Lambton Coke Works

Friday 30 April 2010

Client: Carillion plc/English Partnerships

Date: 2004 to present

Value: £3,500,000

CL Voelcker is providing environmental and geotechnical support services to the Main Contractor on the reclamation and remediation of a 64ha former colliery, brick and coke works site at Lambton near Sunderland.

The scheme involves the excavation and re-use of nearly 2,000,000m3 of materials, much of which has been contaminated by the site's historical uses. Contaminated soils are primarily being treated by bioremediation. A permeable reactive barrier will also be installed to treat contaminated groundwater prior to migration into the surface water receptor.

The site is being developed for housing, a strategic road corridor and as a country park.

The work has been carried out in a number of phases as planning consents are gained and budgets released. After the initial preparatory phase, Phase 2 required detailed ground investigation, testing and collation of data; these works were designed, directed and supervised by CL Voelcker with support from other ESGL divisions including TES Bretby and Soil Mechanics.

With the data produced from the investigation works CL Voelcker produced detailed 3D contamination mapping, derivation of cleanup targets and detailed design of the remediation process. These were all presented to, and agreed with, the regulatory authorities.

Phase 3 of the works entailed the creation of a housing platform and sections of road embankment as well and is now complete.

Phase 4 of the project will be complete in autumn 2009 and entails the final profiling and landscaping of the country park area, completion of soil remediation, the construction of the final section of road embankment and treatment of mine shafts. Phase 4 will also see the permeable reactive barrier installed to protect the Herrington Burn from residual groundwater contamination.

CL Voelcker was present on site throughout to provide rapid data and advice for materials sentencing decisions, to undertake environmental and occupational health monitoring and to carry out chemical and geotechnical validation of the site, helping to bring this significant five year remediation scheme to a successful conclusion.

Update June 2009

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