Three key members of the Atkins London 2012 team - James Apted, Ian Morrissey and Ian Mead - give a brief overview of the challenges involved in remediating the London 2012 Olympic Park site ready for the Games. At 246 hectares, it was one of the largest land remediation projects undertaken in the UK to date. Our work included soil washing, bioremediation, groundwater treatment, wetland planting, river edge engineering and ecology. This presentation was first delivered in October 2013.

1. Rehabilitating the London 2012
Olympic Park site
Chinese media delegation briefing
Atkins Lectures

2. James Apted, Ian Morrissey, Ian
Mead
11 October 2013

5. The challenges
Delivered on time, on budget
and to the standard required
by follow on contractors.
Contamination Occupation Scale
Minimising
disruption to
communities

6. Soil washing
Over 2.2M m3 of soil was excavated to create the site platform.
In total over 900,000 m3 was treated of which 700,000 m3 was soil
washed, which produces sand and gravel fractions for re-use.

7. Bioremediation
Alternative remediation techniques were also used such as
bioremediation, which is good at treating organic contamination.
However it takes 6-8 weeks per treatment batch.
30,000m3 of soil was treated by this process.

8. Groundwater treatment
Overview
Free product removal: 2,500 litres
Pump and treat schemes: 235,000 cubic metres
Diluted chemical reagents injected: 1,260 tonnes
CZ3a Hydraulic
Containment
CZ3 ISCO
Round 1
CZ5a Perched water
cut-off wall & GWTP
CZ6d Perched
water cut-off wall
CZ6a/d
Pump & Treat
CZ1a DPVE
ORS injection
NAPL recovery
CZ3a
ISCO Round 2
CZ3a Thanet
Sands DNAPL
removal
EVO Injection
CZ8a EHCM
injection

9. Cleaning the Olympic Park

12. Wetlands and river edges
Sustainable design
Wetland planting trials where undertaken during the enabling works to
inform habitat design and future management requirements.
This led to the selection of species and installation methods which would
ensure biodiversity objectives were met for the Games and as a legacy.

15. Ecological heritage
Creating opportunities for wildlife through
integrated habitat design within hard and soft
landscaping elements.

16. Transformation
Landscaping extension
The landscaping has developed further in transformation
via the removal of temporary venues and walkways.
This has included the planting of 2,000 trees and
the creation of 10 hectares of meadows and lawns.

17. Transformation
Protection of remediation
Atkins is currently on site on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic
Park ensuring that the existing remediation works are
appropriately protected.

18. North Park in legacy

19. For more information contact
James Apted
james.apted@atkinsglobal.com

20. Celebrating 75 years of
design, engineering and
project management
excellence.
www.atkinsglobal.com