Clean-up of an old ecological pesticide contamination in the village of Zaječice

In 2011 remediation of buildings, soil and sediments contaminated with pesticides took place on the property of František Nepivoda in Zaječice.

Pesticide contamination was the result of improper activities of a cooperative farm using the buildings and land back in the 1950’s. Substances for protecting plants were stored in unsuitable and unsecured buildings, such as potato storeroom or in the granary.

Remediation work included demolishing the former storehouse for chemicals and removing contaminated subsoil, demolishing work in the granary, and cleaning up the well and sewerage leading from the chemicals storehouse to the Ležák stream.

Drilling to anchor the bulkhead
Transporting piles		Securing the cut wall with a bulkhead

Altogether 1 803 tons of contaminated material was removed in the course of the clean-up job

Demolishing the former storehouse for chemicals	Demolishing the former storehouse for chemicals
Demolishing the former storehouse for chemicals	Loading excavated material

In the granary, plaster work and oversite concrete were restored and the open cut in the area of the former storehouse for chemicals was filled with inert material and finally the area was reclaimed.

Filling in inert material		Restoring plaster work in the granary
Reclamation work after remediation		Grassland in place of the former storehouse for chemicals

The well and sewerage were cleaned from sediments contaminated with pesticides.

The remediation work was successful, all the contaminated materials have been removed from the site and target values for the different pesticides have been met. The level of residual contamination does not pose any future risks  to the health of people or ecosystems. 
 

Planting trees		Site of the former storehouse for chemicals