Related — Albion Park Rail residents’ uncertainty over PFAS danger at their doorstep
“All 10 test sites at the Albion Park Fire and Rescue NSW training site revealed PFAS levels above the safe drinking water limits, an independent assessment of water samples reveals.
And some of the chemicals were found in levels exceeding ecological limits as water ran off from the training site to Albion Park Rail, entering Lake Illawarra through Albion Creek and Koona Bay.
The training site, on Airport Rd and owned by Shellharbour City Council, had concentrations of the chemicals heavy enough to be classified as a ‘priority 1 site’ for immediate future management.
The worst site for PFAS contamination was the retention pond on the edge of the fire training ground, less than 150m from the passenger entrance to the Illawarra Regoinal Airport.
When rain caused the pond to overflow, PFAS was detected in “all the surface drainage lines” from it.
International engineering consultant GHD recommended ‘immediate management action’ including removing contaminated water and sediment from the pond, and blocking it from overflowing.
When the Mercury visited the site on Thursday, the pond was full and unblocked.
GHD tested five groundwater sites, and five surface water sites, in December 2016. Results showed levels of perflourooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perflourohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) above the safe drinking water limit.
A further two sites – one surface and one groundwater –showed levels exceeding the safe limit for Perflourooctanoic acid (PFOA).
Four sites registered chemical levels exceeding the ecological safe limits (plant and animal safety).
And while on-site soil testing showed contamination levels within safe limits, several off-site samples showed high concentrations – above human health screening criteria – indicating PFAS can accumulate and become more concentrated as it leaches off-site.”
Read the full article by Ben Langford