Beggars Wood recreation area

Beggars Wood Recreation Area has been identified as contaminated land for the purposes of section 78A(2) of the Act because:

The Council has identified a source (contaminant), a pathway and a receptor with respect to the current use of the land and is satisfied that this pollutant linkage presents a significant possibility of significant harm being caused to that receptor.

Contaminated land location plan: Beggars Wood recreation area (PDF, 289 KB)(opens new window)

Pollutant linkage

Source

Former sand and gravel pit and stream valley utilised as a landfill from 1939 to March 1973 for domestic, trade and industrial waste which has produced landfill gas. Methane and carbon dioxide have been recorded to be present.

Pathway

Migration of gas from the landfill via the made ground and permeable sand and gravel strata within the cohesive underlying soil.

Receptor

Human beings, property, ground water and surface water

Remediation and Validation

The waste landfill was capped with clay following its closure in 1973 and the site landscaped and utilised for leisure activities. 

In 2003 a permanent gas extraction and flare system was installed at the site to prevent the migration of landfill gas to the adjacent housing estate and school to the north. In 2013 the extraction system was upgraded, with new wells and pipework installed.

The landfill has never generated sufficient landfill gas to require the flare to be operated to burn off the gas. The extraction system has been utilised to extract and reduce landfill gas within the landfill and safely vent this to the atmosphere away from receptors.

Routine gas monitoring (currently twice weekly) of the perimeter gas monitoring borehole installations, and the utilisation and management of the landfill gas extraction system has enabled the potential offsite migration of landfill gas to be controlled since 2003.