Inspection Works, An Aird, Fort William
The Highland Council has today (Monday 21st January, 2008) informed residents and businesses located on reclaimed land at An Aird, Fort William that it is taking precautionary action to investigate land which may be contaminated and ensure that any necessary remediation is carried out.
At this time the Council is not aware of any properties at risk.
Records suggest that the An Aird area was reclaimed by landfilling with various materials including dredging, commercial and municipal wastes. Landfill sites can contain substances which are harmful to human health, which include the landfill gases methane and carbon dioxide.
The investigation will seek to monitor the presence of gases associated with the landfill and establish whether the concentration of any gases found pose a risk to buildings and properties or people living and working in the An Aird area.
The inspection will be carried out in a number of phases. The first phase will involve collecting soil samples and drilling approximately 55 gas monitoring boreholes around the area of the former landfill. At this stage it is not necessary to enter individual residential gardens.
The borehole installation will commence on Monday 4th February, and should be completed in approximately 2 weeks. Monitoring using handheld equipment will commence during this installation phase and continue for approximately 12 months following completion of the works.
The Highland Council has appointed consultants Atkins Limited to carry out the inspection.
Residents, retailers and land owners in the An Aird area have been informed of the Council’s intention, and a local drop-in facility has been provided so that residents can raise any queries directly with Council officers. Interested parties will be kept informed of the inspection progress by a quarterly newsletter.
The Council is keen that anyone with any concerns or queries regarding the inspection works at An Aird - who cannot attend the drop in sessions - contacts contaminated land staff in TEC Services, who will be able to take their details and arrange for responses to their questions, on tel: (01463) 702637.