Sustainability and Remediation - Dealing with Contaminated Sites: From Theory Towards Practical Application - page 940

20.6 The Future Perspective of Sustainable Management
of Contaminated Sites
20.6.1 A New Basis for Decision Making
Over the last 10 years or so contaminated land management approaches have moved
towards a risk based land management procedure. Currently, another threshold must
be crossed towards more sustainable land management, which encompasses Risk
Management as land management can only be sustainable if it manages at least
to remove unacceptable risks. Protection of human health, water and the wider
environment remain the over-riding priority, but the negative impacts of over engi-
neering responses also needs to be taken into account. In practical terms, risks from
soil contamination may be low, controllable or negligible for key receptors. In this
situation a more holistic view of the need for removal or treatment of contamination
is important, for example taking into account the resource and energy intensity of
remediation. In some cases this might imply that we will move from “intensive” soil
remediation to monitoring and management, simply because it is the best option
for the overall environment. The biggest leap forward is not the development of
new techniques, but the development of better tools for option and sustainability
appraisal, increasing awareness of sustainability as an important decision mak-
ing issue and communicating these new concepts. This will require an impetus at
national and international levels, so that site owners, service providers and regional
and local authorities and regulators can confidently follow with sustainable solu-
tions. The first steps in this international sustainable remediation debate are already
underway.
20.6.2 Work in Progress
“Sustainable remediation” is an emerging concept. Sustainability will often lie more
in the evaluation of options for Risk Management, rather than promoting any par-
ticular technological approaches. The full potential for sustainability in remediation
may be difficult to achieve if remediation choices are regarded as being at the end
of a pipeline of site use and project planning decisions that have already been
taken. It is important for the sustainability of remediation requirements to take
place early during site and project management consideration. A prerequisite for
the sustainable remediation debate is a common understanding of terms, for exam-
ple agreeing on a scope of what is to be considered. The current international debate
appears to be reaching a consensus in terms of principles, but has not reached a
consensus in terms of a common understanding of the scope of sustainable reme-
diation or the terms that are used in it. Another debate that is just beginning is
the relationship between the management of “sustainability” and “risks”. This is
a complicated debate that will take time to resolve. For example, lower inten-
sity remediation approaches may not lead to the mass removals expected by some