Environmental Services - Land
Acid Sulphate Soils | Contaminated Sites | Building Audits | Due Diligence | Environmental Management
Vegetation Assessment & Clearing | Ecosystem Restoration
Overview
Often linked closely to the provision of “Water” services, Environmental Services has a proven track record in delivering a range of services relating to environmental management of land. Whether it is Due Diligence reporting, development of land management plans or undertaking contaminated site; acid sulphate soil or hazardous materials building investigations and audits, Environmental Services can assist you from project development to completion.
Acid Sulphate Soils
Acid Sulphate Soils (ASS) contain sulphidic material, which, when exposed to air due to drainage or disturbance produce sulfuric acid, often releasing toxic substances into the environment.
Contaminated sites
The Contaminated Sites Act requires all landholders to consider current and historic land use and the potential for contamination; in some case caveats will limit future land use.
Building audits
Audits are often used to quantify the risk of exposure to potentially hazardous building products, such as asbestos containing materials. Increasingly they are being used to measure building efficiency to achieve a “Green Star” rating.
Due diligence
The risk of asset acquisition encumbered with contamination, acid sulphate soils or hazardous building materials can be minimised by due diligence investigation.
Environmental management
Managers often face the demand for a confusing array of plans from all levels of Government. We can assist clients to meet all their document needs while providing practical, innovative assistance and guidance.
Vegetation assessment & clearing
Rare flora surveys, vegetation community classification, weltand buffers, clearing permits ...
Ecosystem restoration
Increasing there is a need for parcels of land to have some or all of its former ecological function retuned; be it for land use change, public open space or offsets.
Acid Sulphate Soils
Acid sulphate soil management is one of the most predominant issues facing land developers. Acid sulphate soils (ASS) is the common name given to soils and sediments containing iron sulfides, the most common being pyrite. When exposed to air due to drainage or disturbance, these soils produce sulfuric acid, often releasing toxic quantities of substances, including heavy metals, into the surrounding environment. Consequently, excavation and dewatering activities need to be closely managed to ensure that contamination of soil, surface water and groundwater does not occur.
Services include investigations; sampling and analysis; management plans; on-site remediation management; disposal options and validation sampling and reporting.
Contaminated Sites
The CS Act (section 4) provides the following definition of “contaminated”:
“ In relation to land, water or a site, means having a substance present in or on that land, water or a site at above background concentrations that presents, or has the potential to present, a risk of harm to human health, the environment or any environmental value.”
Contaminated land assessments may be required in response to pollution events, prior to purchasing or releasing a property or for property rezoning.
Site investigations and design of sampling and analysis programs are required to determine the extent of contamination, and evaluate the implications of the contamination. Environmental Services provide recommendations for remedial operations based on a review of available technologies and selection of the most appropriate solutions based on site characteristics and economic viability.
Building Audits
Audits are often used to quantify the risk of exposure to potentially hazardous building products such as asbestos containing materials (ACM), synthetic mineral fibres (SMF) PCBs and other potentially hazardous products within the built environment.
Sometimes linked to indoor air quality investigations building usage surveys can identify problems in the provisions of building services.
Increasingly they are being used to measure building efficiency to apply a “Green Star” rating, measure water usage and estimate carbon footprint.
Due Diligence
The presence of hazardous materials and contamination can severely limit site usage and require costly remediation. Due diligence investigations can identify risks prior to purchase thereby avoiding exposure to unnecessary risk.
Environmental Management
Effective environmental management can not only mitigate unacceptable risks to human and ecological receptors, but also reduce operational costs, increase productivity, provide a competitive edge over competition and improve public perception.
Environmental Services can provide your company with robust environmentally based holistic project management. Environmental Services’ close affiliation with companies such as Mobile Dewatering, Alia Water, Lime Industries, Direct Probe Pushing, Eclipse Resources and other companies in the dewatering, drilling, soil and water treatment, disposal and remediation industries enables all aspects of projects to be managed efficiently and effectively.
Services
- Property Planning
- Land Capability Mapping
- EMS development
- Incorporation of best environmental management practices
- Stakeholder and agency liaison
- Community consultation
- Reporting to relevant agencies for statutory assessment
- Liaison with contractors and supervision of required construction works
Vegetation Assessment & Clearing
Environmental Services have the experience and skills to undertake a range of flora surveys ranging from rare and declared flora surveys through to vegetation community classification and where appropriate assistance in clearing permits and permits to take. Urban growth continues to place pressure on existing wetlands. Wetland dependant vegetation assessments and analysis of appropriate buffers can assist developers in the integration of wetlands into public open space.
Ecosystem Restoration
Ecosystem Restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed. It is imperative not only for biodiversity conservation, but also for aesthetic, social and economic reasons.
- Flora/Fauna surveys
- Revegetation plans
- Revegetation activities
- Mine site rehabilitation
- Soil amendments
- Water management systems
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