A
Job To Love
You’re surrounded by wetlands and
tall native grasses. Looking out over
the vast area, you watch Canada Geese
and Mallard ducks swim in the pond.
This area used to be a landfill. Once
the landfill was full, your job was
to convert it into a green space. You
chose a new technique, which used native
plants and sloped ground to restore
balance over time. Now that the work
is complete, you feel a strong feeling
of accomplishment because you helped
transform the area into a natural environment
rich with plants and wildlife.
Remediation
scientists clean up contaminated
sites. Most work in teams, usually
outdoors near mines, forests, roads,
and streams. Remediation scientists
with many years experience, however,
often work in laboratories and offices,
supervising project teams. Many Aboriginal
remediation scientists live in their
home communities where they work to
restore traditional hunting, fishing,
and gathering areas.
While
this job is fulfilling, there are
downsides. Sometimes your job might
be to fix an area, but not make it
a natural area, like cleaning a diesel
spill site and turning it back into
an industrial area. You’ll spend
your days around dirty, noisy, and
smelly sites. You’ll have to
work outdoors in all kinds of weather.
Then again, when you do turn an area
into a wetland or park, your hard
work will be worth it.
Job
Description
Remediation scientists develop plans
to clean up contaminated land and water
then supervise the work to clean up
the site. For example, a remediation
scientist might analyze a soil sample
to determine the effects of an abandoned
gas station and develop a plan for clean
up, if necessary. Remediation scientists
work for environmental firms specializing
in energy, mining and forestry, and
for natural resource harvesting companies
and the government.
Job
Duties
- Collect
and study rock and water samples
- Test
slope stability, slips, weathering,
erosion, and drainage conditions
- Remove
dangerous substances such as asbestos
and lead
- Reclaim
sites such as mines and quarries
- Manage
the contractors and technologists
who work together to restore contaminated
sites
- Map
geological features such as faults,
fissures, dips, and landslide areas
to locate potential geological problems
- Research
and plan remediation projects
- Prepare
and review environmental impact
statements
- Prepare
reports and recommendations based
on your tests, observations, and
measurements
Fact
In Canada, the National Roundtable
on the Environment and the Economy
identified as many as 30,000 brownfields—contaminated
lands that lie unused and unproductive,
such as abandoned gas stations, decommissioned
refineries, old waterfronts and riverbanks,
and former drycleaners.
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