Working Groups

The general aim of the Working Groups is to closely follow developments a specific area, try to get influence so that NICOLE's aims are met, and keep members of the network informed. Several Working Groups have started and have been concluded after delivery of results or in the absence of a need for continued attention. The deliverables have been published by NICOLE and can be found in Publications. All members can propose Working Groups that complement the existing range of Working Groups and brings value for NICOLE Members.

NICOLE membership entitles you full entry to the work of the Working Group. Members of the Working Group can download documents which are not (or not yet) available for public, such as presentations of meetings, minutes of meeting, draft reports, outcome of questionnaires etc.

If you are a member of NICOLE, simply inform the Working Group leader or NICOLE Secretariat of your interest in the works of the Working Group.

1 Regulatory Working Group

The Regulatory WG is the NICOLE focal point for all regulatory and guidance issues, with sub-groups focusing on particular topics such as the SFD, IED guidance documents or emerging trends such as the potential implications for soil from the REACH Directive.

The Regulatory WG is chaired by Micha van den Boogerd (Tauw, Netherlands) and Olivier Maurer (WSP, France) and facilitated by the secretariat Elze-Lia Visser (Netherlands).

The Regulatory WG originates from the successful Working Groups on the Groundwater Directive, Waste Directive, Soil Framework Directive and Industrial Emissions Directive. The work done in each of these Working Groups has largely contributed to implementation of NICOLE’s belief in risk based remediation.

The Working Group facilitates NICOLE’s dialogues with Commission officials, develops position papers and contributes in the preparation of guidelines on the Directives.

2 Innovation Working Group

Remediation and land management is becoming more routine for the default issues that there is a lack of finding new technologies, which can make a project more cost and time efficient. On the other hand, for new emerging contaminants or complicated land management issues, new technologies and or procedures or methodologies could assist in solving these issues.

Potential fields of interest:

Field Technologies for assessment - rapid screening tools, new tools for new contaminants.
CAD / GIS Technologies / Software - new CAD / GIS software to optimize data assessments and evaluation.
Monitoring Data optimization - Techniques and systems to e.g. optimize operate & maintain (O&M) projects and more.

Remediation Technologies - more efficient technologies for existing contaminants, new technologies for new types of contaminants.
Finance Management Technologies / Software - financial tools to track, monitor and evaluate remediation reserves, spend, etc.

3 Archive Working Groups

Many NICOLE Working Groups have been active over the past years. Resulting in increased knowledge, shared experiences and often deliverables like reports, position papers and other. These final deliverables can usually be found at the NICOLE documents section. The Working Group documents Archive can be accessed by members of NICOLE after login.

NICOLE Working Groups documents Archive:

Working Group Sustainable Remediation
Working Group Operational Window
Working Group H2020

Working Group Emerging Contaminants
Working Group Mercury
Working Group Asbestos in Soil

Join a Working Group