Groundwater Protection in Selected Countries
2. Point Sources
| 2.1 | Number of Sites |
| 2.2 | Time frame for clean-up |
| 2.3 | Costs |
According to the Act for the Clean-up of Contaminated Sites (ALSAG), the Provincial Governors have to inform the Environment Minister about potentially contaminated sites. Corresponding to a preliminary assessment sites which are suspected to cause a serious threat are listed in the Register of Potentially Contaminated Sites. Due to the results of investigations and a risk assessment performed by the Federal Environmental Agency sites which are shown to constitute a considerable threat to human health or the environment are identified as contaminated and listed in the Register of Contaminated Sites (Altlastenatlas). Furthermore, a priority class proposed by the Federal Environment Agency indicates the urgency for remedial measures.
This results in three lists of sites in Austria:
 | The Register of Contaminated Sites |
| The Register of Potentially Contaminated Sites |
| The Register of landfills and industrial sites which existed before 1989 |
Information from the registers is only disclosed on specific request and after assessment of the confidentiality of the requested data.
2.1 Number of SitesListed sites
The total number of sites listed in the Register of Contaminated Sites (Altlastenatlas) is 145, of which 78 are landfills and 67 are industrial sites (Umweltbundesamt, 1999). More sites are expected to be listed in the future. The latest estimation of the total number of contaminated sites dates back to 1994 and gives a number of 1,500 contaminated sites (ETCS, 1998). As there is a lack of an appropriate target of environmental policies on the theme of contaminated sites and since criteria for assessment and remediation may be revised in the near future, the magnitude of the problem may range from 1,000 to 5,000 contaminated sites.
The total number of sites listed in the Register of Potentially Contaminated Sites (Verdachtsflächenkataster) is 2,476, of which 2,303 are landfills and 173 are industrial sites. Preliminary assessments have resulted in giving 234 sites a high priority for investigation. In 1998, investigations were under progress at 164 of these sites (Umweltbundesamt, 1999).
Information on potentially contaminated sites which has been passed by the Provincial Governors to the Environment Minister is listed at a total of 29,493 (4,125 landfills and 25,368 industrial sites; Umweltbundesamt, 1999). It is expected that the total number of abandoned landfills and industrial sites is approximately 80,000 (ETCS, 1998).
Delisted sites
As of 1998, 12 sites were delisted from Register of Contaminated Sites (Altlastenatlas) and classified as remediated. At the same time, remediation was in progress at 42 sites.
In 1998, a total of 108 sites were delisted from the Register of Potentially Contaminated Sites. This delisting was the result of revised preliminary assessments, contamination investigations or voluntary remediation.
2.2 Time frame for clean-upIn 1989, when the Act on the Clean-Up of Contaminated Sites was prepared, an estimate of the funding of clean-up activities was made. This estimate took into account a time frame for clean-up of 10 years. Currently, there is no published official estimation on this subject.
At the moment, amendments to the ALSAG are being prepared. Experience has shown that the magnitude of the problems posed by contaminated sites have been underestimated. It has become clear that the remediation of contaminated sites within a national programme is a long-term task.
2.3 CostsIn 1989, the cost of cleaning up all of the contaminated sites in the registry was estimated at 5,000 to 10,000 mill. ATS. In 1994, the costs for remediating 300 priority sites was estimated at 20,000 mill. ATS (ETCS, 1998).
The annual budgets for investigations in 1998 and 1999 are ATS 89 million and ATS 114 million. The annual budgets for funding of remediations 1998 and 1999 are ATS 507 million and ATS 646 million.
In 1998, the political commission for remediation of contaminated sites approved 17 projects. The range of the project costs was from ATS 0,83 million up to ATS 155 million, and the range of the grants was between 30 % and 95 % from ATS 0,42 million up to ATS 78,4 million. The sum of the project costs was ATS 607 million, the sum of the grants was ATS 256 million.
This mentioned costs do not include costs associated with voluntary remediation. There is no overview of the number and extent of voluntary clean-up.