Study reveals dramatic scale of land remediation challenge

摘要

Over 12,000 sites still need treatment for historic land contamination, according to "indicative" figures produced in a major Environment Agency study. Some 21,000 sites have undergone remediation work. Estimating the extent of contaminated land is notoriously tricky, not least because it depends on the definition of "contaminated". However, policy-makers would like to be able to judge the extent of the problem and measure progress in tackling it. The new study, covering England and Wales, was conducted in partnership with the Environment Department (DEFRA). It built up a picture from the ground with help from local authority officers. Twelve study areas were selected, each comprising a one-kilometre radius of land. The results were extrapolated to a regional level, then compared with information from other sources.