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ESI has a strong background in mathematical hydrogeology with a team that includes mathematicians working closely with hydrogeologists. We have led the industry in developing formal and reproducible approaches to address site specific problems involving the treatment of heterogeneity and uncertainty. Initially much of this specialised research was focussed on supporting our nuclear waste industry clients, but the success of these methods in demonstrating the case in risk assessments has lead to a much wider role for formal statistics and geostatistics. In particular, statistical methods are now often required in the field of contaminated land assessment and remediation.  Recent guidance for the investigation and remediation of contaminated land has emphasised a risk based approach and the use of quantifiable measures of confidence in decision making. This has inevitably led to a more formal approach and put statistical techniques at the forefront of good practise. ESI has been actively involved in developing this new guidance in a pragmatic approach, and also providing tools to apply it in practice. ESI’s statistical spreadsheet tool has been developed with local authorities in mind and offers a simple interface to give regulators and operators alike access to all the necessary statistical tools needed to fully comply with the new guidance. It enables the user to make robust and statistically defensible decisions to design site investigations, identify and address hot spots, and set remedial targets with confidence. The tool has been developed through the application of these methods at real sites to ensure that it is appropriate.
Implementation of the Contaminated Land Regulations has resulted in a growing awareness of contaminated land issues, and growing scrutiny of the public and private sector’s decisions related to land affected by contamination. The uncertainty inherent in characterising the subsurface can result in wrong decisions being made, or make decisions difficult to justify to stakeholders. Statistical techniques can be useful in informing and justifying such decision making processes, and in justifying robust and cost-effective approaches. Examples include identifying appropriate background or average concentrations, developing robust site zoning and hot-spot characterization, and demonstrating that data are sufficient to reduce uncertainty in subsurface characterisation. Case Studies: - Groundwater & Environmental Statistical Services
Please contact ESI (01743 276100 / email) for more information on groundwater & environmental statistical services.
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Groundwater & Environmental Statistical Services 
