Select single answer option
0	A	Question not answered
0	B	No
2	C	Yes, land contamination issues have been identified that require further investigation or remediation
4	D	Yes, no land contamination issues have been identified
4	E	Yes, all land contamination issues have been remediated

Assessment criteria

Creiterion

Assessment Criteria

Applicable Answer

An assessment of the risks from potential land contamination associated with the asset’s site has been performed by a contaminated land professional or conducted under the supervision of a contaminated land professional within the last 5 years.

C-E

The assessment comprises review or compilation of the following as appropriate to the site’s condition:

Preliminary (Phase I) investigation (comprising a desk study and site reconnaissance).
Intrusive (Phase II) investigation (exploratory, detailed and/or supplementary site investigation).
Remediation strategy or action plan.
Verification that remedial actions have been implemented.

Where any of the above tasks have previously been performed, e.g. as part of the construction of the asset or through environmental due diligence work, this information may be used to demonstrate compliance with this assessment issue. Where this information is older than 5 years, a contaminated land professional must review the status of the information and confirm that the assessment is still valid.

C-E

Evidence

Criteria	Evidence Requirement
-	The evidence below is not exhaustive, please also refer to the ‘BREEAM evidential requirements’ section in the scope of the Guidance for appropriate evidence types which can be used to demonstrate compliance.
All	Report(s) from contaminated land professional(s).
All	Written confirmation from the asset or site owner that further intrusive investigation and/or remedial works have been planned.

Definitions

Contaminated land professional:

An individual that holds a degree or equivalent qualification in chemistry, environmental science or management, earth sciences, civil engineering, or a related subject, and has a minimum of three years relevant experience (within the last five years) in site investigation, risk assessment and appraisal. Such experience must clearly demonstrate a practical knowledge of site investigation methodologies and understanding of remediation techniques and national legislation on the subject; as well as acting in an advisory capacity to provide recommendations for remediation.

Land contamination:

Any substance or agent in or on the ground, which presents an unacceptable risk to human health, property or the environment.

Remediation:

Any activity undertaken to prevent, minimise, remedy or mitigate the risk to human health, property or the environment caused by land contamination.

Additional information

Land contamination

Land contamination is usually caused by previous industrial uses on or within the vicinity of a site but may also be present due to spills or leaks from current or recent activities on or near the site. However, it cannot be ruled out in other locations including in rural areas (e.g. by inappropriate spreading of materials such as sludge, or as a result of contamination being moved from its original source). In addition, some areas may be affected by the natural or background occurrence of potentially hazardous substances, such as radon, methane or elevated concentrations of metallic elements.

Guidance on the performance of land contamination investigations and remediation include:

ASTM E1527-13 Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process
ASTM E1903-11 Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase II Environmental Site Assessment Process
ASTM E2893-16 Standard Guide for Greener Cleanups
BS 10175:2011+A2:2017 Investigation of potentially contaminated sites - Code of practice
ISO 18400-202:2018 Soil quality - Sampling - Part 202: Preliminary investigations
ISO 18400-203:2018 Soil quality - Sampling - Part 203: Investigation of potentially contaminated sites
ISO 18504:2017 Soil quality - Sustainable remediation