A new publication from the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA) sets out ‘Good Practices’ for managing and remediating releases to soil and groundwater from petroleum refineries, terminals, retail gas stations and onshore exploration and production facilities. The 68 page guide summarizes recommended practices from ASTM International, the US EPA and the UK Environment Agency. The publication targets environmental specialists working in countries where legislative guidance on environmental land management may be less developed.
The guide presents a generic, globally applicable
risk-based framework for identifying and managing release impacts and
for assessing and implementing corrective actions. The process involves
a conceptual site model (CSM), said to be fundamental to informed
risk-based management of environmental impacts, that addresses
potential sources, exposure pathways and receptors.
The guide
describes data collection and the use of software models in assessing
site specific risks. These include HRI’s Risk Assistant, Risc-Himan and
GSI’s RBCA. On-line tools are also available for risk assessment and
groundwater fate and transport modelling.