Number of soil pollution sites in the Netherlands, 1982-2002
The number of sites requiring cleanup would appear to be too great, given current progress, if Dutch soil is to be as clean in twenty years as required by the soil cleanup policy. Work is taking place on the establishment of a complete picture of the number of sites requiring cleanup. This work will be completed in 2004.
| Surveys soil pollution | 1982 | 1990 | 1997 | 2002 'interim position' picture of country as a whole | |
| official number of sites | unofficial number of sites | ||||
| Suspect | 2 000 | 100 000 | 175 000 | approx. 350 000 | |
| of which requiring cleanup | 60 000 | 60 000 - 80 000 | |||
| Source: VROM/RIVM, 2003. | RIVM/EDC/sept03 | ||||
National picture of the number of sites requiring cleanup
In the Soil Cleanup Interim Measures Act of 1983, it was assumed that cleanup operations for historical soil pollution would be finite. The soil investigation carried out over the years identified more and more suspect sites (see table). In order to make it possible to establish a timetable for the completion of the cleanup work by the desired date (2023), it was decided to conduct a thorough national survey.
In 1999, the competent government authorities in the area of soil cleanup started on this survey. It covers all sites where there is suspected soil pollution. At the end of 2002, the interim estimate of the number of suspect sites was approximately 350,000. These are legal and illegal landfills, former and current industrial and business locations, embankments and damping structures.
On the basis of the survey of suspect sites, an estimate is made of the severity of the pollution and urgency of cleanup activities at those sites. The estimate of the number of potentially urgent sites is 60,000 - 80,000. These are provisional figures. The survey of sites requiring cleanup and sites requiring investigation will be completed in 2004. In the future, cleanup may become urgent at some sites as a result of changes in land use.
Expected development until 2023
In the period 1980-2002, a total of approximately 9,300 cleanup operations were completed. Many of the suspect sites that have been investigated have been rated as not severe (no measures) or severe but not urgent (management only, approximately 500 sites a year). At present, approximately 1000 cleanup operations take place annually. The number of sites requiring cleanup would appear to be too great, given current progress, if Dutch soil is to be as clean in twenty years as required by the cleanup policy. Preparations are therefore being made to accelerate the soil cleanup operation by investing in:
- the development of the arsenal of legal provisions that links up with the objectives of the soil cleanup policy innovations (BEVER);
- survey of suspect sites;
- encouraging third parties to invest in research and cleanup.
- For more information about the soil cleanup policy, see Soil quality and soil pollution: policy
Comparison with other countries
Surveys in other countries have reached different stages. By comparison: in the year 2000, Germany had an interim figure of 360,000 suspect sites on former landfills and industrial estates. In Flanders, it is expected that approximately 60,000-70,000 investigative studies will have to be conducted on existing business premises (those subject to compulsory investigation), followed by 18,000 follow-up studies and 8,000 cleanup operations. In addition, there are approximately 11,000 sites in Flanders where there have been risk-bearing activities in the past and where investigation is compulsory upon transfer (AMINAL, 2002).
