Van de Graaff & Associates offer an in-depth analysis of the chemistry of the wastewater, how it may affect the soil and of the suitability of land for sustainable wastewater disposal for any size of land. Previous clients include Eynesbury Estate, VicUrban (various developments), and private clients too numerous to mention.

Soil contamination is of major concern to the community at large, including developers and land users. We provide expert soil and groundwater contamination and risk-based assessments and advice for numerous environmental consultancies and private clients, however we do not offer site clean-ups or environmental audits.  Our work is limited to advising environmental assessors and accredited environmental auditors with advice based on soil chemistry and geochemistry.

We continue to provide soil testing and assessments for various purposes such as compaction assessments, soil testing for assessing suitability for horticultural purposes and soil improvement for parks and gardens.

In collaboration with our associates, Geocode Mapping and Analysis P/L we offer a GIS based approach to risk-assessment for in-ground assets through soil and terrain pattern mapping. Previous clients include City West Water, S.E Water and Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority.

In collaboration with a Chinese organization and an Australian Joint Venture, including Woodward Clyde Pty Ltd and ACIL Australia Pty Ltd, under an AusAID-funded project, we succeeded in converting large areas of copper mine tailings into productive and safe agricultural soil at Yuanqu, Shanxi, and in establishing vigorous grass and trees at Tong Ling, Anhui. 

For the last fourteen years, Robert van de Graaff (Principal) has been teaching the first-year landscape architecture students at RMIT a basic course on terrain. The course includes introductory geology, natural rock materials, landforms and geomorphology, and soils. The course comes to life as many of the case studies discussed in class come from Robert’s professional experience. Students learn the importance of soils from Robert’s discussion of costly mistakes made by others in the past who failed to take soils seriously. Some students called him the teacher who asks more questions of the students than tells them what’s what. Socrates found this technique extremely efficient in making a person investigate his own beliefs, but in the end it cost him his life!  At age 75 this is not a worry for Robert.

Robert also enjoys talking to kindergarten and primary school kids about soils, compost and growing plants and vegetables. Here too, Socrates is a great help.

Robert believes that the Hippocratic Oath, which medical doctors have traditionally honoured for more than 20 centuries by not sending away a patient without treatment if he/she is unable to pay for the service, also applies to environmental experts. van de Graaff & Associates have on occasion offered their professional services to people without charge or at a very reduced rate.

In past years, Robert’s participation in the work of Standards Australia and some other more minor activities, such as Whistleblowers Australia, has been at his own cost.