MANAGING RISKS IN A LARGE REMEDIATION PROJECT

ALBION EXPLOSIVES FACILITY

Peter N. Thornton1 and Ian M. Kluckow2

ABSTRACT

The former Albion Explosives Factory is an Australian Department of Defence site which includes a 178
hectare area containing soil contaminated with metals and explosive organic compounds. This area is
undergoing remediation prior to redevelopment for uses ranging from residential to commercial/industrial.
The remediation strategy involves developing specific clean up goals based on the future use of each part of
the site, excavation and replacement of contaminated soil to meet these goals and placement of contaminated
soil in an engineered on-site repository.
The potentially complex process of remediation has been broken down into simple processes with risk-
based goals in order to allow clear management and implementation of remediation over this large area.
The contract for remediation of the site was let in early 1999 and remediation commenced in April 1999.
Subsequently, the repository has been constructed and remediation has progressed in accordance with the
strategy developed for the site.

BACKGROUND

History
The former Albion Explosives
Factory site comprises 455 ha of disused
land on the Western Highway in Deer
R OA D

ALBION EXPLOSI VES FACTORY SITE

STA TI ON

Park, Victoria, Australia (Figure 1).

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TAFE COLLEGE
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The integrated redevelopment of the site BRI MBA NKC ENTRAL

SHO PPIN GC ENTRE

is contingent on the successful,

JO

PREVI OUSLY AUDI TED AREAS

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financially viable remediation of the V ICT ORI A U NIV ERS ITY

remaining 178 ha of potentially

contaminated land in the south east of
the site. Successful remediation is being
demonstrated by completing statutory F URL ONG
R OA D

Environmental Audits on this land. The C

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PREVI OUSLY AUDI TED AREAS

ROAD

remediation is being managed for the

Department of Defence (Defence) by
STATION

AREA REM AINING TO BE AUDITED

the Urban Land Corporation (ULC).
The Remediation Consultant for the PARK
KORORO IT

project is Golder Associates (Golder). RO

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The site was used for almost 50 years

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EK

for the manufacture of explosive REPOSI TORY AD

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IN
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chemicals before it was closed in 1986. W

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ER
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Industrial operations associated with W ESTER N

H IG HW AY

WESTERN

explosive chemical manufacturing have HIGHWAY

KOROR
OIT

impacted upon the potential uses of the

land with elevated concentrations of a
broad range of contaminants remaining
within the soil in some areas. The most Figure 1 : Site Plan

1
Peter Thornton, Golder Associates Pty. Ltd., 25 Burwood Road, Hawthorn, Victoria, 3122, Australia
2
Ian Kluckow, Golder Associates Pty. Ltd., 25 Burwood Road, Hawthorn, Victoria, 3122, Australia
common contaminants comprise explosive organic compounds such as TNT and RDX and heavy metals
such as copper, mercury and lead. For eight years since the factory closure, various clean up and
development strategies were considered and partially implemented for the site. These progressed
approximately 277 ha of the site through the remediation, validation and audit phases. However, due to the
cost and uncertainty of the initial clean up, the process was halted in 1994.
In order for funds to be allocated for clean up to completed, Defence required a clean up process with a
higher degree of certainty, one which could be completed within the budgetary allowances and one which
would allow the land to be completely sold and redeveloped within a reasonable period of time.

Strategy
A final development and clean up strategy for the remaining 178 ha of the site was developed by the ULC
and Golder. The development strategy was planned to match the degree of contamination with the
sensitivity of the land use. Less sensitive land uses were planned for the more contaminated areas and more
sensitive land uses planned for the less contaminated areas. In this way, clean up costs could be minimised
and the risk of unexpected cost increases reduced.
The clean up strategy considered various remediation options for the clean-up of the explosive organic
compound contamination such as thermal treatment, biological treatment, off-site disposal and on-site
disposal. On-site disposal was considered the only economically viable option based on an assessment of the
specific physical conditions at the Albion site as well cost and time implications of the technologies.
The overall strategy now being implemented for the land remediation is to:
(i) undertake sufficient clean up and validation to provide a site suitable for the intended land uses in the
development plans for the site; and
(ii) dispose of unsuitable site soils in an on-site repository.

SITE CHARACTERISATION

Site Features and Soil Conditions

Site characterisation undertaken as part of the design process was aimed at reducing the uncertainties in
the quantity of soil required to be remediated. The characterisation was undertaken during a nine month
period in 1998.
When Golder commenced on site, 8 years of work had already been undertaken on the assessment and
remediation of the site. A gap analysis study was undertaken to document the state of the land at the time of
commencement of Golder’s assessment activities. The gap analysis study comprised:
• A site walkover which identified over 800 structures and features in various states of demolition and
remediation;
• Establishment of a site feature database into which the identified features were logged along with
historical information from past assessments;
• Interviews with past employees of the staff to gain additional site history information;
• Establishment of a sample database which logged the spatial and analytical data associated with each soil
sampling location. Around 7,400 sample results already existed within the area remaining to be cleaned
up;
• Topographic survey of the entire site;
• The electronic mapping of historical underground service plans and former building locations as these
were considered as potential contamination issues. Some 25 km of services were present on the
remaining site area.
The site remediation is subject to an Environmental Audit by an independent Auditor appointed by the
Victorian Environment Protection Authority (EPA). The process and objectives for the Audit needed to be
established and agreed to by all parties to provide clear direction and certainty in the remediation. This was
achieved through the development of an Audit Performance Specification which set out the assessment and
analytical methods to be used as well as the clean up criteria for the various end uses of the site.
The Performance Specification was continually updated to reflect important agreements with the Auditor
and variations to the process based on new information. Clean up criteria were set early on based on:
(i) studies of phytotoxicity of explosives and metals on the local plants;
 (ii) investigations into naturally elevated concentrations of selected metals associated with basaltic
soils and rock on the site;
(iii) leachability and groundwater studies which modelled the existing groundwater conditions and the
future conditions to establish acceptable concentrations for any remaining contamination;
(iv) assessments of elevated ammonia, sulphate and nickel in imported road fill associated with the
basalt crushed rock;
(v) assessment of the patterns of contamination in the bedrock including the characteristics of the
rock such as the joint frequency and aperture to assess the extent if any of rock excavation
required.
The final result was an agreed decision process for remediation which allowed locations and quantities of
soil requiring remediation to be more accurately defined for the remediation contract.
The gap analysis study also indicated further assessment of the site was required in order to reduce the
uncertainties with regard to known contamination in specific areas and to undertake sampling in areas not
previously assessed. An additional 4,100 samples were taken to complete the site characterisation both prior
to and during completion of the remediation contract.

Groundwater Conditions
An existing monitoring bore system of over 60 bores existed over the site. A groundwater and
contaminant transport model was developed based on the existing bore information. A further 20 bores have
been installed and all the bores sampled to confirm the model and make recommendations on the status of
the existing and future groundwater conditions.

REMEDIATION DESIGN

Design

Repository
An important feature of the remedial design is the construction of the on-site repository for permanent
storage of highly contaminated soil. The repository will be between 2 and 3 ha in area, between 1 and 3 m
below surface level, have a maximum final height of around 10 m above surface level and a design airspace
of around 130,000 m3. The principle objective in the design of the repository is to protect human health and
the environment commensurate with the use of the area as public open space after giving due consideration
to the protection of land and groundwater beneficial uses in neighbouring areas. This objective is met by
providing sufficient engineering and management safeguards to reduce the risk of exposure to an acceptable
level and in doing so obtain an auditable outcome for open space use for the repository site.
The liner and capping system
design for the repository provides
one of the highest levels of security
for a landfill constructed in
Australia. Studies were undertaken
including liner compatibility testing
between the selected high density
polyethylene geomembrane
material and explosives leachate
and between the clay and leachate,
hydrologic evaluation of the liner
system, impact on groundwater,
stability and settlement analysis
and qualitative risk assessment of
the short and long term
performance of the system.
The major design features for
the repository containment system
include the following (Figure 2): Figure 2 : Repository Design
 (i) A double liner including a primary geomembrane liner and secondary base composite clay and
geomembrane liner;
(ii) A primary leachate collection and secondary leachate collection/leak detection system;
(iii) A composite clay and geomembrane cap with drainage to minimise infiltration;
(iv) A thick (1.5 m) overlying soil protection layer including topsoil to isolate the material and allow
appropriate vegetation to be grown.
The design includes a requirement for stringent quality assurance program during construction and a
provision for on-going post-closure management including groundwater and leachate monitoring.
The repository waste comprises predominantly clay soils of low permeability. Once capped, the rate of
leachate generation is expected to be very low. A small external sump has been constructed to collect any
leachate generated. Disposal of the small volumes would be via liquid waste tanker if required.

Remediation Excavations
The strategy objective for the soil remediation is to undertake sufficient clean up to provide a site suitable
for the intended land uses. Implicit in this strategy is that all of the remaining land meet the environmental
performance objectives and therefore clean up criteria relevant to the land uses concerned.
In order to achieve this objective, the site soil contamination profiles were characterised as part of the
remediation design. Characterisation involved the identification of the following types of soil:
(i) Soil which can remain in its current location on the site;
(ii) Soil with contaminant concentrations that require it to be excavated from its current location but allow
it to be reused on the site in a less sensitive location;
(iii) Soil with contaminant concentrations or geotechnical properties that require it to be excavated from
its current location and disposed into the on-site repository.
Assessment of clean up locations and quantities was made using a semi quantitative risk-based approach
in the context of particular land use scenarios for a given area according to the site specific criteria. The
primary tool for this decision was the contaminant acceptance criteria accepted for the site by the Auditor
combined with the methodology by which that criteria is applied. The assessment involved the definition of
contaminated soil samples using the Access database linked to AutoCAD. The automation allowed changes
in criteria to be quickly assessed for the site.
Once the contaminated points were defined, areas of contaminated soil were delineated in AutoCAD for
five predetermined depth intervals. The depth intervals were selected based on an assessment of the general
site sample intervals, the site stratigraphy and practical intervals were excavation. Three estimates of the
contaminated soil quantity were defined for each of the 280 separate areas of known contamination as
follows:
(i) A ‘Low’ Estimate (234,000 tonnes) which assumed that the investigation had identified all the
contamination existing on the site. This assumed a minimum excavation area of 25 m2 and the depth
of contamination at a given location. The 25 m2 area was chosen after a comparison of costs of
further testing versus the cost of excavating and disposing of the contaminated soil;
(ii) A ‘Tender’ Estimate (360,000 tonnes), for use in contract documentation, assessed based on
engineering judgement;
(iii) A ‘High’ Estimate (535,000 tonnes) which assumed that the investigation had identified all the
known clean areas of the site and that contamination extended from the known contaminated areas to
the known clean areas.
Uncertainty is reflected in the range between the High and Low Estimates. The Low Estimate is the
starting point for clean up works and most likely will be exceeded. The High Estimate is the upper limit
based on known information and is expected to over-estimate the actual quantity of contaminated soil on the
site.
An overall soil balance model was established to model the excavation and backfilling process
considering the ability to reuse low level contaminated soil on the site for backfill. Additional backfill
sources on the site included former soil blast mounds and soil generated from development works being
undertaken in the remediated areas of the site, removing the need to import clean soil on to the site. Cost
estimates were then developed for the three estimates to provide the Defence with a range of potential costs
together with the semi-quantitative assessment of the risk associated with the costs.
Remediation Contract
The remediation contract had to be structured to handle the uncertainty indicated in the design of the
remediation for the site. An assessment of the party (contractor or owner) best suited to handle risk had to be
made when deciding on the structure. The contracting out of works was considered a viable and efficient
way of mitigating a number of the risks relating to the satisfactory completion of the remediation works.
These risks included the:
• efficient completion of the works within both time and cost parameters;
• coordination of labour, materials and plant to perform each task of work as well as the coordination of
activities with external parties;
• supervision of the tasks of work to produce the desired quality.
It was not intended to contract out risks relating to the scope of works, quantity of contaminated soil etc,
where the interpretation of site information was required to predict quantities as contractors offer little
benefit in these situations. This quantity risk was considered best managed by measures available to the
client such as addressing the specific issue with the Auditor or altering land use.
A concise scope of works was able to be developed to address the remediation and backfilling of the
known contaminated soil from the site (the Low Estimate) and to construct a repository of sufficient size in
which to dispose the known quantity. These works were presented for pricing based on a lump sum for the
known quantity of works.
A scope of work with variable quantities was also developed to address the additional contamination
which may be present on the site up to and beyond the Tender Volume amount. This covered further
excavation which would be required in some areas following validation testing of the ‘Low Volume’
excavations, additional repository construction based on 0.5 ha unit extensions of the liner and cap and
underground service excavation and backfill.
The structure was aimed at providing an efficient framework for the completion of the works which could
easily be tracked against the initial quantity estimates and allow the contractor maximum opportunity to
reuse soil and structure the works accordingly.

IMPLEMENTATION OF SYSTEMS AND CLEAN UP

Works Management
The Remediation Contract was awarded to
Thiess Environmental Services Pty. Ltd. (TES)
in March 1999. The approach that TES has
used in the Contract has been a factor in the
success of the remediation to date and has
vindicated the Contract structure. TES has
used 20-45 tonne excavators and off-road haul
trucks to maintain the flexibility in the
remediation works which include both small
and large excavations (Figure 3). Figure 3 : A Remediation Excavation
The quality control of the repository
construction (Figure 4) has been monitored via
a construction quality assurance program covering the earthworks and the geosynthetic components. The
strict program has allowed continual monitoring and sign off of the liner quality to ensure the auditable
outcome of the area for open space use.
A Materials Tracking System has been implemented with the aim of tracking every load of material
moved around the site. The Materials Tracking System is crucial in providing confidence that waste soils
and soils for reuse have not been incorrectly placed around the site. To this end, all excavations have a sign
indicating their number and the contamination class of the soil. The signs are colour coded to match colour
coded load dockets. The source of the soil is recorded by the operator from the sign and the destination is
recorded when the soil is placed. The destination also has a colour coded sign and number. The dockets are
audited in the field and also recorded in a database system. To date 35,000 dockets have been used on the
site.
 A Construction Environmental
Management Plan is in place on the site which
was developed by the Contractor in
consultation with the EPA. The Contractor’s
environmental performance is audited against
the plan to ensure that the construction
activities do not impact upon the
contamination status of the site.
The continual assessment and validation of
the site has been handled by an Access
database linked to AutoCAD. Validation in
the initial 9 months of the contract comprised
an additional 5,000 samples. Additional
excavations are defined and the areas
submitted to the Contractor for excavation.
Approximately 350 additional excavations
have been issued since the contract Figure 4 : Repository Construction
commenced.

Risk Management
The soils material balance and contaminated soil quantity estimates have been updated on a monthly basis
during the project. The three quantity estimates have been converging as the uncertainties in each area are
reduced with progressive remediation. These estimates have been used to track costs and identify the
remaining risk drivers in the project. In particular, the estimates were used to:
• select the appropriate size for an extension to the base repository size to meet the expected airspace
requirements for the remainder of the project; and
• to identify the final requirements for clean material required for backfilling of the site in order to
identify additional site sources for that material.
The ULC has maintained flexibility in the development plans for the area of the site being remediated.
Following the reduction of remediation uncertainties through further assessment and clean-up, the ULC has
exercised this flexibility in some areas by altering the development plan in line with the contamination status
to maximise return on the land. In particular, some areas are now being cleaned up for high sensitivity land
uses where little contamination has been found and some areas of more contaminated land are being excised
from high sensitivity areas and targeted for less sensitive uses where clean up of these areas to the required
level is unlikely to be achieved within the project constraints.

CONCLUSION

A complex project requiring clean up of 178 ha has been broken down to the simple systems required to
manage the remediation. The systems have then been rigorously implemented and are working well. A high
security repository with airspace for 130,000 m3 of waste has been constructed and approximately 80% of
the expected contaminated soil has been cleaned up to date. The projected contaminated soil quantities for
completion remain in the Tender Estimate range. The planned 22 month contract program is likely to be
reduced to around 18 months.
The client has understood the risks inherent in this remediation project and has been able to mitigate those
risks by maintaining control on the processes driving the risk. Monthly tracking and projection of
contaminated soil quantities combined with a flexible contract structure and site development plan have
allowed costs to be controlled and early decisions to be made to reduce the potential for future cost blow-
outs. The simple processes also allow transparency which is important for control of the extensive site
activities and the achievement of an environmental audit for the whole site.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We acknowledge the Australian Department of Defence for permission to publish this paper and the
Urban Land Corporation for their assistance.