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Incorporating conceptual site models into national-scale environmental risk assessments for legacy waste in the coastal zone

Authors :
Riley, Alex L.
Amezaga, Jaime
Burke, Ian T.
Byrne, Patrick
Cooper, Nick
Crane, Richard A.
Comber, Sean D.W.
Gandy, Catherine J.
Hudson-Edwards, Karen A.
Jennings, Elin
Lewis, Elizabeth
Lofts, Stephen
MacDonald, John M.
Malcolm, Heath
Mayes, William M.
Onnis, Patrizia
Olszewska, Justyna
Spears, Bryan
Jarvis, Adam P.
Riley, Alex L.
Amezaga, Jaime
Burke, Ian T.
Byrne, Patrick
Cooper, Nick
Crane, Richard A.
Comber, Sean D.W.
Gandy, Catherine J.
Hudson-Edwards, Karen A.
Jennings, Elin
Lewis, Elizabeth
Lofts, Stephen
MacDonald, John M.
Malcolm, Heath
Mayes, William M.
Onnis, Patrizia
Olszewska, Justyna
Spears, Bryan
Jarvis, Adam P.
Publication Year :
2022

Abstract

Solid wastes deposited in the coastal zone that date from an era of lax environmental regulations continue to pose significant challenges for regulators and coastal managers worldwide. The increasing risk of contaminant release from these legacy disposal sites, due to a range of factors including rising sea levels, associated saline intrusion, and greater hydrological extremes, have been highlighted by many researchers. Given this widespread challenge, and the often-limited remedial funds available, there is a pressing need for the development of new advanced site prioritization protocols to limit potential pollution risks to sensitive ecological or human receptors. This paper presents a multi-criteria decision analysis that integrates the principles of Conceptual Site Models (Source-Pathway-Receptor) at a national scale in England and Wales to identify legacy waste sites where occurrence of pollutant linkages are most likely. A suite of spatial data has been integrated in order to score potential risks associated with waste type (Source), likelihood of pollutant release relating to current and future flood and erosion climate projections, alongside current management infrastructure (Pathway), and proximity to sensitive ecological features or proxies of human use in coastal areas (Receptors). Of the 30,281 legacy waste deposits identified in England and Wales, 3,219 were located within the coastal zone, with coastal areas containing a density of legacy wastes (by area) 10.5 times higher than inland areas. Of these, 669 were identified as priority sites in locations without existing coastal defences or flood management infrastructure, with 2550 sites identified in protected areas where contaminant transfer risks could still be apparent. The majority (63%) of the priority sites have either undefined source terms, or are classified as mixed wastes. Mining and industrial wastes were also notable waste categories, and displayed strong regional distributions in the former

Details

Database :
OAIster
Notes :
text, English
Publication Type :
Electronic Resource
Accession number :
edsoai.on1363223304
Document Type :
Electronic Resource