Brownfield sites are often contaminated and require remediation in order to mitigate risk and revamp them for beneficial use. The regional gas storage and distribution center in Exeter, United Kingdom, was a brownfield site for which SecondSite Property Holdings Limited (SPH) sought remediation while still in use. As environmental consultant, PB developed the sequential reactive barrier (SEREBAR) system—a technological breakthrough for solving problems in contaminated land and groundwater remediation.

SEREBAR is a 656-foot (200-meter) permeable reactive barrier system that intercepts contaminated groundwater and directs it to a treatment system. The construction of the system is based on six canisters arranged in heights to treat the water in series through gravity flow. No pumping or surface treatment system is required, and free-phase liquids such as tar are collected and recycled. SEREBAR is the only application of this type of permeable reactive barrier in the world.

Led by Project Manager Jaime Robinson, PB was responsible for project management, design, supervision, client representation and validation for the installation of the SEREBAR system. PB provided SPH with a sustainable, cost-effective solution that enabled the firm to manage risk while maintaining operations at the site. The system is significantly reducing groundwater contamination and is well below the UK Environment Agency’s groundwater quality limits.