Southern Testing - Environmental & Geotechnical

Environmental Sludge Sampling, South London

Appointed as Principal Contractor to investigate and establish the depth profile and characteristics of three sludge lagoons, adjoining a waste water treatment and sewage works, with sampling of potentially hazardous surface liquor, sludge, and the underlying (clay) base. All works carried out from floating platforms and successfully completed within 4 weeks. read more

Tunbridge Wells Gasworks, Kent

Ground conditions on this 3Ha site comprised Made Ground over Wadhurst Clay with several former gas works structures intact below ground level. The soils, and locally groundwater, were found to be contaminated with arsenic and PAH's, TPH, BTEX compounds, phenols, cyanide and ammonia and certain solvents. The remedial design included bioremediation of 30,000 m3 of contaminated soils, construction of ingound barriers (impermeable and semi-permeable) and re-engineering of an existing culvert stream as an open channel feature across the site. Southern Testing managed the project and undertook all verification works.

Brownfield Briefing Remediation Innovation Award 2006 - In 2006, the project won a Brownfield Briefing Remediation Innovation Award for "Best Use of Combined Systems". Judges Comments: " This project demonstrates tremendous collaboration. It was homogeneous and well managed bringing benifits off site as well as onsite " John Cambell " Two tried and tested technologies brought together in a best practice manner..a well presented submission which gives due credit to those who actually carried out the remediation " Clive Boyle. read more

Hampton Court Gasworks, Middlesex

This 2Ha site was to be redeveloped with 198 residential apartments, a 72 bed nursing home, and around 800sqm of mixed-use offices and commercial developments. The underlying geology consisted of Terrace Gravels over London Clay and the site investigation indicated the site was heavily contaminated. Southern Testing were appointed to manage, co-ordinate and validate all remediation works.

Brownfield Briefing Remediation Innovation Awards 2008 - Southern Testing were Runners Up in the Category ' Best use of a Combination of Remediation Techniques' at the 2008 Brownfield Briefing Remediation Innovation Awards for their work at the Former Hampton Court Gas Works Site. The Judges noted that : "the project demonstrated strong application of cutting edge techniques to a very traditional site problem and praised its design and management". The category winners were Olympic Park Authority for the Olympic Park Project. read more

Site Appraisal of Former Quarry, Kent

Pre-planning investigation assessment of a 4ha site, that adjoined a landfill and had historically been backfilled with a variety of waste materials. read more

Brownfield Development & Asbestos Remediation, Kent

The initial walk over survey of this former hospital site identified Asbestos Containing Materials within the fabric of remaining buildings, in collapsed below ground duct runs and in demolition rubble across the site. The strategy proposed a systematic and careful removal of “point sources” or “hot spots” together with other remedial measures to safe guard site end users. Southern Testing managed the project and undertook all validation works to obtain regulatory signoff. read more

Rubber Works, Surrey

This 2.9Ha site was to be redeveloped for housing with private gardens. Following an investigation, groundwater monitoring identified toluene contamination in the shallow fluvial aquifer beneath the site, along with trichloroethylene contamination in an underlying Tertiary sand aquifer. Southern Testing were able to recommend a programme of in-situ treatment of the groundwater and supervised and validated the remediation works to obtain regulatory approval. read more

Petrol Station, South London

Boreholes and test pits indicated soils and groundwater were contaminated with heavy metals, poly aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and petroleum hydrocarbons. Insitu remediation was carried out in-situ during the re-development phase using a combination of air sparging and soil vapour extraction. The programme was monitored for nine months and was successfully ‘signed off’ by the regulators in advance of property completions.

Local Authority Part IIA Land Fill Investigation

The Local Authority proposed to upgrade the existing facilities at the recreation ground site. Preliminary intrusive investigation had identified potentially contaminated land resulting from the sites former use as a Chalk Pit, which was later infilled with incinerated domestic wastes. A scope of works was designed in conjunction with the Local Authority with the object being to provide cost effective inspection of the site to assess the likely nature and extent of contamination, taking into account the current identified risks and the costs of site mobilisation, chemical analysis and reporting.

A flexible approach was adopted that allowed the inspection strategy to be reviewed and refined as necessary based on the findings of the Phase 1 Desk Study and as site works progressed. These comprised the assessment of the effectiveness and chemistry of the existing site capping layers given the current and proposed site use. Preliminary investigation to profile the depth of waste (made ground) across the site and preliminary land gas and leachate monitoring.

Local Authority Part IIA Preliminary Site Inspection and Reporting

Part IIA Preliminary Site Inspection and Reporting across various sites. Desk study and preliminary ground investigation to establish potential risk from historically backfilled ponds / earthworks features. Installation of monitoring wells, gas monitoring, chemical analysis, risk assessment and interpretive reporting.

Local Authority Part IIA Data Analysis

Part IIA investigation of a former Engineering Works that was redeveloped in the 1980s with residential properties. The scope of works comprised an enhanced desk study using data provided by the Local Authority and estimating / scoring the likelihood of a pollutant linkage. A statistically robust sampling plan was then produced allowing a preliminary site investigation comprising trial holes excavated on site using hand auger and windowless sampler equipment. Limited chemical laboratory testing was undertaken. Following successful application for DEFRA funding, additional investigation was undertaken by others, and we undertook analysis of the combined chemical data sets.

Local Authority Part IIA Site Prioritisation

Prioritisation of previously identified land that might be contaminated, in line with the Councils legal duty under Part IIA. Our strategy was to use standard GIS systems to capture relevant source data. We then produced enhanced desk studies for key sites incorporating a full risk-scoring conceptual model with all significant pollutant linkages scored and ranked. Additionally, data collected within the GIS was used to allow zoning of the sites for physical inspection, and to produce statistically robust inspection options. Based on this information, we were then able to produce an overall budget for the most cost effective inspection of each of the key sites, taking into account the identified risks and the costs of mobilisation. We completed the task for over 1600 sites, which included over 64 landfill sites in less than 4 months. read more