We can agree that the earth and ecosystem are more endangered now than in times past. This increase is because of the huge development human societies have received. The increase in industries and the development of sophisticated machines and equipment have positive impacts in terms of how they help humans, but also have negative impacts seen through the harm being caused to the ecosystem.
These industries and sophisticated machines and equipment have led to an increase in waste produced with no suitable measure for disposing of them. These wastes pollute the environment causing harm to the ecosystem and its inhabitants. Areas with high deposits of wastes (harmful and harmless) are classified as brownfields, and the number of brownfields present today has increased drastically.
However, humans, understanding how dangerous these wastes are to the environment and the survival of humans, have sought out measures to reduce the presence of brownfields. One of those measures is site remediation. Site remediation can be defined as clearing a site (brownfield) of waste to return the site to a pre-contaminated state. This article highlights how site remediation breathes life into contaminated sites and how site remediation works.
How Does Site Remediation Work?
Site remediation follows a process that ensures the aim of remediation is achieved. This process includes:
- Identifying brownfields: Before clearing can begin, agencies conducting remediation identify heavily contaminated sites.
- Environmental site assessment: This is conducted to determine the level of contamination present on the site. How far the contamination has spread, if it affects neighboring sites, and more.
- Investigation: This involves measures taken to determine the type of contaminants present on the site; is it harmless or harmful?
After the waste has been identified, the next phase of the process is what to do with the waste? The method employed for wastes collected from contaminated sites include:
- Treatment: The landfilling process is used to care for collected wastes, but these waters need to be treated to have zero impact on the ecosystem. Harmful wastes are treated through stabilization, where all the chemicals and toxins carried by the wastes are stabilized before taking the wastes to a landfill.
- Incineration: This involves destroying the collected wastes.
Benefits of Site Remediation
Nothing more highlights how effective site remediation is in breathing new life into contaminated sites than its benefits. These benefits are:
- Provides a thriving community: We can notice areas contaminated with wastes struggle in agriculture and more. However, site remediation helps remove the contaminants causing the struggle resulting in a thriving community as they experience an increase in agriculture and more.
- Provides a healthy environment: Contaminated areas are the perfect hub for diseases ranging from airborne to waterborne and more. Site remediation removes the contaminants that attract the diseases, thus, creating a healthy environment.
- Protects the ecosystem: The ecosystem is endangered because of the wastes contaminating and depleting its ozone layers. Site remediation ensures that these wastes are collected and treated to have zero effect on the ecosystem, thereby protecting the ecosystem.
Conclusion
Site remediation has turned out to be the perfect solution for handling wastes in how they affect the ecosystem. Hence, it is a measure of breathing new life into contaminated sites, and the details above best explain how.
If your soil has become polluted as a result of a chemical spill or other hazardous exposure, contact a spill containment professional who can provide you with critical environmental management services.
