2. ESI is the UK’s leading independent scientific and environmental
consultancy specialising in water resource management, land quality and
ground source energy. As a technical specialist advisor to corporate and
governmental clients ESI is respected for its pragmatism, sound science
and strong commercial focus.
Landfill and Waste Management
ESI delivers a leading capability in landfill management in the UK and
Europe. A detailed technical understanding with experience of the key
issues involved in field regulation, data management, ongoing monitoring
and risk assessment makes ESI the consultancy of choice.
Environmental Permits for Waste Management Sites
Under the Environmental Permitting (EP) • Ecological assessment (if the site is
Regulations (2010), the development of close to a European Habitats site).
a conceptual model and the preparation
of environmental risk assessments ESI provides support in preparing
are required for all sites prior to a applications, reviewing permit
permit being issued. The following risk conditions, evaluating the success of
assessments must be included in an sites in achieving compliance criteria,
application for an Environmental Permit: and negotiating permit issues with
regulatory authorities. With extensive
• Hydrogeological experience across all types of waste
• Landfill gas disposal sites, including hazardous,
• Stability non-hazardous and inert landfills, ESI
• Nuisance and health (including an is a natural choice to coordinate the
assessment of particulate matter, preparation of applications.
noise, dust, odour and vermin.)
Environmental Impact Assessments
Environmental Assessments are managers have excellent working
an established part of the planning relationships with contacts in all regions
process. The sequence of scoping of the Environment Agency, which is
requests, site investigation, impact important in developing a sense of trust
assessment and negotiation with in this process. Senior members of the
regulators has become common consultancy team have also provided
practice. ESI provides the support Expert Witness support in public
required throughout the process from enquiries and court cases.
the initial scoping requests through
to completion of the Environmental Water resources and, in particular,
Statement and Environmental Impact groundwater are a key component
Assessment. of many Environmental Impact
Assessments. Landfills (for hazardous
Clients have benefited from ESI’s and non-hazardous waste) and
pragmatic and technically robust quarries (over a certain size) are among
approach. Discussion and negotiation those developments that fall under
between developers and the regulators Schedule 1, and therefore require an
to agree the scope of investigations is Environmental Impact Assessment and
essential to ensuring a cost-effective an Environmental Statement at the
outcome. ESI’s experienced project planning stage.
3. Landfill Monitoring Support Service
ESI has frequently been retained to • The design of environmental
assist with the development of landfill monitoring networks and suitable
monitoring networks, protocols and borehole design specifications
the establishment of data management
systems. The range of chemicals that • Review and assessment of
present a potential environmental threat monitoring facilities - effectiveness,
is wide and varied, and it is important quality, sufficiency and positioning
that monitoring points are correctly • Supervision of the installation of new
positioned and precisely installed monitoring facilities
to ensure that the data collected is
sufficient and reliable. • Identification of the reasons for
unreliable or unrepresentative data
Consultants use their experience and
expertise to build an understanding • Production of monitoring protocols
of the potential contaminant transport with due consideration of regulatory
routes around a site and to design requirements, best practice and cost-
monitoring and sampling systems that efficiency
meet the needs of the operator and • Advice on appropriate monitoring
of the regulator. Advice is provided suites for requisite surveillance
on appropriate assessment criteria
(control and trigger levels). ESI’s service • On-going data management,
offering includes: analysis, interpretation and reporting
Landfill Reporting
Emissions and monitoring of an • Collation of monitoring data into a
environmental permit for a landfill secure database
site typically includes specific
monitoring requirements for landfill • Manipulation and interpretation of
gas, surface water, groundwater, and monitoring data
leachate (where appropriate) and is • Concise quarterly and annual
usually required on a quarterly and reporting
annual basis.
• Liaising and conducting dialogue with
ESI’s reports allow for a thorough the Environment Agency
review of the environmental monitoring
data that has been obtained during ESI’s knowledge base of soil and
the year and an assessment of any groundwater science enables prompt
patterns or trends that are seen within and effective tackling and addressing
the data, particularly in relation to any of issues that arise at both new and
compliance level exceedences that may existing sites in an innovative and
have occurred. Services include: practical manner. A proven track
record and working relationships with
• Environmental monitoring and data regulatory authorities enables pragmatic
management discussions and satisfactory solutions
• Compliance reporting when more complex issues arise.
Landfill Surrender Applications
Landfill sites are closely regulated demonstrate that the risk from the
and there is an onus on site owners site is no worse than it was when the
to manage sites and their associated environmental permit was issued.
environmental liabilities for as long This is achieved via the production
as they continue to pose a risk to of a landfill surrender report.
the environment. Over time there is a Landfill surrender reports require an
gradual decrease in the concentrations assessment of the current condition of
of potential contaminants present the landfill and its surroundings.
in landfills and there comes a point
when they no longer pose a risk to ESI has assisted a number of operators
environmental receptors. At this point, to achieve landfill completion with the
the landfill licence or permit can be result that these sites are no longer
surrendered and the site is said to a liability and can be developed for
be completed. subsequent use thus transforming a
liability into an asset.
In order to surrender a licence
or permit, the site owner must
4. Closed Landfill Support
Closed landfill sites fall into two • Development of a robust site
categories, those regulated by a conceptual model to determine
Waste Management Licence (WML) environmental risks
/ Environmental Permit which are
the responsibility of the Environment • Identification of data gaps and
Agency, and those closed prior to additional monitoring and
1994 which did not require a WML infrastructure
and are the responsibility of the Local • Design of environmental monitoring
Authority and likely to fall within the networks and suitable borehole
purview of Part 2A of the Environmental design specifications
Protection Act.
• Production of a site-specific
ESI provides bespoke support to local environmental monitoring schedule
authorities and businesses in relation to
issues arising from closed landfills. The • On-going data management,
service offering includes: analysis, interpretation and reporting
• Review and interpretation of existing • Construction of a risk assessment to
historical reports and data sets assess the level of risk posed by
the landfill site to relevant
• Development of a screening matrix environmental receptors.
to help eliminate sites that do not
pose a threat to the environment and
to prioritise those of most concern
Hydrogeological Risk Assessments for Landfill
A site-specific hydrogeological risk represent conditions as accurately
assessment (HRA) must be included as possible.
in all applications for an Environmental
Permit (EP) for a waste disposal ESI has its own in-house modelling
site. ESI prepares hydrogeological software package RAM2 in addition
risk assessments for landfill sites to other software packages. This
accepting inert, non-hazardous and software is highly versatile and enables
hazardous waste, in a wide and varied a flexible approach to developing risk
range of locations and geological and assessment models. RAM2 provides
hydrogeological environments. a robust and transparent assessment
of risks using the source-pathway-
A technical approach to risk receptor methodology and can
assessment has been carefully incorporate a constant or declining
designed; ESI works closely with source term.
regulatory bodies and the industry
as a whole on the development and ESI’s transient version of RAM2
application of practical risk assessment (TRAM) has been developed to
methodologies. Through the production allow the assessment of a landfill’s
of a robust conceptual model, based performance through time, taking into
on a comprehensive desk study, the account changes to the engineering
level of risk assessment appropriate containment measures that are in
to the site is determined. If required place (e.g. geomembrane liners and
a computer model is developed, to landfill caps).
Radioactive Waste Disposal
Radioactive waste material has the associated with radioactive waste
potential to generate soluble products disposal sites and radioactive waste
that may gain access to groundwater facilities, an advanced risk assessment
systems and discharge to surface water approach is necessary. Assessments
receptors. Protection of groundwater use the accepted ‘source, pathway,
and surface waters around radioactive receptor’ methodology; ‘source’ is the
waste disposal sites is paramount. ESI’s radioactive material, ‘pathway’ is the
team of hydrogeologists and modellers route by which contaminant migration
are able to undertake the necessary risk could potentially take place within the
assessments to explore whether current made ground and natural geological
or proposed waste disposal options are strata, and ‘receptors’ are potentially
likely to cause environmental impacts. sensitive environmental features (e.g.
groundwater or surface waters) in the
In order to understand contamination vicinity of the site.
risks to groundwater and surface water
5. Hydrogeological Risk Assessment Reviews
Environmental Permits for landfill sub-water table, proximity to sensitive
sites include a condition requiring receptors). ESI’s services include:
operators to undertake a review of
the hydrogeological risk assessment • The review of environmental
(HRA) that was submitted with the monitoring data collected since the
original application. A report, detailing last HRA review
the outcome of the review, must be • Assessment of data to establish any
submitted to the Environment Agency, changes in the nature of; the
as stipulated by the permit source erm, the pathways, and the
t
ESI has extensive HRA experience and receptors
utilises a range of software tools that • Update, or reconstruction of, the HRA
quickly and accurately assess the level model as required
of work required under an HRA review,
enabling operators to fulfil regulatory • Concise reporting of the outcomes
requirements whilst keeping costs to a of environmental data review.
minimum. Changes to conceptual site
model, computer modelling,
The complexity of an HRA review will conclusions of the updated HRA,
depend upon the nature of the site and any appropriate amendments to
(inert, non-hazardous or hazardous) the site requisite surveillance scheme
and the specific site setting (e.g.
Case Studies
Risk Assessment for a Proposed Landfill
ESI undertook a desk study and effectively. The client also benefited
detailed site investigation in order from ESI’s close consultation with
to enable robust conceptualisation the Environment Agency, facilitating
of the hydrogeological regime and approval of the preferred containment
subsequent groundwater flow and solution for the landfill site.
hydrogeological risk modelling
of the landfill site. Of particular ESI provided detailed technical
importance was inclusion of justification for model parameters
leachate re-circulation in the model. and undertook close consultation
Development of the modelled site with the Environment Agency to
design in close liaison with the landfill facilitate approval of the preferred
engineers enabled the necessary site containment solution effectively.
performance to be achieved cost
Assessment for a Landfill Licence Surrender
ESI was instructed to produce a assessments. The risk assessments
surrender report for an old landfill site. were subsequently undertaken
Following early discussions with the (the stability risk assessment was
regulator, it was decided that a number of undertaken by one of ESI’s partners)
risk assessments were required before a and they concluded that the site no
surrender report could be accepted. longer posed a risk.
Therefore, as part of this project a site The surrender report and associated
investigation was undertaken to collect surrender form were submitted to the
necessary data to inform human health, regulator who agreed with the findings
controlled waters, gas and stability risk and the licence was surrendered.
6. Landfill Groundwater Monitoring Network Design and
Construction Quality Assurance
ESI was commissioned to advise on undertook all drilling supervision as
locating and designing 10 groundwater per the CQA plans to British Standard
monitoring wells for an active landfill BS5930.
site. The operator was unhappy with
the monitoring infrastructure around the ESI provided documentation of the
site margins. works in the form of a CQA report that
was submitted to the Environment
Following agreement with the Agency. The improved monitoring
Environment Agency, ESI also provided network is now giving satisfactory
independent construction quality information for statutory reporting
assurance (CQA) services for the to the Environment Agency allowing
drilling and installation. The drilling and the operator to ensure that Permit
installation specifications were prepared conditions are fulfilled.
by ESI prior to all site work and ESI
“ESI’s expertise in soil and groundwater science and
our proven track record working with a wide range
of clients and liaising with regulatory authorities as
required, enables us to provide bespoke services to
our clients in the waste management industry.
Our services include, tailoring risk assessment models
to the specific requirements of the site, advising on
the optimum engineering design and ensuring the
most cost effective solution to the problem”
Rob Sears - Technical Director Landfill
ESI Ltd
New Zealand House
160 Abbey Foregate
Shrewsbury
SY2 6FD
T: +44 (0) 1743 276100
E: info@esinternational.com
W: www.esinternational.com
