Our Expertise

Soil Decontamination

The presence of contaminants always limits the value of a property.

Soil and water decontamination, or site rehabilitation, restores the site's compliance with its intended use. Generally, site rehabilitation occurs after an environmental assessment triggered by a property sale or change in site use, involving various industries such as processing plants, chemical and agro-food industries, as well as commercial and residential developments.

In Québec, since June 28, 2021, the Regulation concerning the traceability of excavated contaminated soils has been in effect, mandating the use of the government's system for the traceability of excavated contaminated soils, Traces Québec. Since January 1, 2023, this regulation applies to all construction sites, making the use of Traces Québec mandatory for all excavation work involving contaminated soils. Thus, the management of contaminated soils is carried out in accordance with the current regulations, ensuring the protection of the environment and public health while promoting the rehabilitation of degraded land and limiting negative socio-economic impacts.

Although site decontamination is not always mandatory, the presence of contaminants is always a factor that limits the value of a property, in addition to posing a significant legal risk if this contamination spreads to neighboring sites.

Site Rehabilitation Methods

Based on initial assessment data, the owner can choose from several rehabilitation methods:

Decontamination to generic usage criteria;
Rehabilitation through risk assessment procedures;
Implementation of containment, control, and monitoring procedures (sealed covering);
Implementation of restrictive measures determined using risk assessment procedures.

In all cases of establishing restrictive measures following a risk assessment or containment procedures, approval from the MELCCFP is required. Decontamination to generic usage criteria or standards can be carried out in two ways, "ex-situ" or "in-situ."

The often-preferred method when the owner has limited time is the "ex-situ" method, where soils are excavated and transported off-site for treatment or disposal in an authorized facility. This method is quick but requires heavy machinery and significant transportation.
If the owner has more time, or excavation proves technically difficult and/or of large scale, "in-situ" treatment could be performed on-site. These treatments are conducted on-site with minimal disturbance to the environment. "In-situ" treatments often use biological technologies requiring less equipment but more time than off-site treatments. However, this type of treatment requires thorough knowledge of the environment (comprehensive characterization of soils and groundwater) to achieve satisfactory results.

Site Rehabilitation Steps

Initial evaluation;
Rehabilitation plan;
Method selection;
Site preparation;
Excavation or implementation of in-situ treatment;
Characterization during and after work;
Site reclamation;
Production of a compliance report.

Key Objectives of Site Rehabilitation:

Legally conforming the site to its intended or future use
Ensuring the financial value of the site

Why Choose Spheratest for Site Rehabilitation:

Turnkey service
Efficient project management
Quick execution
Availability of professionals to answer your questions
Over 500 rehabilitations conducted throughout Québec

A word
of our customers

"When faced with a contamination issue, they guided us through resolving the numerous challenges that emerged. Dealing with this kind of unpleasant surprise exposes property owners to a plethora of proven or potential problems. From the outset, Spheratest provided us with the best advice for carrying out decontamination according to industry standards. The company has always demonstrated diligence regarding deadlines. The staff is always courteous, punctual, and available. Everyone I encountered was highly knowledgeable in their field. Furthermore, Spheratest has always been transparent about costs, a major factor in such a stressful ordeal. They are a group of people for whom quality seems to be a cardinal value. Moreover, they treat you as a human being. In such a trial, this is invaluable. It is a top-notch company that I highly recommend."

"I wanted to highlight the excellent work of your project manager. It's truly pleasant to work with her. She is reliable, follows up diligently, and summarizes the issues very well. Our calls last an average of 3 minutes; she doesn't waste my time, and I have all the information I need. It's perfect."

"Thank you very much, I have always felt that you are very professional people. I can tell you that we feel confident with you and see such a difference. Thank you for being on our path to help us navigate through a situation for which we would have otherwise passed, believe me."

"On my site, I expected phases 1 and 2 to be a necessary step, and that we wouldn't discover anything more than what I already knew. But that was not the case. The Spheratest team accompanied me throughout the soil decontamination and rehabilitation process, which was long and full of challenges. Fortunately, they were patient in answering my 1001 questions in the face of my total lack of understanding of what we were finding with every shovel of dirt. They were diligent, available, present, understanding, and flexible to adapt to everything my site required. I greatly appreciated working with the Spheratest team, particularly Isabelle and Benoit, with whom I had many exchanges."