K2 Consulting Group is a leading Environmental Consulting Company based in Sydney and undertakes challenging environmental assessment projects in NSW and across Australia.
We are Certified Environmental Practitioners (CEnvP) under the Environment Institute Of Australia And New Zealand (EIANZ) scheme and are authorised to undertake Environmental Assessments in Sydney and NSW. We are insured, licenced and possess in-depth knowledge and experience in undertaking simple to complex environmental assessments across Australia.
We are Sydney based environmental consultants who are Certified Environmental Practitioners (CEnvP) under the EIANZ scheme (recognized by the EPA), and licenced asbestos assessors recognised by the NSW SafeWork and Occupational Hygienists.
Our Environmental assessment reports have been submitted to local councils, the EPA and other regulators and we have a good reputation in the industry.
We are an innovative team of Environmental Engineers (recognised by Engineers Australia) and Scientists and provide simple and practical solutions to our Client’s Environmental issues. Our key strengths include:
● In-depth technical knowledge in contaminated land matters
● Transparent costing
● We help navigate the maze around the environmental framework
● Get the work done no matter the hurdles
● Friendly and easy to work with
● Professional Indemnity and Public Liability Insurance
Environmental Assessment is a broadly used term and indicates the identification, assessment, and comparison of the environmental parameters for specific project needs or objectives. Typically, an environmental assessment report will involve identifying the environmental risks posed by a project or a site. The scale of the environmental assessment in Sydney may vary based on the size of the project i.e., Environmental Assessments can be undertaken for the construction of a mine or a road, infrastructure or residential subdivision development, or a legacy contamination issue that needs to be addressed to minimise human health and environmental risk.
In this section, we will discuss more environmental assessments relevant to Contaminated Land Act under NSW Legislation. The general object of this Act is to establish a process for investigating and (where appropriate) remediating land that the EPA considers to be contaminated significantly enough to require regulation under Division 2 of Part 3 of the contaminated land act.
We undertake environmental investigations and provide advice on remediation of contaminated land and assist our clients in managing the contaminated land in accordance with the relevant acts and guidelines. We assist our clients in assessing the land, identifying any contamination issues and (if any) advice on remediation of the soils and issuing a final validation report endorsing that the land is suitable for the proposed use.
We undertake Preliminary Site Investigations and/or Detailed Site Investigations to assess the soils on-site based on various guidelines including the National Environment Protection (Assessment of Site Contamination) Measure (NEPM 1999, revised 2003).
If any contamination is identified in or on the soils onsite and requires clean-up, a remediation action plan report is prepared, and a remediation contractor is engaged. Upon completion of the clean-up (post-remediation), further testing of soils is undertaken, and a validation report is prepared by the Environmental Consultant, which would then deem the soils suitable for the proposed development or current use.
Allianz Property Development Pty Ltd is proposing to build a childcare centre by demolishing old townhouse buildings. The local Council has requested Allianz to undertake an Environmental Assessment of the site to ensure that the soils onsite are suitable for the proposed development and that no historical activities on site could cause any human health risk and environmental risk to the site users, neighbours and nearby sensitive receptors.
K2 Consulting group would undertake a Preliminary Site Investigation to assess the historical activities which can be desktop based and sometimes involve soil sampling to ensure that no contaminants above the prescribed levels are present on the site. Based on the environmental site investigation, the concentration of contaminants were below the acceptable guideline criteria and hence no further action is required.
A Preliminary Site Investigation Report or a Detailed Site Investigation Report (if detailed soil sampling is undertaken) signed off by a Certified Environmental Practitioner (CEnvP) will be issued to the Client. and then it is eventually submitted to the Council.
The cost of an environmental assessment will differ based on the area of the site, the complexity of contamination on the site, the level of detailed reporting required the number of soil and water samples collected and the amount of time spent in undertaking site work writing the reports.
We offer transparent costing and endeavour to provide a lump-sum fee for a preliminary site assessment. A detailed site assessment in Sydney can cost extra due to the cost of drilling, soil sampling and analysis and the detailed report required.
We aim to offer a high-quality service and defuse any surprises (from a contamination point of view) in the project to the best of our ability.
A cheaper environmental assessment quote can lead to reduced time spent on-site or during the desktop investigation or a reduced number of sampling points (which is normally not advisable, as there is a risk of unexpected finds in the future) and thus may turn out into an expensive exercise in the future. Hence, we recommend that quality time and sufficient budget be spent during the preliminary site assessment stage so you can mitigate the surprises in the future and avoid any time delays when your project breaks the ground.
A quality environmental assessment will aim to identify various contamination sources from the past and present site uses and will provide a detailed report on human health and environmental risks. We spend quality time on the project and aim to lower your legal and financial risks before you commence a construction project or purchase land for future construction purposes. Nobody likes surprises those that come at a huge cost.
Well, it is difficult to provide an exact figure before a preliminary site investigation or assessment, as the clean-up depends on the extent and severity of contamination, the nature of the contaminants, current and proposed land uses, and any orders issued to you by the regulators.
But it is not cheap to manage contamination and most of the time it can be expensive and is an unforeseen expense that might slow down your project and can cause budget blow-outs.
Contamination of land, for the purpose of the Act, means the condition of land or water where any chemical substance or waste has been added as a direct or indirect result of human activity at an above background level and represents, or potentially represents, adverse health or environmental impact.
A person is responsible to manage contamination of land (whether or not the contamination is significant contamination) if any one or more of the following is true:
● the person caused the contamination of the land;
● the contamination occurred because an act or activity of the person resulted in the conversion of a substance from its uncontaminated state to a contaminated state;
● the person is the owner or occupier of the land, and the person knew or ought reasonably to have known that contamination of the land would occur, and the person failed to take reasonable steps to prevent the contamination; and
● the person carried out activities on the land that generate or consume substances that may cause contamination, or the substance would convert into a source of contamination.
You may need to undertake Environmental Assessments in the following scenarios:
● When you believe that your land is significantly contaminated from activities undertaken by you or the previous owners or the neighbours;
● When you receive a Preliminary Investigation Order from the NSW EPA;
● When you receive a management order from the NSW EPA;
● Before the commencement of your project, the local Council may request an Environmental Assessment undertaken on your land;
● When the Councils or NSW SafeWork issues you a notice to investigate any contamination issues on your land;
● You may be asked to under an Environmental Assessment in Sydney for Development Application purposes;
● You may be a victim of fly-tipping or illegal dumping where someone else had illegally brought soil materials or other contaminants to your land without your consent;
● And many more.
Some of the above scenarios are listed as information only and you will need to contact your local Council or the EPA or other relevant organisations to seek more clarity about the specific environmental requirements for your project.
A Preliminary Site Investigation or Assessment involves desktop-based analysis of a site of interest and neighbouring sites including;
When the Preliminary Site investigation identifies any potential sources of contamination or the Consultant reasonably believes that there could be potential contamination onsite, then a Detailed Site Investigation or assessment is recommended.
Detailed Site Investigation involves all steps from the preliminary site assessment + any additional analysis of the soils and water on-site and typically involves the following;
When a Detailed Site Investigation identifies the presence of contamination on or in the land and if the project requires management of the contamination, the Environmental Consultant will work with the project team to assess and identify the remediation method based on the factors including but not limited to:
● The extent of contamination (horizontal and vertical);
● Chemical and physical properties of the contaminant;
● Timeline for the project;
● Current and proposed use of the site;
● Budget for the project and cost of the remediation method to be implemented.
Based on the above factors, a Remediation Action Plan will be drafted and supplied to all interested parties, which will be the agreed remediation method for the management of contamination. K2 Consulting Group has a group of experienced certified environmental consultants who will work with the project team to develop innovative, practical, and cost-effective remediation methods to manage contamination.
Remediation means to clean up the contamination or manage contamination on land such that the contamination on the land and water does not pose immediate human health or environmental risk to sensitive receptors such as the current occupants, future residents, neighbours or local water bodies and ecosystems.
The remediation is undertaken by a Licenced Remediation Contractor who is engaged directly by the Client. K2 Consulting Group will work with the contractors and the Client and will undertake consultation and supervision of the remediation activities to ensure that all remediation milestones are completed throughout the process. K2 Consulting Group works with reputed remediation contractors and can assist you in choosing a good contractor.
Read more about How to choose asbestos removalists in Sydney.
A validation report is prepared by the Environmental Consultants when all remediation activities are completed on site. The validation report will usually involve verification sampling of soils, water and groundwater to reasonably ensure that all remediation works are completed and that the contamination has been cleaned up or managed within the site in a manner it does not pose immediate human health or environmental risk.
A private builder has purchased a large site and proposes to build an aged care facility in New South Wales. During the civil earthworks, asbestos fragments were observed on the soil surface. The local council issued a notice to the builder to investigate and clean up the contamination from asbestos in soils.
The builder engaged the K2 Consulting group to undertake a Detailed Site Investigation to assess the extent and severity of asbestos contamination in soils. The DSI identified asbestos fragments buried in soils potentially from poor demolition practices during the historical ownership of the property and estimated the extent of the contamination.
A Remediation Action Plan was developed and the asbestos containing materials and soils were cleaned up and disposed of at a licenced landfill facility by a licenced remediation contractor (asbestos removalist). K2 Consulting Group offered Occupational Hygienists (asbestos air monitoring) and Environmental Consultant services to the project and supervised the remediation works.
Upon completion of the remediation, the remediated areas were validated via soil sampling and a validation report was prepared which deemed the site suitable for the proposed use. The reports were submitted to the Council and the builder was approved to continue the construction works.
K2 Consulting Group assisted the Client in communicating with the Council, NSW SafeWork and provided all required advice throughout the project so that the contamination issue was managed.
If you have found asbestos fragments on soils on your site or have been issued a notice by the Council or the EPA to undertake an investigation or clean up, our combination of services including Licenced Asbestos Assessors and Environmental Consultants (Certified Environmental Practitioners) can assist you in management of the issue cost-effectively and quickly.
We have undertaken asbestos assessment in soils on several sites in NSW and understand the requirements of NSW EPA, local Councils and NSW SafeWork. Read more about asbestos in soils.
We receive numerous enquiries about asbestos remediation on soils. The best approach to identify the cost of the remediation is to undertake a Detailed Site Investigation and then quantity the extent of asbestos-contaminated soils onsite and work with the remediation contractor to identify the cost of disposal of the soils.
We work with reputed asbestos removalists in Sydney, and we can refer you to a good team of asbestos professionals to assist you in the completion of the remedial works. We will work closely with the asbestos removalists in Sydney and ensure that the necessary outcome is achieved.
Information on this page is for educational purposes only and if you need any accurate clarifications or to make decisions based on contaminated land matter, refer to Contaminated Land Act 1997 and/or other relevant acts, regulations, and guidelines.
Soils are referred to as contaminated when the concentration of contaminant is usually higher than the ambient concentrations. There may be naturally elevated concentration of contaminants while in most of the cases, there is an apparent source of contamination (point source).
Consultants at K2 Consulting Group are trained and experienced in the assessment and management of contaminated soils and groundwater. Our quick, effective and practical approach in contamination management puts us at the forefront of today’s emerging contamination management market.
Soils are referred to as contaminated when the concentration of contaminant is usually higher than the ambient concentrations. There may be naturally elevated concentration of contaminants while in most of the cases, there is an apparent source of contamination (point source).
Consultants at K2 Consulting Group undertake a systematic and exhaustive approach in classifying soils, as it can be a huge savings to the project if lesser quantity is sent to the landfill or waste recovery centre, while still meeting the regulations.
K2 Consulting Group utilises best-practice planning, collection, analysis and conduct human health risk assessment and site screening. K2 Consulting Group’s team of expert engineers ensure that regulatory requirements are met so that stakeholder risks are understood.
When Acid Sulfate Soils can be detrimental to the environment when exposed to atmospheric air through anthropogenic activities (excavation for construction purposes etc) or natural means (drainage of groundwater).
PFAS refers to Per & Poly Fluorinated Alkyl Substance which is a group of long chain fluorinated organic compounds used in various industrial applications. Australia and other leading nations have banned the usage of the PFAS containing chemicals.
Consultants at K2 Consulting Group are qualified lead auditors in Environmental Management Systems – ISO 14001:2015, Management Systems Auditing – ISO 19011:2018. We can assist your organisation in identifying various environmental risks.