Site remediation is the process of removing pollutants and contaminants from a plot of land. These pollutants can include many different types of hazardous waste that may be harmful to human health or the environment. Site remediation may be aimed at cleaning up the soil, water bodies, groundwater, or air within a particular area.

There are a number of materials that can cause a site to require remediation, including by-products from manufacturing and industrial waste or high levels of chemical concentration from any number of sources. Site remediation is usually aimed at one of four basic types of pollutants, including toxic, flammable, explosive, or disease-causing substances. To determine whether a site requires clean-up, soil and water samples are tested to determine the level of contamination.

Site remediation is often performed on land that has been deemed unlivable by local government bodies or scientific groups. This type of land is known as a brownfield, and clean-up is performed so the land can be developed and used safely. Some site remediation projects are performed because the site is a hazard to people in nearby areas. Sites contaminated by nuclear or chemical waste may produce toxic fumes that can travel for miles, or can even leak into groundwater and contaminate local water supplies. Cleaning up the site may not make it safe to live on, but it can help to minimize danger to nearby residents.

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