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 wrecking in soil, typical of wreckers. Instead of a large soil sampling plan, based on the site risk, we focussed on prevention through management changes and an operational environmental management plan, and processes for safely managed oil and petrol stained surface soil. – Michael Nicholls
iEnvi started with a preliminary site investigation (PSI) environmental investigation, covering both the current and historical site contamination including site interview and a site inspection by an experienced environmental consultant. The investigation revealed the presence of scattered oil and fuel drips and sills on the surface soils and concluded that the risk of contamination for the site was low to moderate given the soil and geology and risks to receptors. And the risks associated with small areas of impacted soil could be managed practically through an environmental management plan.
The operational environmental management plan examined the current and planned activities at the site, noting that most of the metal recycling and car body processing is done off-site.
The completed OEMP provided the automotive recycling company with responsibilities, controls, and actions to carry out for both the current and planned site activities. iEnvi recommended that an annual environmental audit should be conducted to ensure the site and its operations remained compliant with their legislated obligations. The protections in the OEMP were easy to follow and manageable and were tailored to the overall environmental risk and sensitivity of the site.
Without needing to collect samples, the environmental risk associated with the soil was observed visually and based on experience and presumed to be spread across the entire site and typical of a wrecking yard. Based on the low-risk sensitivity of the area, the soil was to be managed under the OEMP, and drip trays to be added along with other preventative measures.
iEnvi conducts operational environmental management plans, and preliminary site investigations, for all types of sites. iEnvi has simple and cost-effective remediation solutions or management solutions if your site is contaminated. If you need professional advice about your site call us on 13000-43684 or email [email protected].