Buried Utility and Waste Classification Survey

Details

The purpose of the investigation was to undertake a survey to confirm the location and depth of any buried utilities within the extents of the proposed scheme and to obtain soil samples for subsequent waste classification.

The scope of the works comprised the following:

• 26No. Hand dug trial pits to a maximum depth of 1.20m
• Logging, Sketching and Photographing of each pit
• Waste Acceptance Classification (WAC) Chemical Testing

Challenges

The works were split in to three separate work areas located between Junction 13 and Junction 14 north and southbound of the M5 motorway:

• Site 1: 6No. pits located on the south bound carriageway of the M5 near the village of Eastington between marker posts 104/2+75m and 104/4+75m.
• Site 2: 7No. pits located on the south bound carriageway of the M5 near the village of North Nibley between marker posts 113/5+10m and 113/5+40m.
• Site 3: 13No. pits along the M5 Junction 13 Northbound exit slip road near the village of Eastington.

Each site was accessed via the hard shoulder of the live motorway with all works completed during night shifts under traffic management hard shoulder closures and a full slip closure placed between 2000hrs and 0600hrs. The pits were hand excavated using electric breakers, scissor shovels and spades to a maximum depth of 1.20m and CAT scanned at 300mm intervals as they were progressed. The pits were sketched and logged in accordance with BS 5930:2015 and photographed.

Environmental samples were taken for chemical analysis in the Made Ground or at each change of strata and where visual or olfactory evidence of contamination was noted or as instructed by the Investigation Supervisor. Chemical testing was carried out by carried out by i2 Analytical Ltd in accordance with the requirements of UKAS ISO17025 and MCERTS.

Outcome

All three sites were safely and successfully completed on consecutive night shifts using concept’s inhouse resources.  The results from the contamination testing were assessed using the Hazwasteonline software to determine the hazardous nature of the waste material. All samples were found to be non hazardous in accordance with the assessment recommended by the Environment Agency ‘Guidance on the classification and assessment of waste (1st Edition v1.1 ) Technical Guidance WM3’. Using this guidance the EWC code was determined as:

• 17 05 04 – non-hazardous soils