BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL

1. Environmental Pollution and Applicability of Remediation Technologies in Latin American Countries BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL The Ad Hoc International Working Group on Contaminated Land & other International Networks Dr. Urs Ziegler, Swiss Agency for the Environment, Forests and Landscape

2. Contents BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL • The Ad Hoc International Working Group on Contaminated Land • Initiatives of the European Union: CLARINET / CARACAS • NICOLE • NATO / CCMS Pilot Studies • UN/ECE Pilot Project • RACE & RANET • Conclusions

3. Why cooperation? BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL • Uncertainties about contaminations are • hindering sustainable development • increasing pressure on greenfield sites • a severe burden on public and industry purse • International cooperation and coordination is needed • in order to avoid duplication of research and to provide a wider basis for scientific peer review • to generate focused and transparent approaches to the problem which are economically viable

4. Key question BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL How to reduce the cost of dealing with land contamination without compromising public health and environmental conditions, or business confidence in the benefits of land regeneration and sustainable use of soil and land ?

5. Ad Hoc Int‘l Working Group on Contaminated Land BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL The Ad Hoc International Working Group on Contaminated Land is an informal forum for international exchange and co-operation. Its principal purpose is to provide a forum, open to any country, in which issues and problems of contaminated land and ground-water can be discussed and information freelyexchanged to the benefit of all participants.

6. Ad Hoc Int‘l Working Group on Contaminated Land BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL • Participants / Contributors: • „Regulators“: those concerned by contaminated land issues within national ministries and environ-mental agencies • Frequency of meetings: • A plenary meeting takes place every second year • Organisers / Host of the meetings: • One country holds the secretariat for 2 years and thereafter hosts the next meeting • Actual situation: • Switzerland = Host / Canada = Secretariat

7. Ad Hoc Int‘l Working Group on Contaminated Land BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL • Topics discussed at the Copenhagen Meeting, 1999 • Groundwater protection strategies • Diffuse contaminations • Contaminated Land in Central and Eastern Europe • Management of Contaminated Land • (Details: Report of the Copenhagen Meeting, 1999, SAEFL 2000)

8. Ad Hoc Int‘l Working Group on Contaminated Land BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL • Topics to be discussed at the Geneva Meeting (17 & 18 september, 2001) • Persistant pollutants sites, or: where natural attenuation comes to an end • Sustainable remediation of contaminated sites • Groundwater: fit for use or clean? • Limits of the polluter pays principle • Contaminated sites and safety installations • Contamination resulting from oil production

9. Ad Hoc Int‘l Working Group on Contaminated Land BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL • Persistant pollutants sites, or: where natural attenuation comes to an end • Is there a comprehensive definition of a • „Persistent pollutants site“? • Size of the problem (number of PEPSI‘s) • Conceptual differenciation necessary between contaminations resulting from heavy metals and from organic substances? • Maximum acceptable time-span for natural attenuation?

10. Ad Hoc Int‘l Working Group on Contaminated Land BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL • Sustainable remediation of contaminated sites • Has everything to be cleaned-up by our generation? • Methods to establish ranking of priority sites: Decision framework based on type of relevant pollutants, type of risks to humans and the environment, liability and financial means of polluters, necessary timeframe for natural attenuation, costs for long-term monitoring and maintenace of technical systems, etc.

11. BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL Ad Hoc Int‘l Working Group on Contaminated Land • Groundwater - fit for use or clean? • Drop multifunctionality for use dependant remediation goals? • Policies, strategies, attitude towards natural attenuation • Point of compliance? • Substances that need to be regulated • Approaches towards residual contaminations • Protection of aquifers for future use

12. BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL Ad Hoc Int‘l Working Group on Contaminated Land • Limits of the polluter pays principle • Discussion of the following situations • Polluter does not exist any more or is bankrupt • Polluter = Public (local dumps, landfills, etc.) • Polluter is a state owned entity or enterprise (e.g. army, state owned mines, etc.) • Polluter is a neighbouring country (e.g. pollution of rivers, groundwater, shorelines by activities in neighbouring countries)

13. BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL Ad Hoc Int‘l Working Group on Contaminated Land • Contaminated sites and safety of installations • Co-operation between issues related to conta- minated sites and to the safety of installations • Integration of clean-up costs in safety considerations • Sufficient liability limits for long-term effects • EU white paper helpful? • Consideration of possible transboundary impacts

14. BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL Ad Hoc Int‘l Working Group on Contaminated Land • Contamination resulting from oil production: from the bore-hole through the refinery to the end-user • Size and importance of the problem • Are the present problems addressed in an environmentally appropriate manner? • Additional measures to be taken in the future

15. BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL Ad Hoc Int‘l Working Group on Contaminated Land Invitation: Members of governmental institutions are invited to participate at the next plenary meeting of the Ad Hoc International WorkingGroup on Contaminated Land in Geneva, Switzerland 17 and 18 September 2001 For more information please contact: Urs Ziegler, Switzerland (urs.ziegler@buwal.admin.ch) or Adrien Pilon, Canada (adrian.pilon@nrc.ca)

16. BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL CARACAS & CLARINET CARACAS & CLARINET are European concerted actions on contaminated land initiated within the EC Environment and Climate Programme. CARACAS (1996 - 1998) Risk Assessment CLARINET (1998 - 2001) Risk Management Partnership between 16 European countries combinig the knwoledge of various stakeholders such as regulators, academia, consultants, landowners & developers of technologies

17. BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL CLARINET CLARINET = Contaminated Land Rehabilitation Network for Environmental Technologies in Europe Objectives are to identify the means by which management of contaminated land can be applied according to the principles of sustainable development • to ensure the safe (re-use) of such land • to abate water pollution caused • to maintain the functionality of soil and (ground-) water ecosystems and to coordinate related RTD activities in the EU

18. BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL CLARINET • Working groups: • Brownfields and Urban Redevelopment • Protection and Rehabilitation of Water Resources • Risk Management and Decision Support • Remediation Technologies • Toxicological and Ecological Aspects for Land-use • Collaboration of R & D Programmes in Europe

19. BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL CLARINET • Results: • CLARINET Conceptual paper & publications of the individual working groups • International Conference: Vienna, Austria, 21 & 22 June 2001 • CLARINET Website: http:// www. clarinet.at

20. BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL CARACAS • CARACAS`= Concerted Action on Risk Assessment of Contaminated Sites • Analysis of policy and practice in European countries with regard to risk assessment in the field of contaminated land management • Results: • CARACAS Book Vol. 1: Scientific Basis • CARACAS Book Vol. 2: Policy Frameworks Website: http://www.caracas.at

21. BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL NICOLE • NICOLE = Network for Industrially Contaminated Land in Europe • Participants: industry, researches, techn. Developers, service providers • Focus: exch. Of scientific/techn. Knowledge on all aspects of contaminated land • Results: NICOLE News, scientific workshops and conferences • Website http://www.nicole.org

22. BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL NATO / CCMS • Technologies for Clean-up of Contaminated Land and Ground Water (Phase III) • Participants: env. Regulators & scientists (world-wide) • Focus: evaluation of internat. SOA on remediation technologies • Results: Techn. Reports • Websites (http://www.nato.int/ccms & http://www.clu-in.com)

23. BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL NATO / CCMS • Environmental Aspects of Reusing former Military Land • Participants: env. regulators and military • Focus: promotes co-operation between NATO and former Eastern Bloc Countries on military sites • Results: working groups established

24. BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL UN/ECE Pilot Project Clean-up in countries of Transition • Participants: open to any interested person • Focus: survey on internationally available technologies for clean-up, sampling & analysis, modelling and their demonstration • Results: sites for remediation selected

25. BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL RACE - RANET RACE = Risk Abatement Center for Eastern EuropeRANET = Risk Abatement Network • Participants: Regulators, scientists, service and technology providers from CEE • Objectives: encourage and promote the application of risk assessment and innovative environmental technologies • Results: Newsletter, conferences, case studies, training courses, pilot projects

26. BUWAL OFEFP UFAFP SAEFL CONCLUSIONS • International cooperation on contaminated land is beneficial for all participating countries! • Most initiatives are open to participants from any country of the world • You are very welcome to join!