Complex contamination

Complex contamination refers to sites where soil and/or groundwater contamination occurs on a more or less large scale, involving several operators and/or owners that are potentially liable for remediation. Typical examples are large industrial sites where the pollution (especially of the groundwater) was caused by more than one company, or industrial parks that are located on a former landfill.

Uncertainty about the origin of the contamination, the impact of remediation works on neighbouring sites, technical and legal questions, the issues are rife ... Nonetheless, adapted management strategies help to guide these complex contamination issues in a cost-effective and even cost-saving manner through the Soil Decree.

The OVAM has two different apporaches for these kind of situations:

Approach 1. Looking for opportunities through the classic follow-up of soil-remediation

Even when dealing with complex situations as described above, some companies try to run through the procedure of soil-investigation and remediaton on their own. The main task of the OVAM is to evaluate the reports these companies hand in. Because of the complexity of the contamination, good advice of the OVAM is often essential. Sometimes by following up a soil-investigation or remediation, opportunities can be detected which can help to find a solution for the complex problem. It is the task of the OVAM to detect these opportunities and to exploit them. Quite often, it can be sufficient to organise a meeting with all involved parties to compare each others data and to try to come to an agreement. Depending on the situation, OVAM can take up a rol as moderator, mediator or referee.

Approach 2. Problemsolving initiatives by a thematic approach

In some cases, the procedure of soil-investigation and remediation ends when dealing with complex situations. Technicly so-called unsolvable problems, expensive investigations or juridical disputes can be a major restraint. OVAM can take initiatives to break the impasse. This can be done by determing ex officio the source of a contamination, by defining a ditributive formula to divide the costs, to organise projects where different companies are encouraged or obliged to work together, ...