Bringing Sustainable Management of Contaminated Sites into Practice – The Role of Policy and Regulations - Dealing with Contaminated Sites: From Theory Towards Practical Application - page 1040

Solutions that are based on the current land use only, or rely on specific restric-
tions on land use, need additional documentary records. Taking into account the
social and economic burden of long-term care and the risk of failure is essential in
identifying sustainable solutions.

23.7 Application of RBLM in Practice

The way in which the balance between the three components of RBLM is achieved
will be different for different remediation and Risk Management approaches. Over
the past fifteen years, developments in contaminated site policies and the emergence
of a wide range of treatment approaches have broadened the repertoire of potential
solutions for contaminated site problems. There can be other options rather than
only “dig and dump” or containment. However, it is clear that there is no universally
most practical solution. Each solution has its advantages and disadvantages, which
depend on a wide range of factors and requirements, such as:

• nature of the contamination;

• physical characteristics of the site;

• use of the site, either current or planned;

• environmental setting, in particular ecosystems and buildings;

• hydrogeological characteristics and impact on water resources;

• nature of the impact on the community;

• local and regional practical feasibilities.

The choice of any specific practical solution, either at a strategic policy level
or for a particular site, needs to take into account the extent to which the site
meets any fitness for use criteria, achieves adequate protection of the environment
or needs longer-term care. This assessment is complex, and has generated a demand
for decision support tools, which may vary from straightforward information about
the broad advantages and disadvantages of various options to formalised complex
weighting systems. The issues that the risk-based site manager has to address in
order to ensure a sustainable solution include:

1. Risk reduction.
2. Land use related requirements.
3. Using natural capacities in the soil and water environment (see Section 23.4 ).
4. Costs.
5. Involving stakeholders.
6. Managing uncertainties.
7. Other management constraints and influences.

To assist decision-making these issues are discussed below based on the underly-
ing three components of Risk-Based Land Management: fitness for use, protection
of the environment and long-term care.