Remediation of a contaminated area – Augusta

The site is part of “National Interest Site of Priolo” as identified by Law 426/1998; because
of the desire to develop industrial activities in this site in the future, procedures have been
started to remediate the contaminated areas for obtaining the release by Environmental
Department.
Therefore two environmental characterization investigations were designed and made in
order to identify both type and extension of contamination into the soil, the terrain and
the groundwater.
108 of boreholes were drilled and over 500 soil samples were collected; chemical analysis
of soil samples has revealed a widespread soil contamination by arsenic and a punctual
terrain contamination by mercury.
Starting from chemical-physical parameters identified during the site characterization, a
site specific assessment was carried out and a non tolerable risk for human health was
found both for soil ingestion and dermal contact (industrial use of the site). As result, a
site remediation project was designed to remove the state of contamination and enclose
the polluted soil in a non-permeable confined basin specifically achieved in a part of the
site, thus limiting the handling of excavated materials off site (e.g. landfills).
The underground terrain protection will be ensured by a double non permeable layer of
HDPE and a double drainage layer for the leachate collection system (the lower one to
detect any possible crack on the upper HDPE layer (according to regulation of Law Decree
No. 36/2003 for solid waste landfill, as well as the final cover system, called “capping“).