On-site Remediation of Soil: Keeping Our Land and Water Safe

Resources and companies advertising on-site remediation of soil are popping up everywhere-Americans are becoming more wary of polluted soil and drinking water. Because many anti-pollution laws and policies are recent, much of our country's soil is already contaminated. Homeowners can also unknowingly poison their own soil in many ways. By becoming more conscious of remediation practices, we can work together to create a cleaner environment.

The easiest way to clean contaminated soil is to wash it out. Pure water works wonders when trying to force pollutants out of your ground. Sometimes, chemicals are used to do the job. This process is time consuming and not always the best method, but it is a good start for small projects.

Polarization is another method of on-site remediation of soil. In this process, professionals use electromagnetic fields to attract the pollutants into one area of the soil. This chunk of soil can then be removed and taken to an off-site lab for proper cleaning. Polarization soil remediation is not a viable option of most homeowners, because it requires expensive equipment such as an anode and cathode to pull molecules in different directions.

A third option is bacteria soil remediation. In some cases, a pollutant might be removed by introducing into the soil bacteria that will eat the chemical. This is a natural way of ridding your soil of chemicals and other pollutants, but it is a long process, as bacteria may need two or three years of continual feeding to remove the pollutant from the soil

If on-site remediation does not work, there are a variety of off-site processes as well. However, to do this, you most remove all of the contaminated soil and ship it to a lab, which is a problem if the contamination runs deep. This may hurt the environment more than it may help, because you will destroy some of the natural land formation and potentially disrupt underground riverbeds. Nevertheless, this option is 100% effective since it can be controlled in a lab setting, making it a good option for accidents with chemical pollutants that are extremely toxic. In any case, if you think your soil may be contaminated, call a professional. They can test the site and explain the options, and you can decide if on-site remediation of soil is the best option for the situation.