Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 3
A Practical Approach for Site Investigation
Frank P.J. Lamé
Abstract
Given the volume of work and costs related to soil investigations, strate-
gies and techniques for the investigation of potentially contaminated sites have been
developed and have been standardized, both on a national as well as on an interna-
tional level. Investigating soil contamination is not an easy task, since contaminants
are generally distributed highly heterogeneous in the soil. It is important to focus
on the objectives for site investigations. In this chapter three kinds of investigation
phases have been described, these are the Preliminary Investigation, the Exploratory
Investigation and the Main Investigation. The Preliminary Investigation, this is the
most essential phase of the whole investigation, is a desk study combined with a
site visit. A Preliminary Investigation can be performed both for sites where con-
tamination is expected and for sites that are probably uncontaminated. The main
objective of the Exploratory Investigation is to proof that the assumptions made in
the Preliminary Investigation are indeed correct. The goal of the Main Investigation
is to provide the necessary information to deal with the contamination on a cost-
efficient basis. The Main Investigation is an iterative process, where after each step
the question has to be answered if the available information is 'fit for purpose'.
Moreover, different sampling patterns and techniques are discussed in this chapter.
Contents
Introduction
...........................................
3.1
140
3.2 Not an Easy Task
........................................
140
3.3 Objectives for the Investigation of Soil Quality
......................
141
Technical Goals
........................................
3.4
142
Three Investigation Phases
..................................
3.5
143
Preliminary Investigation
...................................
3.6
145
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