Until 22 August 2006, the Buncefield site was under the control of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) whilst the Major Incident Investigation Board (MIIB) conducted its investigations.  

Since August 2006, when the HSE control lifted, they have made significant progress in cleaning-up the site in conditions which are often complex and without precedent. Their priority for all clean up activity is to ensure work is completed safely, to the highest standards and with minimum impact on the environment. Throughout they have worked closely with the Environment Agency (EA) and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to ensure they are kept informed of significant developments.

Dismantling of the site

In January 2007, they began to dismantle onsite structures. They are currently on track to have dismantled and removed all the onsite structures by the end of 2007. Their priority is to ensure the work and removal is completed to the highest standards and with minimal disruption to local residents and businesses.

Firewater

Following the incident, HOSI removed firewater and petroleum products from site. The firewater was securely stored at three offsite locations and is now undergoing extensive treatment so that it can be disposed of safely. Responsibility for the treatment of firewater now lies with the BPA.

The firewater contains PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate - an organic pollutant), a constituent of the fire fighting foam. At the time, there was no known method for removing it from the water, and no official guidance was available. They therefore commissioned independent research into treatment options and ran trials with more than 21 different types of technology to identify the best way of removing the PFOS from water at each location:

• Firewater stored at the Maple Lodge facility underwent the EA-approved treatment of reverse osmosis. Treatment of this firewater has now been completed.


• At two other locations, the firewater continues to be stored safely whilst they agree the best technology for each site. They continue to test and review technologies and all work is being completed with the knowledge of the EA.

Rainwater

The rainwater run-off from Buncefield is now being treated on site. The EA has been involved in development of a treatment process and has fully approved their approach.

Groundwater

As soon as they were able to after the incident, they began monitoring onsite and offsite locations for possible effects to the groundwater. They continue to conduct extensive monitoring and data analysis with the help of independent and accredited laboratories.

The data they have collected suggests the groundwater situation is stable and they are currently assessing the requirement for its treatment. They have shared all their results with the EA and the local water company, and are continuing to monitor, until it is deemed there is no environmental risk.