National Inventory (Landsdekkend beeld)
In 2001 the Government requested the Provincial and Municipal Authorities to provide information on locations with potentially serious soil pollution in order to chart the existing soil pollution in the entire country.
To identify the locations the Provincial and Municipal Authorities made searches in the registry of environmental permits, the directories of the Chambers of Commerce and in their own registry of soil investigation reports. Aerial photographs were also studied. For each location information was collected about possible pollution sources, the contents of the last soil pollution report (if available), and the action to be taken. A team gave support in order to guarantee a uniform execution of the operation.
On 1 November 2004 the operation was completed. This resulted in a database containing 658.185 locations. On 615.892 locations soil pollution was suspected or proved. However, in respect of 82% of these locations the suspected soil pollution still needs to be proven by soil investigation. After extrapolating the known 18% locations with a possible serious soil pollution it is estimated that there are about 14.000 locations were measures urgently need to be taken on account of unacceptable risks involved when considering the actual use of the land. It is estimated that also about 45.000 locations will have to be remediated when the land use will change or when earth moving is necessary due to renovation and new construction. Under the Dutch National Environmental Policy Plan the soil quality has to be fit by the year 2030 for proper land use. In order to reach that goal all serious cases of soil pollution have to be remediated or controlled by that year. The Government's goal is that all necessary clean ups of the estimated 14.000 locations will start before 2015. It is calculated that € 3.8 billion will be needed to reach this goal and it is estimated that 50% of this amount will be paid by private parties (€ 1.9 billion). The Government expects to invest € 1 billion in the next 10 years (till 2015). This will leave a shortfall of € 900 million.
soil pollution in Amsterdam, 2009