Predicted impacts of climate change resulting in changing weather patterns and sea level rise put an ever increasing pressure on the UK coastline to support flood and erosion management. This possible increased level of coastal erosion places risk of wash-out of potential hazardous waste from former industrial and domestic landfill sites situated along the coastline in the UK.

Completed landfill sites may have had very little monitoring undertaken to assess the potential for pollution incidents, so very little may be known about their likely risk to the environment or human health. Identifying the most important closed landfill sites can be particularly difficult due to limited data available on waste types and quantities deposited and also the type and extent of environmental monitoring already undertaken. It is more than likely that upon further investigations additional landfill sites posing a risk to the maritime environment and human health due to erosion will be identified.

Also, considering the preparation of a second round of Shoreline Management Plans in progress in England and Wales, as well as contaminated land assessment regimes throughout the UK, a number of new sites may emerge as potential problem areas, especially in the medium to longer term.

Research and information broker CIRIA is now planning to develop guidance addressing the issues surrounding landfill sites on eroding coastlines. It will set out good practice in terms of how these sites should be dealt with. It is envisioned the guidance report may be structured in a way that will address the following three main issues:

* Engineering approach: appropriate solutions for dealing with eroding landfill sites taking into consideration regional and national policies and legislation.
* Environmental approach: the potential consequences of any contaminated material entering the maritime environment, This will also address how contaminated material can have a minimal impact whilst within landfill, but a much more significant impact should it erode in the maritime environment.
* Regulatory approach: how different schemes should be treated under relevant legislation, including the Water Framework Directive.

CIRIA is currently seeking funding to develop this guidance. More infomation on the project from Project Manager Kristina Gamst.

Quelle: CIRIA

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