...
Clarifying
...
main
...
issues
...
and
...
basic
...
principles
...
Many
...
sites
...
that
...
have
...
been
...
used
...
for
...
industrial
...
or
...
mining
...
activities
...
over
...
long
...
timeframes
...
(decades
...
to
...
centuries)
...
are
...
confronted
...
with
...
severe
...
soil
...
and
...
groundwater
...
pollution.
...
These
...
areas
...
can
...
be
...
considered
...
as
...
megasites.
...
Most of the megasites require the application of a risk-based
...
approach,
...
which
...
differs
...
from
...
the
...
type
...
of
...
remediation
...
strategies
...
applied
...
in
...
the
...
case
...
of
...
small-scale
...
soil
...
and
...
groundwater
...
contamination.
...
This
...
risk-based
...
approach
...
is
...
the
...
fundamental
...
element
...
of
...
the
...
Integrated
...
Management
...
Strategy
...
(IMS)
...
and
...
the
...
management
...
plan
...
to
...
be
...
established
...
by
...
applying
...
the
...
IMS
...
to
...
megasites.
...
A preliminary list of stakeholders involved (regulators,
...
site-owners,
...
site
...
managers)
...
should
...
be
...
formed,
...
related
...
to
...
the
...
megasite
...
or
...
the
...
region.
...
The identification of a megasite should be based on comparing a general description of the site in question with the definition of a megasite. This description can be made using a checklist of existing information containing available data, maps and contamination profiles and expert estimates for the areas lacking data. Later a final check will need to be done before detailed risk assessment and management scenario development.
Output
The output of this step is the identification of the site or region as a potential megasite for which the IMS approach could be feasible. This identification comprises scale, quality and quantity issues.