In the Netherlands Soil Policy is adminstered by the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, which issues a Soil Remediation Circular
describing the allowable concentrations of a wide range of contaminants
in soil and groundwater, as well as describing the decision making
process to decide whether remediation is urgent or not. This is updated
rather frequently.
The interpretation of the values is similar to that of the old UK ICRCL values.
1. The TARGET VALUE is the baseline concentration value below which compounds and/or elements are known or assumed not to affect the natural properties of the soil.
2. The INTERVENTION VALUE is the maximum tolerable
concentration above which remediation is required. This occurs if one
or more compounds in concentrations equal to or higher than the
intervention value is found in more than 25 m3
of soil or 1000 m3 of ground water.
3. INDICATIVE LEVELS FOR SERIOUS CONTAMINATION are also given for some contaminants
Values for soil/sediment are expressed as the concentration in a standard soil (10% organic matter and 25% clay). Target and intervention values vary according to the clay and organic matter content of the soil. The formulas for these have been included with the notes on the tables.
It is strongly recommended that you obtain a copy of the
source document as it is a long and complex document.