Related theme: Future-proof Site (Re)Development & Transformation
Period: 2023 – 2024
Client: Ademe
TAUW contact:
Ademe is a French public agency for ecological transition that carries out projects across France and abroad. A section of wasteland, a former industrial site, came into their field of action and Ademe was charged with remediating the site. Having won the proposal for this project, TAUW oversaw the procurement process to select a contractor and supervised the remediation work according to the management plan done by TAUW.
The site was in fact a historical site, with industrial activities dating back 150 years. That made it difficult to assess the full extent of contamination. Aerial pictures and soil surveys revealed the main contamination was with oil-based hazardous substances. The project was daunting: the site was large, the contamination well-established and hazardous substances present in soil and groundwater, impacting the downstream environment. During the remediation work we discovered old underground pipes and former concrete infrastructures such as pits.
After the excavation work had started, we took further soil samples that revealed the presence of pure products in the old underground structures. However, the extent of contamination found meant making hard decisions to keep the project within budget and on schedule. After careful deliberation we decided to map the contamination in a register and prioritize the remediation work. The heaviest pollution was tackled within the timeframe of this project, with the remaining pollution to be remediated at a later date. The soil was excavated and treated off-site. The most volatile pollution was managed on-site.
Although the site could not be fully remediated, we were able to remediate (on and off site) 4,395 tonnes of contaminated soil during this project. The plot is intended for future development and there are plans to use it as a photovoltaic power plant.
Ademe collaborated well with TAUW. For us, the project was particularly interesting because we were already familiar with this historical site and had studied it for historical purposes. We carried out archival desk studies and ground water surveys in the past. Ademe gave us.
‘’This project with ADEME was very interesting for TAUW for a number of reasons: the site we had been working on for several years, the need for a strong relationship and communication with the various stakeholders, the anticipation and adaptability of new constraints during the work. All in all, this project helped the project team to grow.’’ – Maxime Lemoine, project leader TAUW France”
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