ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLING LTD

About Us

Established in 1990 we are a small specialist drilling company concentrating on environmental projects. Its founder Chris Jeffries worked previously as a consultant for a major international environmental and geotechnical consultancy. While supervising a contamination investigation project in The Netherlands he experienced an environmental drilling service far superior to what was available in the UK at the time and soon after established ESL, aiming to offer a drilling service similar to the Dutch model. ESL started with window sampling but was then the first company to offer a purpose built drill rig using hollow stem auger in the UK. Since then our reputation has become established with many consultancies and other organizations. We have drilling experience throughout the UK, from the Orkney Isles to the Channel Islands & in Ireland, in much of Europe and Africa. Contact with Europe has continued to be important and we retain a relationship with a company in Germany where they offer technical support and professional reporting for our MIP system.

We currently offer 4 Nordmeyer rotary and 2 Sonic Wizard rigs, window sampling, Geoprobe, bioremediation and decommissioning capability. We concentrate on various shallow drilling and probing techniques and most of our drilling work is to depths within 20m, however we do have greater capability. We also subcontract other drilling services where necessary.

Experience

The bulk of our environmental investigation work is at petroleum / chemical facilities, light / heavy industry, demolition and landfill sites, anywhere where contamination may be suspected or encountered. Here follows a selective list of projects worked on since 1990.

• Landfill leachate: Monitoring wells SSSI  - Swansea
• Landfill investigation: Proving depth of fill Private landfill  - Kent
• E.I.A: Test pits and soil / groundwater sampling: Treatment works - South London
• Environmental Audit: Soil sampling: Computer manuf. - France
• Petroleum contamination: Monitoring wells, soil / gw sampling
• Petrol station: Numerous UK, Eire, Orkney Isles
• Acquisition Env. Audit: Monitoring wells, soil / gw sampling: Fuel Depot. - Romania (by air) & Guernsey
• Divestiture Env Audit: Soil / groundwater sampling: Chemical process - France
• Acquisition Env. Audit: Monitoring well, soil / groundwater sampling: Aeroengine factory - South Wales & Scotland
• Validation of clean-up operation, aviation fuel spill: Soil sampling: Airport (Incl. MOD) - Numerous UK, France & Eire
• Coastal contamination: Drive in monitoring wells, soil/groundwater sampling: Fuel refinery - South Wales
• Divestiture Env Audit: Soil / groundwater sampling: Cable manufacturer. - Spain
• Methane investigation:Soil probe holes: Factory - Kent
• Determining contamination pathway: Soil sampling: Whiskey distillery - Scotland
• Acquisition Env. Audit:Monitoring wells, soil / gw sampling. Aircraft factory - Southampton
• Acquisition Env. Audit: Soil / groundwater sampling Missile manuf. - UK & France
• Investigation & decommissioning of boreholes: Former/existing gas sites -  Numerous South East England
• Diesel spill, delineation of plume: Soil sampling: PLC - Berkshire
• Divestiture : Monitoring wells, soil / gw sampling, Anthrax risk: Tannery - Northamptonshire
• Env. Investigation: Soil / gw sampling: Petrochem. company - South Africa
• Divestiture Env. Audit: Soil / groundwater sampling: Strategic fuel depot - South West  Britain, & Essex
• Determining contamination pathway: Soil sampling: Car manufacturer - Portugal
• Acquisition Env. Audit: Monitoring wells, soil / gw sampling: Scrap yard - Scotland
• Env. Investigation: Soil / gw sampling: Pharmaceutical PLC - UK & Eire
• Acquisition Env. Audit: Soil sampling: Boiler factory - Poland (overland)
• Emergency investigation tracking fuel leak: Soil / gw sampling: Oil PLC - Somerset
• MIP investigation to 30m delineating solvent plume: Former chemical site - Blackpool
• Env. investigation: Monitoring wells, soil sampling: Power Station - Croatia
• PCB contamination investigation: Soil sampling: Underground railway
• sub station - London
• Development site: Monitoring wells, soil sampling: Lisbon Port - Portugal

Some of the work has been on sites owned/operated by : Ford, Ford-Iveco, Land Rover, BMW, Rolls Royce, Perkins, Allied Signals, Rail depots, track & terminals, BP, Mobil, Shell, Esso, Texaco, Jet, Q8, Statoil, British Fuels, ICI / Xeneca, Merck, Pfizer, MSD, Rhone Poulenc, DuPont, Stirling Organics, BICC, Delta, IBM, Texas Instruments, General Electric, BAe, Bell, GKN Westland, Army, RAF, Navy, Airports - Heathrow, Gatwick, Stanstead, Luton, Oxford, Prestwick, Belfast & various MOD, National Grid / Power, GE, GEC, Coca Cola, Banks, Pension Funds, Investment Houses, Councils, Water Companies, Brewers.

Overseas Experience

We have worked in a drilling capacity in the following places / countries: Channel Islands, Orkney Isles, Isle of Man, Ireland, France, Belgium, Holland, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Russia, Romania, Croatia, Morocco, Djibouti, South Africa.

Equipment

ESL offers various types of drilling and sampling equipment to meet the demand of both the site’s terrain and geological formations.

• Hand held window sampling equipment
• Hammer options: Petrol, electric, pneumatic.
• Rotary Rigs
• Choice of 4 Nordmeyer RSB rigs.
• 3 rigs trailer mounted.
• 1 rig tracked mounted.
• Options of normal or heavy duty hammer.
• Two torque options
• Rig weight 1.8 – 2.0 tonne.
• Rig width 1.0m tracked or 1.75m trailer.
• Mast working height 3.7m
• For use with continuous flight and hollow stem augers, window sampling/ dual tube/injection/MIP.
• Sonic Rigs
• Choice of 2 Sonic Wizard tracked rigs
• Aqualock sampling system
• Core liner sampling at 75 & 100mm dia.
• Geoprobe GH-40
• Fitted on Ford Econoline 350.
• For window sampling / injection.
• Membrane Interface Probe - MIP.

• DPT rig
• GLG Lindenmeyer Dynamic Probe for light, middle heavy & super heavy weight penetration tests. Diesel hydraulic version.
• For CPT / SPT / DPT, window sampling / injection.
• ChemGrout CG-555 Trailer mounted grout mixer & pump
• Diesel engine, hydraulic system.
• For grouting, decommissioning and injection work.
• Various other equipment:
• Soft sediment piston sampler
• Geoprobe systems for sampling soil & groundwater
• Soil vapour probe
• Concrete coring
• Hydraulic breaker system

Vacancies

There are currently no vacancies.

Trainee Driller

ESL often requires ambitious, keen and enthusiastic personnel with a positive attitude to work on our drill rigs. This work can be dirty and wet and carries on no matter what the weather conditions. On the other hand we work in some fantastic and unusual places for interesting clients. Work is throughout the UK and may involve weekend work.

Any person should like the outdoor life, be prepared to travel away from home and train as a lead driller eventually being in charge of their own drilling rig. Good hand writing and communicative skills are essential as is a clean driving license.

To be considered for any upcoming vacancies please send your CV accompanied by a hand written letter.