Wee Notes

Contamination - the blight of our forefathers.

I have just returned from a couple of days visiting family near Sellafield on the Cumbrian coast. Politics aside, the presence of the long standing nuclear power plant brought to my mind the matter of activities undertaken by our forefathers impacting us and our children. This in turn brought to mind the case of ‘Love Canal’ near Niagara Falls in America. This was a late 19th Century canal project which was repurposed as a dump for a variety of chemicals prior to being used for housing and a school. The resultant impact on the community brought about the whole ‘Polluter Pays ‘ principle in the USA and beyond and established the concept of a risked based approach to the problem of contamination. 

This brings me to our part in reducing risk to our communities and children. Since being established, Terrenus Land & Water has been closely involved in the assessment and remediation of past industrial (and agricultural) activities so that there is no linkage between the source, the pathway and the receptor. Looking back, we are, I think, justifiably satisfied that we have helped to turn areas where contamination is a concern into sites where risks have been mitigated and which allow new growth for tomorrow’s world.