One uncertainty regarding per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is the total oxidisable precursor assay (TOPA). TOPA aims to detect PFAS precursor compounds by oxidising samples to see whether or not they develop into regulated (and easier to detect) PFAS compounds – indicative of whether there are regulated PFAS compounds at a site that might later emerge
read moreLate last year the EPA released updated guidelines for the NSW Site Auditors Scheme with the aim of ensuring proper management and remediation of contaminated land during land use zoning changes and construction projects. The timing of the Guidelines for the NSW Site Auditors Scheme release coincides with a construction boom in metropolitan Sydney and
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iEnvironmental Australia (iEnvi) was contacted to determine whether existing groundwater and surface water dam water quality was suitable for use in livestock watering and feedstock irrigation. Principal Environmental Scientist Michael Nicholls travelled to the Mt French QLD farm to collect the water samples from three sources. Water from two dams was sampled using the grab
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Recently iEnvironmental Australia (iEnvi) was contracted by a Sydney western suburbs Council to manage waste contaminated soil at a sports park in NSW. Soil excavated at a sportsfield had been excavated for light footings. The soil contained elevated polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations and asbestos and fill rubble, associated with historical industrial fill, and environmental consultants had
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iEnvi was engaged to develop an operational environmental management plan (OEMP) for an automotive recycling company in south-west Brisbane, Queensland. The OEMP was required as part of their development application for converting the site into a wrecking yard and adding additional features for stripping. This was a low risk site, that had minor contamination from
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iEnvironmental Australia (iEnvi) was recently engaged by an architect firm to conduct a preliminary site investigation on a property they wanted to convert into a child care centre. Preliminary site investigations are required for obtaining development consent for most projects. The developers requested a desktop only preliminary site investigation, and as such, a site visit
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The Queensland government is introducing a $70 per tonne (and up to $150 per tonne for highly contaminated materials) waste levy to discourage both state and interstate companies from sending their rubbish to the state’s landfills. The QLD waste levy, effective from 1 January 2019, will bring Queensland into line with other states who charge waste
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iEnvironmental Australia recently conducted a preliminary site investigation (PSI), soil sampling, and subcontracted a geotechnical investigation for developers as part of their obligations under their development planning permit, just outside Ballarat in Sebastopol, Victoria. We delivered a full PSI of the 4.1 Ha site with 30 soil bores to 5m depth, soil sampling, and geotechnical
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Construction environmental management plans (CEMP) are basically the who, what, when and where of on-site environmental management during construction activities. They explain how potential environmental harm will be mitigated during a construction project by analysing possible environmental harm scenarios that could occur and setting out plans to avoid and minimise negative environmental impacts. When undertaking
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Dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPL) are a group of halogenated semi-volatiles, non-halogenated semi-volatiles, and halogenated volatiles with a greater density than water. These contaminants are found at hazardous waste sites where chlorinated solvents, wood preserving wastes, coal tars, and pesticides have been used. DNAPL are present in immiscible hydrocarbon phase and often are difficult to
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