Dr. Sophie Wood is the Program Manager for the Contaminated Sites Assessment, Remediation and Management (CSARM) Short Courses at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). The CSARM course has been delivered over the past 15 years and has seen great success in upskilling the industry. In this episode, we focus on the Contaminated Site Management and Regulation Short Course (CSMR) which launched in 2024, focusing specifically on CLM for councils.
Sophie has had an extensive career in contaminated land and waste management consultancy, including 13 years as a partner at Environmental Resources Management (ERM) in Sydney. She was also a New South Wales EPA and Queensland accredited site auditor, and remains a certified environmental practitioner, site contamination specialist, under the EIANZ scheme.
Sophie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Natural Sciences and Geology from the University of Cambridge and a PhD in Geochemistry from the University of Leeds. She has worked on many major contaminated site projects, including the Barangaroo site gasworks remediation, the remediation of the gasworks beneath the new Sydney Metro station at Central Station, and for Western Sydney Airport.
She was also the lead auditor for the first draft of the revision of the 2013 NEPM schedules B4 and B7, focusing on site specific risk assessment and health based investigation levels. She is passionate about high quality teaching and learning, helping professionals strengthen their expertise in contaminated land management through the CSARM and now the CSMR courses.
In this episode, Dr. Sophie Wood discusses how training programs tailored for council staff are filling critical knowledge gaps in contaminated land management. She explains the development of the UTS CSMR Short Course, which was created in direct response to local council demand.
Sophie shares insights into common knowledge gaps among council staff, particularly in determining whether consultant reports contain enough information to support decision-making. Many council officers struggle with understanding what is critical versus “nice to have” data, and targeted training helps them focus on the most relevant aspects.
Looking ahead, Sophie warns that climate change will pose major challenges, with risks like landfill erosion, contamination spread via floods, and industrial site closures. She stresses the need for councils to prepare for emerging contaminants and future risks.
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Are you a local NSW council member looking for more resources like this?
You are invited to join the Local Government NSW Contaminated Land Network!
Local Government NSW (LGNSW) hosts a free, online network for council staff on the topic of contaminated land. The network includes an online forum for collaboration, information sharing and announcements about contaminated land regulation, guidance and training opportunities. Monthly meetings are held on themes that were set by the network participants, with presentations from regulators, technical experts, and case studies by councils.
Since the contaminated land network commenced in December 2023, more than 50% of NSW councils have joined, with over 200 participants. Feedback shows that councils are benefitting greatly from the network meetings and discussion on the platform, and we are pleased to invite you to join us.
To join the network, please use this link: https://lgsa.wufoo.com/forms/w1rf0os910rxyl6/
The Contaminated Land Network forms part of a project called “Councils Managing Contaminated Land Together” funded by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (NSW EPA) to support capacity building and informed decision-making by those involved in contaminated land management in councils.
We hope to see you on the network soon!
