The impact of the Environment Act on the BRL 7000

The legal basis of the assessment guideline BRL 7000 'Execution of (water) soil remediation and interventions in the water bottom' was always the Soil Protection Act. With the introduction of the Environment Act, this has been repealed. This has consequences for the BRL 7000 and therefore for soil excavators. For some companies it is no longer even necessary to be certified for the BRL 7000. 

The BRL 7000 covers digging in the soil, soil remediation, groundwater remediation and aquatic soil interventions. "The guideline indicates the way in which you have to carry out these activities," says Sjesco Heuberger of Aboma Certification. "The introduction of the Environment Act prompted the revision of BRL 7000, as well as BRL 2100 (mechanical drilling) and BRL 11000 (underground part soil energy systems). This means that companies have to adapt their procedures and practices to these new protocols."

Of the three assessment guidelines, Sjesco says the BRL 7000 has undergone the most significant changes. "In particular, the requirements have been formulated differently," he says. "Whereas in the past a BUS notification or remediation plan was sufficient, now an implementation plan is also required. This describes the basis on which the excavation will take place, what materials will be used, etc. It is much more project-specific. That means for us as auditors that we also have to question more specifically on that. The execution plan will have a much more prominent place in assessing projects. We check whether what is described also meets the requirements of the guideline." His colleague Daniëlle Penning adds: "The Environment Act also means that it is no longer necessary for some companies to be certified for the BRL 7000. Under the Soil Protection Act, the extent of the contamination was leading, not the scope of the work. Under the Environment Act, the scope of the activities is leading. For all activities under the Environment Act in size smaller than 25 m3, certification is no longer required."

Companies that do require certification still have until January 1, 2026 to comply with the new version 7.0 of BRL 7000. For the BRL 2100 and the BRL 11000, the date is April 1, 2025. "For companies that are not (yet) transitioning to the new version of the BRL 7000, but are performing work under the Environment Act, a temporary protocol 7005 version 1.0 applies, valid until January 1, 2026," says Sjesco. "From Aboma we are already accredited to audit on the new version 7.0 of the standard. It's up to the companies themselves to decide whether they anticipate this or make use of the transitional period for a while longer."