Your land may have been identified as “potentially” contaminated because of past activities such as an orchard or commercial fuel storage but the only way to know if it is actually contaminated is by performing a site investigation that includes soil sampling. In the initial stages of the investigation we use a number of sources of information to determine potentially contaminating activities, including historical aerial photography, questions to landowners, Council property records, etc. If such activities are identified, we will likely carry out soil sampling in line with established practices to determine if contamination is present.
For commercial properties, it may be advisable to determine contamination conditions through a baseline investigation prior to constructing a petroleum station or other potentially contaminating facility. This can protect you from future litigation should contamination be discovered later. We can design a sampling plan to determine the contamination status of site soil and groundwater before construction begins.
