A Stakeholder’s Perspective on Contaminated Land Management - Dealing with Contaminated Sites: From Theory Towards Practical Application - page 1060

the production process of manufactured gas on a site owned by the utility company
Gaz de France (now GDF SUEZ).
In order to coordinate action throughout the national territory, Gaz de France /
GDF SUEZ identified and prioritized the 467 sites of old gas plants for which it was
responsible and developed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in conjunction
with the Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development of France. This MOU
pertains to the control and monitoring of the rehabilitation of these obsolete sites
and was signed on April 25, 1996, for a period of 10 years. The methodology laid
down within the MOU protocol was used to rank sites according to their risks for
the environment, on the basis of the use of the site, the vulnerability of groundwater
and surface water to contamination, the presence and type of contamination on the
site, et cetera. In 2001, Gaz de France / GDF SUEZ also conducted a “semi-generic”
study for rehabilitation of the MGP sites throughout France. It defined remediation
objectives for which the level of human and environmental risk would be acceptable
given the intended end use of the site.
As another aspect of its policy on former industrial sites, Gaz de France / GDF
SUEZ systematically carries out initial site investigations prior to any sales transac-
tion, transfer or redevelopment of these sites. This is in fact the principle activity of
the former MGP sites management policy of Gaz de France / GDF SUEZ. A lot of
these sites are to be sold, and the remediation objectives depend on the final project
and land use needs of the buyer. The cost of the remediation required is negotiated
between the two parties. The management of the monitoring and the remediation
of other sites remaining under the ownership of GDF Suez also depend on their
ongoing use.
Some of the key results of the implementation of the MOU protocol are as
follows:

• all 467 sites have been investigated;

• 332 hectares of land have been remediated and reused in urban planning projects;

•

investigations and works led to the draining and filling of tanks from 270 sites
and the safe management of over 715,000 tons of waste;

• surveys and regular monitoring of groundwater have been carried out at 268 sites:

93 sites are still subject to such actions.

The end of the MOU period was reached in 2006 and an output document was
co-signed by the Minister of Ecology and Sustainable Development of France and
the Chairman of Gaz de France . For the remaining 93 sites under investigation, a
coordinated decision on future activities (i.e. an extension, reduction or suspension
of the current water monitoring programme) remains to be made.

24.4 Improving the Efficiency of Site Assessment

Since its beginning in 1996, NICOLE has advocated and provided support for a
Risk Assessment-based approach as the fundamental basis for sound and sustainable
management of contaminated sites. This is because it allows for a flexible approach