The area of Ploiesti in Romania was among the first oil producing regions in the world. The refineries and oil pipelines have leaked petroleum products over many years. An area of at least 500 ha is contaminated by free product light non-aqueous-phase liquid (LNAPL), affecting one third of Ploiesti’s water supplies. To date it has been possible to compensate by extending the well fields and using surface water, but the long-term sustainability of these measures has not been investigated. The Prahova and Teleajan rivers, tributaries of the River Danube, are also at risk. A conceptual map is presented to show the evolution of LNAPL contamination between 1980 and 2000, and the quantity of oil in each plume is estimated. Potential recovery of oil using a conventional pump-and-treat system is also calculated, with costs and possible revenue. An outline programme for investigation and remediation is presented, part of which is being implemented with a European Community grant. Although the severity of contamination was at least partly realised in the 1970s, only the recent move towards privatization could mobilize sufficient financial resources to address this problem and protect groundwater resources for future use.

When routine gas‐monitoring operations were carried out at Breeze Hill School, Oldham, more than 20% methane (by volume) was recorded beneath the floor of the sports block. Following consultations with interested parties the school was evacuated. The results of subsequent investigations suggested that biodegradable material beneath and adjacent to the school was the source of the gas. The geometry of the landfilled material and the site geology were such that there was a potential for migration of the resulting landfill gas. Methane is a flammable gas. An explosive risk exists whenever a methane/air mixture is present comprising 5–15% methane (by volume). Higher concentrations are no less hazardous since dilution of the concentrated gas in air will result in flammable or explosive mixtures. This paper details the nature of the investigations and the gas control measures carried out at Breeze Hill School.