Our Environmental Services team are well known as experts at designing, planning and delivering large and complex environmental remediation projects.  

Sometimes though, a situation arises, where a more rapid response is required, and the team needs to solve a challenge in real time. It’s these situations where our track record, experience and innovative mindset comes to the fore. This ingenuity and delivery expertise was recently recognised by the Australian Land and Groundwater Association at their annual awards with the team winning Best Contaminated Site Remediation Project 2024.  

The challenge 

Following a tragic aviation accident on Melville Island (Tiwi Islands) in the Northern Territory, Jacobs and Ventia were engaged by Defence to investigate, deliver and manage remediation of the crash site. The project was delivered in collaboration with Traditional Owners, the Australian and United States Defence Forces, and the Department of Defence Security and Estate Group.

The project presented a range of challenges that while individually would normally be encountered on many projects, the combination resulted in a unique project environment.

• A highly remote location, with a pristine environment and extreme weather conditions.
• The need for rapid assessment, procurement, deployment and completion within strict timeframes
• Multi-party stakeholder management with Traditional Owners and high-level Defence security sensitivities
• Commencing cleanup during an active aircraft investigation
• Maintaining the safety of project personnel working on the site, and the community surrounding the site.

Innovative design 

The delivery methodology required an innovative, rapid response model to address contamination from carbon fibres, metals, fiberglass, thermoplastics, and fuels. 

This included:

• Establishing an onsite laboratory at Tiwi College to provide real-time data, a novel approach for such a remote project.
• Adopting asbestos controls to handle carbon fibre, a precautionary measure given the lack of specific guidelines for this contaminant.
• Design and implementation of a detailed site investigation to rapidly respond to the crash and work in parallel with an active clean-up program to remediate the site
• Deploying custom designed and built steel skids to manage unpredictable loads of waste in remote and inaccessible areas.

Despite the remote location, environmental conditions, and ongoing aircraft crash investigation, the site was restored to its pristine state. 

In accepting the award, the team acknowledged the tragic circumstances in which they came to be deployed to the site. 

Smart Field Monitoring Technology innovation recognised 

The Environmental Services team was also recognised as a finalist at the awards in the Best Innovation in Contaminated Site Management category, for the Smart Field Monitoring Technology for Monitoring Mass Flux for PFAS.

This technology enables simultaneous data collection with enhanced sample parameters, providing more accurate and faster results. Initially applied to PFAS monitoring, it is adaptable for other contaminants. The system integrates real-time rainfall data, stream flow measurement, automated samplers, and remote operation capabilities, ensuring comprehensive and reliable data collection. This advancement allows organisations to better understand contaminated site risks, prioritise their remediation efforts and allocate funding more effectively, ultimately improving environmental management practices.

Traditionally, environmental monitoring relied on isolated data collection methods, often missing critical rainfall or streamflow events and providing incomplete data. Ventia's solution addresses these limitations through a comprehensive, automated system that integrates multiple data streams in real-time.

Read more about our evolving response to forever chemicals here