If your steps to rehabilitate the soil fail,

You have three options:
  1. Move. (Especially if the source of contamination returns frequently, traffic or nearby orchard spraying etc.) Recognise your limits. You, personally, can only take on a small, no longer abused areas of land for rehabilitation. Large areas require community effort. Be honest with yourself and your community. Many communities are unaware of their hazardous surrounds, if you politically active and are willing to initiate community action, then do so.

    2. On the personal level, act with your feet and move to an existing rural or urban area in which you can sustain a healthy permaculture system. (We do not support the removal of existing forest to meet your housing needs. There are numerous under-utilised sites in nearly every district)
    Your lifestyle can be an inspiration to others. Be part of a community of concerned active and responsible people produce an area of beauty and caring.

    We decided to find a clean area within a small city. This decision was founded on our willingness to deal with the cities environmental problems and community issues. There is less privacy, greater pressure to conform and interest from other people than may be in rural districts. We also choose an area to meet our preferences for multicultural activities, university access, recreational opportunities (swimming, rainforest, hang-gliding, sports etc.) We wanted a diverse and interesting area. One of the positive aspects of having a lot of people about is there are more offers of help, ideas and resources.

Many areas of our city that were highly polluted by local smelters or the steel industry, are now cleaner places to live. (Some such as those in Port Kembla still contain soil highly toxic to bare hands, so have your soil tested!). Forested pockets and wetlands are more numerous and people are moving back. The industry is pleased to have a better reputation. At the same time more English speaking people are returning to the area. They are better informed due to fewer language and cultural barriers and will increase the environments chances of cleaning the industry even further. 
To continue to live without protest in an area of high environmental abuse 
does not help the planet or mankind. 
  1. Grow your plants in containers (this will only work if the containers are protected from air-borne pollutants containing heavy metals). Or in raised beds. During this early period (1-3years) you can increase the organic matter and micro-organisms. As mentioned earlier, Increasing the organic matter also reduces the percentage of heavy metals because the amount of soil increases while the amount of metals should remain the same unless the contanimants are still entering your system via air or rain water.

    2. PERMACULTURE IS TRANSPORTABLE. One of the hardest concepts to convey to people about permaculture is that you don't have to have legal papers of so called ownship of land to practice a sustainable lifestyle. Large pots should be a feature of most permaculture sites. Plant dwarf trees in large pots and mixed herbs and vegies in mulched pots, boxes or trays. You can plant directly into mulch or composting leaves - you don't need soil. Indeed most of our vegetables and salad greens on the site at Mt Kembla do not come in contact with the soil at all. The raised beds after only a year improved the soil structure and this means more air and water in the soil as well as organic matter. The earth worms have multiplied and so, micro-organisms would have too. We effectively increased all 5 components of the soil and any residue toxins now would be a much lower percentage.
  2. Grow only fibre and nut trees. Do not eat root crops from polluted areas. The degree of plant contamination decreases from root-crops, leaf-crop, fruiting plants, nut trees. This third choice restricts but doesn't stop your chances of having a diverse and enriching and self-maintaining permaculture system. You should consider growing food in a greenhouse as they will protect the potted plants from recurring contaminants. However, greenhouses require a lot more maintenance (costly glass and ventilation in summer) and regular watering. You will be able to grow a range of foods from sprouts through to year-round tomatoes. Maybe even pest free dwarf peach. Consider natural shading in summer by the planting of deep tap rooted (so the roots won't disturb the building) deciduous trees on the sunny side. These could be suitable nut species.

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