Contaminated Land for Councils
A one stop shop for councils’ contaminated land management
What is contaminated land?
"Contaminated land" refers to sites where substances are present at concentrations causing actual or potential risk of harm to human health or the environment.
Typically, contamination results from current and historical industrial and agricultural land uses. Contamination can also come from improper storage, handling and disposal of chemicals or biological substances, or use of contaminated fill on a site. The field of contaminated land also includes contamination in groundwater, surface water, dust, vapour, and hazardous ground gases, and their potential to migrate onto, and off, a site.
Councils’ roles
Councils have a major role in the management of contaminated land to protect their communities' health, and ensure healthy and appropriate development of their local government area. There are three key areas of responsibility for councils’ contaminated land management, as outlined below.