Land Contamination
Contaminated land and groundwater can reduce property value and even prevent it from being sold. Cleanup costs can be expensive, not to mention the negative stigma that remains. In addition, certain types of contamination can pose a variety of severe health and environmental hazards.
Environmental Contamination Decreases Your Property Value
Some contaminated sites might pose a minimal risk because the contamination is low. Others can be very significant. When this happens, it can lead to severe environmental consequences and/or pose health hazards. Yet, even if the health risk is low, many buyers prefer to purchase sites without contamination. This decreases the pool of potential buyers.
Why Cleanup of Contaminated Land is Important
Environmentally contaminated soils can affect groundwater, nearby surface waters, plants, animals, drinking water, and air quality. Prevailing winds can exacerbate the contamination by carrying contaminants long distances. As a result, nearby neighbors and their animals can be exposed through inhalation, ingestion, or dermal contact. Groundwater contaminated with volatile organic compounds can give off vapors that travel through soil, and where there is a pathway, enter buildings and cause health problems. Also, contaminated groundwater can migrate onto other properties and lead to lawsuits and government intervention.
Rindt-McDuff Associates Can Help!
RMA environmental specialists have extensive experience cleaning up contaminated land. Generally, the cleanup efforts are dependent on the extent and the types of contaminants. Therefore, we sample the soil and groundwater before we make the appropriate recommendations. In addition, we follow the federal and state laws about the assessment and cleanup process, which in some cases can be very complex.
The RMA Team
At RMA, we have decades of environmental experience, which means we have seen a lot of different situations. We also partner with specialized geologists when appropriate.
Types of Contaminated Sites We Work On
Typical types of environmental contamination we have experience with include:
- Industrial Waste, including hazardous substances, hazardous wastes, oils, solvents, fuels, and heavy metals such as lead
- Waste Management Sites
- Underground Storage Tanks
- Accidental Spills
- Transportation Spills
- Brownfields
- PCB Sites
- Landfills
What’s Next?
If your land is contaminated or you think it could be, click below to be connected with one of our environmental specialists to discuss options.