Soil status report: who has to submit it and how often

What the preliminary soil status report is

It is a document that assesses whether significant contamination has occurred, or could occur, in the soil on which a potentially contaminating activity is located. It is the starting point: the authorities use it to decide whether further investigation is needed.

Which companies are required to submit it

• Activities listed in Annex I of Royal Decree 9/2005, as amended by Order PRA/1080/2017.
• Companies that produce, handle or store more than 10 tonnes a year of hazardous substances.
• Fuel storage facilities for own use with an average annual consumption above 300,000 litres and a total storage capacity of 50,000 litres or more.

What it must include

1. General details
   of the activity.
2. Hazardous materials
   consumed: raw, secondary and auxiliary.
3. Products
   intermediate or final, of a hazardous nature.
4. Waste
   and by-products generated.
5. Production areas
   and historical activities on the site.

Periodic report: every 10 years

Once the preliminary report has been submitted, the company must send a periodic soil status report with the same content every ten years. It is easy to forget: between one report and the next, even the environmental manager may have changed.

And is the baseline soil report the same thing?

No. The baseline report establishes the state of the soil and groundwater so that it can be compared with their state when the activity finally ceases. It is required when applying for an Integrated Environmental Authorisation and normally involves boreholes, piezometers and laboratory analysis.