Contaminated Land

Many geoscience graduates specialise in remediation of contaminated land, learning skills in:

• Environmental Management including licensing, permitting & waste management
• Site Investigation: planning, drilling, sampling and preservation, field and laboratory testing, and health & safety 
• Contaminant hydrogeology 
• Understanding of the Earth systems and geochemical cycles controlling movement of contaminants –some may also deal with radiological risks.
• Planning and implementing remediation projects including mine remediation
• Stakeholder engagement, project management, financing, valuation and insurance.

Many contaminated land investigation, assessment and remediation activities fall under the Engineering Geology discipline. Other inter-related disciplines include geotechnics, hydrology (drainage, and flood risk), ecology and geophysics.

Watch this video from the Contaminated Land Group to find out more about a career in this area.

Roles & Career Profiles

Contaminated Land Consultant	Technical Officer Groundwater and Contaminated Land
Contaminated Land Contractor	Contaminated Land Lecturer
Contaminated Land Regulator

Geoscience Areas

Those employed in the contaminated land sector use their knowledge of Geoscience areas and related sciences such as:

• Environmental Geochemistry
• Geomorphology / Surface Processes
• Hydrogeology
• Stratigraphy
• Near Surface Geophysics
• Petrology - understanding of rock processes and permeability
• Soil science
• Ecology
• Modelling
• Field sampling and mapping

Other skills such as effective communication of risks and hazards, report writing, and the ability to evaluate the reliability of data from different sources, are also important.