Why is council asking me for a Contamination Report for my Development Application?

As Environmental and Contamination Consultants (Sydney) we are often asked by clients “why are council requesting a contamination report ?”.  Why do I require a Preliminary Site Investigation under SEPP 55 ??  What is a Detailed Site Investigation ?? and why do I require one for my development application.  Well as a follow up to our recent articles on contamination we are hoping this series regarding contamination in NSW and contamination in Sydney will inform our clients of the real unseen risks of contamination.  These recent articles which we previously examined along with the current article on contamination by the Sydney Morning Herald outlines where contamination may occur in relation to PAFS (from firefighting foam).

This was developed by 3M and the chemical is believed to have resulted in many cancer cases in the town of Oakdale in Minnesota where there was a manufacturing plant. These chemicals were manufactured by Fortune 500 company 3M for half-a-century, with the two best known of the family called perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).  PFOS was the key ingredient in 3M’s popular fabric protector Scotchguard, and was used widely in firefighting foams, food packaging and metal plating. The company also manufactured vast quantities of PFOA for sale to Dupont to produce Teflon cookware.  PFOS was the key ingredient in 3M’s popular fabric protector Scotchguard, and was used widely in firefighting foams, food packaging and metal plating. The company also manufactured vast quantities of PFOA for sale to Dupont to produce Teflon cookware.

Fairfax media has reported that there are that at least 90 sites across Australia, including 25 in NSW with 10 in Sydney, 16 in Victoria and 15 in Queensland, are under investigation for elevated levels of the contaminants, linked to a slew of health effects including suppression of the immune system, reproductive effects, interference with hormones and some forms of cancer. The sites stretch from Bundaberg to Wangaratta, from Karratha to Botany Bay.  The link to the above article indicates the locations of the sites in NSW with one being located on a school in Winmalee where fire crews practiced previously.  The use of this chemical has been banned in most countries around the world however unfortunately Australia seems to be one of the only countries in the world not to have banned the chemical perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). At least 171 countries have banned the chemical around the world including the USA, China and Europe.  It was added to the Stockholm Convention in 2009 however nearly 10 years later Australia has still not banned the chemical.

Both PFOS and PFOA are very persistent in the environment and contaminate soil, groundwater and have been found in animals on 95% of the planet based on blood analysis.  Around sites contaminated with this chemical people have found banks are withholding loans in the area and valuers are not coming to site when they find out it’s in the exclusion zone.  As such, and in addition to the associated potential health risks of such contamination events, land values suffer making it more difficult to sell and lowering the price.  So why has council requested a Preliminary Site Investigation becomes quite clear when you consider that a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment (Preliminary Site Investigation) is used to identify potential risks of contamination to a property.  Groundwater contamination is only one of the potential types of contamination.  Soils are often contaminated by previous use of a site or from illegal dumping which often occurs around larger cities and urban areas (particularly western Sydney).  As Environmental Consultants based in Sydney we come across contamination situations quite often.  As part of any purchase (just like a home inspection) it is well worth obtaining the services of an experienced environmental consultant to undertake an assessment of the property to determine the potential risk of contamination by way of a Phase 1 Preliminary Site Investigation report.  If there is an identified risk of potential contamination then a Phase 2 Detailed Site Investigation should be undertaken to determine if there is contamination present, it type, extent and recommended remediation.  In many countries these reports are extremely common and are linked to the mortgage application process and are requested by the banks before providing finance.  The banks protect their investment by only providing mortgages to customers purchasing a “clean” site.  Australia lags behind somewhat as this is not often a request by banks or thought of by purchasers of property.  It is however a critical part of Due Diligence with any property purchase particularly if it is a farm, disused piece of land or former industrial site or if the history of the site is uncertain.  The impacts of purchasing a contaminated piece of land can include significant health impacts and significant financial losses through clean up costs.

It is unfortunate that Australia is lagging behind in the identification of the risks of Land Contamination which have the potential to seriously impact the health of persons living on or near to such sites.  Contact our qualified and experienced Environmental Consultants Sydney to request a quote on a Contamination Assessment (SEPP 55), Preliminary Site Investigation or Detailed Site Investigation.  We have much experience as Environmental Consultants in the Sydney areas and throughout NSW so when you require an environmental assessment please give us a call.

 Sources: 

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/toxic-secrets-where-the-sites-with-pfas-contamination-are-near-you-20180616-p4zlxc.html

http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/factsheets/Pages/pfos.aspx

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-12/documents/ffrrofactsheet_contaminants_pfos_pfoa_11-20-17_508_0.pdf

https://www.smh.com.au/national/clean-it-up-nsw-calls-on-turnbull-government-to-fix-toxic-crisis-20180713-p4zra3.html

 

Sydney to get 5 Million Trees!

“Sydney is to get 5 Million Trees as part of an initiative from the NSW government.  The aim is to provide Green Spaces through Bush Regeneration and other targeted planting to improve many aspects of life in Sydney.  The government aims to double the tree cover in Sydney to 40 per cent with all native trees.  As experienced Ecological Restoration Specialists and Bush Regenerators we see the value in this approach to improve the quality of life for both people and native flora and fauna.  It will also improve the impacts of urban development by reducing urban heat islands as outlined in the article below and generally improve the social wellbeing of people living in the Sydney Basin as well as providing quality Vegetation Management of Sydney Flora and Fauna.  As flora and fauna consultants we have undertaken many Vegetation Management Plans for urban land developments through the years and have had the time to see the impacts restoring and improving ecosystems can provide for the quality of life for people and flora and fauna.”

sources: 

http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/~/media/Files/DPE/Media-Releases/2018/April/tree-mendous-sydney-to-get-5-million-new-trees-as-part-of-290-million-package-2018-04-11.ashx

https://www.domain.com.au/news/heat-inequality-creates-ecological-enclaves-while-putting-sydney8217s-most-vulnerable-residents-at-risk-20180508-h0zrrd/?utm_campaign=strap-masthead&utm_source=smh&utm_medium=link&ref=pos1

Contamination Reports – Preliminary Site Assessments – SEPP55 Contamination

As Environmental Consultants in Sydney we undertake Contamination Reports for a wide range of clients for a wide range of purposes.  Often these are requested by councils for sites with a history which may indicate there is potential for contamination or for sites with an unknown site history.  Whilst some clients see this is unnecessary it is important to understand that the potential risk to human health can be high and that it is a legislative requirement for government authorities to be cautious about such risks.  For Preliminary Site Assessments and Detailed Site Assessments consent authorities are required to adhere to the requirements of legislation including SEPP 55 and the National Environmental Protection (Assessment of Contamination) Measure.  For risk management and due diligence, we highly recommend that our clients undertake at least a Tier 1 Preliminary Site Assessment (PSI) before they purchase any land.  This is because contamination is often not obvious when purchasing and once that purchase is made then the contamination and its resulting clean up cost is most often the responsibility of the new owner.  Such a liability is not something that any purchaser would knowingly accept and the clean up costs can be in the tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in many cases and for more highly contaminated sites in the millions.  Due diligence is highly important with any purchase and this is an area which is often overlooked.  Across North America these assessments are undertaken for almost every loan written by a bank for any property which has a potential risk of contamination and banks often will not loan a purchaser money if there is contamination present.  We recommend all land purchasers consider a Preliminary Site Assessment review.

Why do I require a Contamination Report ? (Preliminary Site Investigation or Detailed Site Investigation) ?

Please see the link below for an article with my comments etc for Australia

www.9news.com.au/national/2018/03/06/17/13/no-evidence-of-cancer-cluster-for-nsw-town-where-50-cancer-cases-exist-between-80-houses

We are often asked by clients “why are council requesting a contamination report ?”.  Why do I require a Preliminary Site Investigation under SEPP 55 ??  What is a Detailed Site Investigation ??  These recent articles on ABC News and Nine News provide an example.  The articles outline the impacts which can occur from the use of chemicals which were used frequently in the past but were not at the time of use known to be a high risk.  Now however, like asbestos risks and asbestos contamination we know the risk to be high and dangerous to human health.  In this case the chemical(s) were Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).  These are members of a group of chemicals known as perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs). Both PFOS and PFOA are very persistent in the environment.  They were used in firefighting foams by the Australian Air Force at the Williamstown Air Force Base which resulted in groundwater contamination.  The contamination means residents cannot drink their bore water or eat home-grown vegetables or eggs from farmyard chickens.  A resident has stated that banks are withholding loans in the area and valuers are not coming to site when they find out it’s in the exclusion zone.  As such, and in addition to the associated potential health risks of such contamination events, land values suffer making it more difficult to sell and lowering the price.  So why has council requested a Preliminary Site Investigation becomes quite clear when you consider that a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment (Preliminary Site Investigation) is used to identify potential risks of contamination to a property.  Groundwater contamination is only one of the potential types of contamination.  Soils are often contaminated by previous use of a site or from illegal dumping which often occurs around larger cities and urban areas (particularly western Sydney).  As Environmental Consultants based in Sydney we come across contamination situations quite often.  As part of any purchase (just like a home inspection) it is well worth obtaining the services of an experienced environmental consultant to undertake an assessment of the property to determine the potential risk of contamination by way of a Phase 1 Preliminary Site Investigation report.  If there is an identified risk of potential contamination then a Phase 2 Detailed Site Investigation should be undertaken to determine if there is contamination present, it type, extent and recommended remediation.  In many countries these reports are extremely common and are linked to the mortgage application process and are requested by the banks before providing finance.  The banks protect their investment by only providing mortgages to customers purchasing a “clean” site.  Australia lags behind somewhat as this is not often a request by banks or thought of by purchasers of property.  It is however a critical part of Due Diligence with any property purchase particularly if it is a farm, disused piece of land or former industrial site or if the history of the site is uncertain.  The impacts of purchasing a contaminated piece of land can include significant health impacts and significant financial losses through clean up costs.