An Assessment of Historic Landfills for Continuing Environmental Impact

Abstract

Aims: To investigate any physical evidence of ongoing environmental impact of historic landfill sites by assessing the characteristics of vegetation on these sites. Place and Duration of Study: Welwyn and St. Albans district in Hertfordshire were mapped for this environmental assessment between March 2011 and February 2012. Methodology: Seventeen (17) landfill sampling points were mapped out on nine (9) sites based on availability of historical records and accessibility. A Phase 1 habitat survey was conducted on these sites. Plants species were identified and recorded on site. Results: A total number of 42 woody, herbaceous and grass species were identified and recorded on all sites. Most of these species were perennial plants with a few biennial plants. Site surface appearance was generally uneven and elevated compared to adjacent undisturbed land. Two out of the 17 sites had sparsely vegetated areas. Rumex species were dominant on most of the sites. Soil conditions were neutral on all sample points with the maximum and minimum soil pH recorded being 7.0 and 6.4 while soil temperature recorded was 14.2ºC and 6.4ºC. Conclusion: Field results show that there was no visible evidence of contamination arising from the degradation of waste materials based on the analyses of Phase 1 Habitat Survey and the environmental parameters that were measured. It is recommended that plants root analysis, surface water and groundwater quality studies should be embarked upon in future in order to be able to present a holistic environmental assessment status of the study area.