Fuel tanks site in Reading Tel Aviv – Excavation of contaminated soils and soil sampling for confirmation of cleanliness

The report of the results of the soil investigation at the site of the fuel tanks of IEC in Reading, Tel Aviv (“the site”) was prepared by “Izitop” company in August 2020, and included recommendations according to the findings. The land investigation was carried out according to an investigation plan approved by the Ministry of Environmental Protection. The plan for excavating the contaminated soils and sampling to verify the cleanliness of the soil in accordance with the findings of the soil investigation was approved by the Ministry of Environmental Protection on 03.04.21. The Izitop company report included an interpolation map of the pollutant concentrations in the entire work area. Accordingly, they carried out principled planning for the necessary excavation and evacuation areas – polygons for soil excavation were drawn and for each polygon the necessary excavation depth and the appropriate evacuation destination were defined according to the findings. The findings of the soil investigation testified that no high-resolution horizontal delineation of the extent of the contamination centers was achieved during the survey. For example, it is not possible to know whether contamination that exists in two boreholes about 20 m apart represents one large contamination center, or two narrow centers from different sources and without connection to each other. Therefore, an update to the plan that included excavation in smaller areas around the drilling points, where contamination was found, was sent on 03.28.22 and re-approved on 04.05.22. The works in the field, which included the excavation of the contaminated soil, its removal to authorized sites and the sampling of the soil on the sides and bottom of the excavations to verify cleanliness, were carried out during the months of August-October 2022. The soil sampling to verify cleanliness was carried out by the company “Adama – Environmental Sciences and Geology Ltd” certified to the ISO/IEC standard 17025. All the contaminated soil from the excavations was evacuated to its final destination and replaced with clean soil. Sampling for cleanliness verification carried out on the sides and bottom of the excavations and submitted to analytical laboratory tests indicates that there is no soil contamination left in the excavations, in the centers that are not for conservation, and the soil can be cleared from them.