Major oil contamination

Solving a critical multi-stakeholder problem averts environmental disaster and keeps industrial estate operating:

A 42 acre industrial estate, located in Eastleigh has an environmentally important river running by it. The site is managed by a leading international property management firm and houses major distribution facilities, transport depots and light industrial units.

The Background

The River Itchen is a chalk stream which flows for approximately 28 miles from mid-Hampshire to Southampton. The river has international importance and is designated a Site of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its high quality habitats that support a range of protected species.

The Problem

• After major oil contamination issues impacting the River Itchen, the Environment Agency was threatening to shut down the site entirely.
• The site was in breach of the Water Authority Act 1991 and on the EA’s ‘Red List’.

Appointment of Metcor Environmental 

• To avoid the site’s drainage outflows being shut off by Southern Water / the EA, Metcor Environmental was appointed as specialist representative by the managing agents.
• We led a meeting with EA and Southern Water officials, representatives from each of the 20 tenants and the Facilities Manager, to agree an action plan that involved two phases
• We then held stakeholder meetings each week of Phase One

The solution: Phase One

Oil absorbent booms

• Installation of specialised booms by the river outfall
• Oil-absorbent booms fitted across surface water system, with levels monitored over 4 week period
• Dye testing at each tenant’s premises
• Using our jet-vac tanker capacity to remove all petrol interceptor waste across site
• Lab tests of hazardous oil waste samples
• This 4-week program reduced contamination and removed the industrial park off the EA ‘Red List’

Findings from the investigations

• Following the success of Phase 1, we pinpointed the contamination to a bus depot
• Their vehicle washing system linked via a petrol interceptor into the surface water system
• We carried out a full-entry investigation of the petrol interceptor and found it had been installed back-to-front
• We also discovered a catchment pit beneath the depot that directed oil-contaminated waste directly into the surface-water drainage

Metcor Van

The solution: Phase Two

• Working with all parties, we designed a correctly-sized and located system
• We conducted a ‘flows and loads’ survey to gauge drainage system capacity utilisation
• We launched a 12 week program of civil excavations to upgrade the drainage infrastructure and install the correct interceptor systems
• We worked with the tenant’s approved contractors while continuing Phase 1 monitoring
• Our tanker fleet provided haz-waste removal support

Follow up

• Following completion of the project, we re-surveyed the site to provide up-to-date drainage plans
• We introduced our robust annual maintenance program to clean foul and surface water systems
• Six months after the project, a detailed follow-up investigation revealed no contamination in the water course

Quantifying the success

• Avoided over £500,000 lost revenues for tenants
• Over £150,000 Environment Agency fines prevented
• £8,400 Cost of annual surface and foul-water PPM, and ongoing monitoring
• £340 average annual reactive spend across entire 42-acre site since Metcor Environmental works
• Zero –  number of Environment Agency issues since Metcor Environmental works