Liberty Industrial is involved in a major excavation and bioremediation project in New Zealand, a naturally beautiful country located near Australia, where our company’s headquarters are based.
Our valued client, who wishes to remain confidential, has engaged and assigned our specialist demolition, deconstruction, and remediation team to assist with the excavation and bioremediation of contaminated soils at a site located in the heart of the Auckland CBD.
The project site covers a vast surface area of approximately 31,000 square metres, and works carried out by our Liberty Industrial company are being done to pave the way for future redevelopments in the area.
Our team, which is led by our project manager Luke Denner, had expectations of completing the bioremediation project in a timeframe of 9 months, and we faced significant challenges along the way, for which we found robust solutions to overcome them.These challenges included the site’s close proximity to downtown Auckland, and the presence of contaminants such as hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, asbestos and metals in the soil and groundwater.
In addition to hazardous materials, the area in Auckland went through extended rain events, which unfortunately hampered work progress. Plus, there was a unique presence of endangered bird species, including the New Zealand dotterel bird and variable oystercatcher bird on location.
“The joining together of Liberty’s specialist remediation team and local resources has enabled Liberty to once again deliver a successful project no matter the logistical challenges.” – Luke Denner, Project Manager for Auckland Bioremediation Project
No project is without challenges, and to address them as they arose, our team mitigated the setbacks by clever planning before the project began, and we ensured that extra allocation of materials and labour were provided on-site to allow the bioremediation process to catch up on the delays caused by extensive rain events.
During the excavation and bioremediation process, all soil is dug up and thoroughly screened before being reused on-site except for asbestos-impacted soil, which are transported offsite for safe disposal.
For the biopiles on-site, were connected to a watering, drainage, and blower system to maintain specific moisture and oxygen levels, with oxygen and moisture sensors installed and monitored via telemetry to ensure these stayed within the optimum range. The blower also effectively scrubbed potential odours generated during the soil clean-up process.
We engaged with an independent consultant, Ecologist 4sight, who helped monitor the endangered bird species on-site, and they provided helpful advice and guidance on areas of the site where our team could perform work.