Register of Suspected Contaminated Sites

According to the Law for the Cleanup of Contaminated Sites (ALSAG, BGBl No. 299/1989), each Head of the Provincial Government has to report suspected contaminated sites to the Federal Minister of Environment.

The register of suspected contaminated sites is kept by the Umweltbundesamt (the Austrian Federal Environment Agency) and contains a record of those old deposits and contaminated sites - reported by the Head of the Provincial Government - of which a considerable threat to the environment on the basis of their former use is well-founded. The registration of a plot of land in the register of suspected contaminated sites does by no means imply, that it really poses a considerable threat. Whether or not a suspected contaminated site really poses a considerable threat has to be proven by appropriate investigations (e.g. soil- and groundwater investigations).

If by reporting a plot of land too little information is given, the old deposit or contaminated site will not be added to the register of suspected contaminated sites. A registration is only possible if the Head of the Provincial Government provides additional, adequate information. There is a large number of registrations that could not be added into the register of suspected contaminated sites yet.

The Austrian-wide registration of suspected contaminated sites has not yet been finalized. Therefore the register of suspected contaminated sites is not complete.