Soil remediation is required when you find a harmful substance in your soil that can be harmful to animals, people, and plant life. If you fail to treat your soil, you will incur federal fines that can be detrimental to your business or construction project.
You should always test for soil contamination before a construction project begins through test pit excavation. Not only will you save thousands in excavation costs if you don’t have to conduct soil remediation under a building or a half-built structure but depending on the type of work you’re doing and the municipality you are located in a test may be required, regardless.
What Is Soil Contamination?
Soil contamination can occur if there was previously an oil or gasoline spill on the property. Perhaps the property had a building with lead paint or arsenic paint treatment on it that chipped off into the soil. This could mean that contaminants like lead or arsenic might be present in the soil.
Contaminated soil can be harmful to people and animals. If you eat food grown in contaminated soil, the unwanted substances could spread to the food and into your body.
Detect soil contamination by noticing discolored or stained soil. You can also identify soil contamination from strong odors, like oil or gasoline. If you see an area with no plant life, that is also a sign that something is wrong with the dirt. Animals will tend to avoid contaminated soil.
What Does Soil Remediation Do?
When you detect contaminated soil, environmental remediation is required. This is not a project to put off. Your family’s health could be at risk. If it is a commercial property, the public could be at risk. Take care of your property by choosing the right soil remediation method.
Soil remediation cleanses the dirt so that it is no longer harmful. There are several methods used for soil remediation. Situ methods are remediation efforts made while the soil stays in place. This can include mixing clean soil to dilute the effects of the harmful substance or cleansing it in other ways.
Phases of Soil Remediation
Soil remediation methods are offered to remove the presence of heavy metals, poisons, or toxic substances in the soil. The remediation efforts can happen in phases to see which method works on the contaminants present. After each method, the soil is tested to see if it is clean and safe again.
Bioremediation
Bioremediation is a biological treatment of the soil. Bacteria and fungi are released into the soil to see if they attack the toxic substances and eliminate them that way. Each substance will react differently to the bioremediation, and success will also depend on the breadth and concentration of the toxins.
Once the bioremediation effort is complete, you can see how far the method got in terms of cleansing the soil. If you find good results, you may continue with the bioremediation efforts without going on to further remediation methods.
Physical Treatments
The contaminated sites can be remediated with physical treatments. This can involve removing the soil and treating it away from the construction site. You can also mix the soil with healthy soil to find out if that dilutes the toxins enough. Here are some examples of situ techniques.
Soil Washing
Soil washing is the process of using water to flush out toxins. Or you can use a sifting system to remove the contaminated particles from the clean soil particles. Soil washing is done while the soil remains in place and is tested after each attempt.
Soil washing is an efficient soil remediation method because you do not have to move the soil off-site. All soil washing steps occur while the soil remains in the ground.
Soil Encapsulation
Another method for remediation is soil encapsulation without removing contaminants. This method requires pouring cement to trap in the contaminants and keep them from harming people or animals. It is a quick fix and will not solve the problem completely.
Thermal Desorption
Thermal soil remediation uses high heat temperatures to kill the harmful substances in the soil. The heat creates a layer of separation from the soil, which can then be removed. Or depending on the contaminant, the heat can evaporate the substance into the air and away from the soil.
When you see the toxic substance separated from the soil, it is easier to identify and remove without needing to remove the good soil. Talk to your contractor about testing the soil after the thermal remediation to see how successful it was.
Chemical Oxidation
Use reduction and oxidation to transform the contaminated substance into a non-toxic substance. Sometimes the harmful substance reacts to chemical oxidation and is no longer dangerous after this treatment.
Why Remediate Your Soil?
Take part in environmental protection by remediating contaminated soil. Building a structure on top of contaminated soil is a human health issue. Do your part by detecting the problem early and fighting to find the best methods of remediation. You will never regret taking the necessary steps to ensure your family or clients can experience safety while on your property.
Mikula Contracting Is Your Soil Remediation Solution
Mikula Contracting is your trusted contractor for soil remediation. We are familiar with the potential harm to New Jersey soil and can discuss underground oil tanks and other issues that lead to contaminated soil. How can you detect soil contamination? By calling our team for help who can connect you with environmental engineers who will work with us on the process of testing and remediating the soil as required. Our contractors will not only remove soil that needs to be remediated but we can even transport the soil for remediation and treatment. In addition, we can also bring in clean fill and soil to replace the contaminated soil.
Our contractors are skilled with test pit excavation and soil testing to determine the health of your soil before you start construction. Save yourself time and money by learning the answers now to your property’s soil status. Contact Mikula Contracting today!
