Fellow’s Profile
Philippa Towler
Fellow’s Profile
Philippa Towler
The control of organic chemical pollution in groundwater by biodegradation
Fellowship
Themes
Countries
Fellowship year
1985
Locality
South East
Biography
In 1985 I visited universities, a government laboratory and a commercial firm in the United States, researching ways to harness the natural processes in soils and aquifers to degrade pollutants. The United States was leading the understanding and development of practical methods to clean up spills of fuels and solvents, driven by progressive legislation.
Back in the UK, I was supported by my employer, the Water Research Centre, to disseminate my findings and undertake a demonstration project. This complemented a major survey of the nature and extent of UK groundwater contamination. It took until 1994 to further the UK approach when the report A Framework for Assessing the Impact of Contaminated Land on Groundwater and Surface Water was published by the then Department of Environment under my management. This report opened the risk-based assessment methodologies for land and groundwater remediation that have since been continuously developed. I carried on remediating nuclear licensed sites and produced the industry SAFEGROUNDS guidance.
During my 35 years as a hydrogeologist and land-quality manager I have strived to remove pollution legacies and recycle land for a better use.
Disclaimer
All Reports are copyright © the author. The moral right of the author has been asserted. The views and opinions expressed by any Fellow are those of the Fellow and not of the Churchill Fellowship or its partners, which have no responsibility or liability for any part of them.
Disclaimer
All Reports are copyright © the author. The moral right of the author has been asserted. The views and opinions expressed by any Fellow are those of the Fellow and not of the Churchill Fellowship or its partners, which have no responsibility or liability for any part of them.