64 | Portable technology proves a game changer Demand for specialist soil contamination services has grown substantially since the introduction of the National Environmental Standard for Contaminated Soils (NESCS). Momentum Environmental CONTRACTING T Kim Newth Respected Canterbury soil contamination specialist Malloch Environmental Ltd is starting 2022 with a new name, Momentum Environmental Ltd. The fresh new name encapsulates MEL’s rapid evolution over the past few years from a small family owned and operated business to a well-established specialist soil contamination company with multiple employees. ‘Momentum’ aligns perfectly, too, with MEL’s focus on keeping projects moving through being responsive, meeting promised deadlines, and providing specialist soil contamination advice and guidance needed to get projects over the line. Whether it’s for a one-off project or involves working alongside a long standing industry partner such as Baseline Group, solutions are tailored to each individual project and client. Company founder and Principal Environmental Engineer Nicola Peacock says demand for specialist soil contamination services has grown substantially over the past decade, since the introduction of the National Environmental Standard for Contaminated Soils (NESCS). “That really changed the industry quite significantly and put soil contamination much more at the forefront of regulators’ minds and, in turn, since we started in 2013, our business has grown to become focussed on that too,” says Nicola. Momentum Environmental Ltd can provide a Preliminary Site Investigation (PSI) or Detailed Site Investigation (DSI), in line with “The two heavy metal contaminants we find above human health guidelines most often are lead and arsenic and XRF is pretty reliable for both of these...” council requests under the NESCS. If contamination is identified, the team offers follow up services including Remediation Action Plans and Site Validation Reports. Portable XRF technology has been a game changer for this business and industry as it means heavy metal results can be achieved instantaneously, saving time and money on projects. The technology works through a process of x-ray fluorescence analysis that gives instant readings for heavy metals. “The two heavy metal contaminants we find above human health guidelines most often are lead and arsenic and XRF is pretty reliable for both of these metals. In the old days before we had XRF, if a site was contaminated a digger would have taken off say the top 200mm, we would have taken a sample and then waited two weeks to get the results. Sometimes you’d need to repeat that cycle three or four times. Today, we can be there alongside the digger, using our portable XRF to direct where to dig to remove contaminated soil. It is a much faster and more sustainable process because you’re not taking off more soil than you have to.” While digging and dumping is still an easy and simple way to deal with contaminated soil, Nicola suggests this is fast becoming less accepted because of sustainability issues associated with dumping soil to landfills. As well, dumping charges are poised to rise significantly. “We can advise on other methods for sustainably managing a site, such as capping on-site and using encapsulation methods.” For example, for a recent project – the West Melton Community Centre – MEL developed a Remediation Action Plan for sustainably managing arsenic contaminated soil from an old community sheep dip involving a combination of capping with buildings and using encapsulation within a bund. Nicola has a particular interest in lead paint too, as that is a common contaminant of soil. MEL offers lead paint testing services and guidance on what to do if lead is found. “We have hundreds of thousands of old homes in New Zealand that potentially have lead paint on them, which can also contaminate the soil around them; we can do lead paint testing with XRF and it’s a quick and easy process.” The team at MEL is highly skilled and experienced in using XRF technology. “We fully support and encourage our staff to be members of WasteMINZ [which represents the waste and resource recovery sector in New Zealand] as well as the Australasian Land and Groundwater Association; both offer good regular professional development to ensure we are up to date with industry practice.”
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