NEWS

Follow-up: Groundwater Remediation Started at the Rinteln Municipal Utilities Site - Status Quo of Remediation

Rinteln

WHAT-WE-DO: As already reported some time ago, in the course of the orienting investigation carried out by our M&P Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH in Hanover in 2015, contamination by cyanides and PAHs was detected for the first time both in the soil and in the groundwater on the premises of Stadtwerke Rinteln GmbH, which was causally related to the former use of the site as a gasworks (between 1896 and 1964). To concretise and narrow down these initial findings, further investigations were carried out in stages in the following years up to 2020 in coordination with the authorities. Two sources of damage were identified (source 1 - production, source 2 - waste burial). In addition, the groundwater analyses of the groundwater measuring points located downstream of the municipal utility's property proved that pollutants were being discharged with the groundwater from the municipal utility's property, which is why there is a need for action and the two sources of damage must be remediated.

The classical approach of soil excavation is problematic from several points of view and so it was decided to use a biological method. Read more here: https://mup-group.com/bakterien-fressen-altlasten/

In January 2021, construction of the necessary infrastructure and plant engineering for the complex redevelopment began.

The more than 60 remediation wells have now all been constructed and connected to the three plants. The water law permit for the described remediation was issued by the Schaumburg district on 01.06.2021. Subsequently, the first plant (hearth 1) went into operation on 03.06.2021. Oxygen injection started at the beginning of July 2021 and co-substrate injection is planned for the beginning of September. Only after the co-substrate injection will it be possible to see the first remediation successes. The commissioning of the second plant (hearth 2)) followed on 13.07.2021. The commissioning of the third plant will take place in the next few weeks.

For the monitoring of the remediation measure, both a close-meshed pollutant and hydraulic groundwater monitoring is planned at approx. 30 groundwater measuring points in the source of the damage as well as in the close vicinity, in order to document the remediation success on the one hand and on the other hand to ensure that no further pollutants leave the property of the public utility company. The remediation, initially planned for the next three years, will be carried out and supervised by Sensatec GmbH and M&P Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH. During this period, the Schaumburg district will be involved in all procedures and processes and will define the remediation target values in transects yet to be defined.

Sources: https://www.stadtwerke-rinteln.de/news/grundwassersanierung-auf-dem-standort-der-stadtwerke-rinteln-gestartet-status-quo-der-sanierung

 Learn more about our work and projects and follow us:     

#mullandpartner #engineeringforabettertomorrow #whatwedo #groundwater remediation #groundwater monitoring