Contamination remediation to assist in city center redevelopment

Soil and Groundwater In-Situ Remediation in The Hague

Over the course of several years, we have been involved in applying the most innovative groundwater remediation strategies in the Netherlands. The aim? To degrade the chlorinated hydrocarbon contamination by enhanced natural attenuation. So, when The Hague needed help with cleaning up groundwater pollution below one of its city center streets with adjacent buildings and houses—a site that was planned to be redeveloped—we developed a remediation concept for the Tripstraat.

The Tripstraat concept includes a groundwater and dust transport model created by using MODFLOW & RT3D programs. To solve the widespread contamination in the center of the city, our team provided environmental management, groundwater assessment, and remedial design and engineering services. The general remedial approach? Extraction, amendment, and re-circulation of groundwater in the targeted aquifer zone through a bioreactor, which is operated fully automated and remotely controlled.

The limited ability to prevent site disruption in the urban location of the system presented a challenge. But we were able to overcome the obstacle thanks to a strong partnership with The Hague municipality and contractor Heijmans—all the while reducing impacts to the environment. As a result of these efforts, the system was in operation while the site buildings were demolished and the whole area was prepared for redevelopment and construction of housing and apartments.