Contaminated Land and Groundwater: Resources, past and future

26th July 2018

University Place, 176 Oxford Road, Manchester

The Geological Society Contaminated Land Group would like to invite you to this unique one day conference.

2018 is the “Year of Resources”. This conference will explore the role of the contaminated land specialist in management of risk to, and sustainable use of, our increasingly valuable land and groundwater resources.  A poster for the event can be accessed here.

The UK and in particular the north of England has a long industrial history including exploitation of the land for resources such as coal, manufacture of natural gas and use of the land for landfill sites. In this conference we explore the management of this legacy with respect to ground contamination. Talks will also look forward, into emerging specialisms for geoenvironmental specialists, triggered by modern pressures such as the housing crisis and diversification of energy resources.

The programme for the event is available on the Geological Society Events page and can be accessed here.

Talk topics include:

• Ground investigation and assessment of both gas works and coal mine sites;
• Protection and assessment of risk to groundwater resources from new shale gas extraction sites, nuclear waste disposal sites and other sources of contamination;
• Soil degradation and soil health;
• Redevelopment of landfill sites; and
• The Careau colliery project, where disused mine water is being used to heat homes.

In addition to the diverse range of talks. The day will also give delegates the opportunity to attend a hands-on workshop on one of the following topics:

• Hazwasteonline facilitated by Ian Bishop
• BGS geoscience tools for brownfield specialists by Darren Beriro
• Groundwater monitoring techniques by Peter Dumble (PD Hydrogeology) and Kayleigh Smith (Insitu)
• A practical session for logging and descriptions of Made Ground soils

Confirmed speakers:

• Dave Jacob (RSK)
• John Williams (ADAS)
• Russell Thomas (WSP)
• Kristian Fox (Atkins)
• Darren Beriro (BGS)
• Deborah Thomas (Envireau Water)
• Laura Ward (The Environment Agency) and Jenny Lightfoot (Arup)
• Peter Brabham (Cardiff University)

There will be an Early Careers poster competition.  For more details, and to register for the event, please visit the events page on the Geological Society website here.

To find out more about the Contaminated Land Group visit their specialist group page here.