Environmental information on contaminated sites and suspected sites: Information

The term contaminated sites are used to describe areas where there is a suspicion of a contaminated site. Contaminated sites are, for example, disused dumping sites for municipal or commercial waste (old deposits) or decommissioned plants, armament sites and operating areas on which environmentally hazardous substances have been handled (old sites), insofar as this causes harmful soil changes or other hazards. The inventory of contaminated sites summarizes the data on contaminated sites and sites suspected of being contaminated sites.

According to the Environmental Information Act (UIG), every person has the right to free access to environmental information held by a body required to provide information. The UIG applies in Lower Saxony in conjunction with the Lower Saxony Environmental Information Act (NUIG). Access may be granted by the provision of information, access to the file or by any other means. On request, therefore, any person can obtain information from the contaminated land register. Such information is important, for example, when buying or selling a property, for construction or demolition projects as well as for groundwater uses in the vicinity of contaminated sites. However, in many cases, the information about a contaminated site or area suspected of being contaminated can be personal data. The competent authority must then examine whether disclosure of the information would significantly harm the interests of the data subject; if necessary, it must weigh up the situation.