Woodville South – Hughes Street/Port Road
For further details see: Environmental Assessment Stage 3 Port Road Woodville, South Australia 1/2021 SA EPA
https://www.epa.sa.gov.au/files/14824_woodville_stage_3_report_jan2021.pdf
For PFAS levels detected in groundwater go to page 64 of the Environmental Assessment
Highest levels of PFHxS + PFOS detected on 9/1/20 17.2ug/L* at WB7 under Hughes Street (between Bower Street and Port Road). (*Note that this level is 245 times higher than the Australian Drinking Guidelines and 75,000 higher than the Australian 99% ecological trigger level for PFOS).
The EPA has been undertaking environmental assessments in Woodville since May 2019, around a site on Port Road that undertook electroplating between 1950 and 1990.
In October 2019 the EPA advised that as a result of these activities, groundwater (bore water) is contaminated with hexavalent chromium and per- and poly- fluroalkyl substances (PFAS), and should not be used for any purpose.
The chemicals are not a health risk to residents unless you are using bore water.
Environmental Assessment Stage 3 Port Road, Woodville, South Australia
South Australian Environment Protection Authority – Land and Water Consulting
January 2021
Summary of Conclusions
The following summarises the findings of Stage 3 works
1. Groundwater within the Assessment Area reports elevated concentrations of Cr VI and PFAS relevant to identified environmental values.
2. These groundwater impacts constitute site contamination with respect to the definition of site contamination presented in Section 5B of the Environment Protection Act 1993. With respect tochromium and PFAS impacts, this contamination appears to be predominantly a result of historical site activity undertaken at the Source Site (739–753 Port Road).
3. For Cr VI and PFAS impacts in groundwater, there is a predicted unacceptable risk to public health where domestic bores are used in any contact capacity (including ingestion and dermal contact), notwithstanding the exceedances of the potable criteria (subject to exposure parameters such as frequency, duration etc). The EPA has advised residents in the EPA Woodville (Port Road) Assessment area by letterbox drops in May and October 2019 and September 2020 that groundwater was contaminated and that bore water should not be used for any purpose. A GPA would remove the risk to public health by restricting access to contaminated groundwater.
4. Based on the data collected to date, the extent of the residual Cr VI plume and PFAS impacts in groundwater (watertable–Q1 and Q2) is known and delineated.
5. At the targeted locations, concentrations of Cr VI in groundwater were observed to be lower than that reported previously (S&G, 2006) and that it appeared that no significant rebounding of the Cr VI plume beneath or directly down hydraulic gradient of the Source Site had occurred.
6. As per the Stage 2 program of works, beneath the Assessment Area Cr may cycle between Cr III to CrVI (and sorbed/ de–sorbed phases), although Cr is evident as Cr VI for the 2020 monitoring events. This makes predictions of magnitude and extent of site contamination with respect to Cr VI potentially challenging over time, and it is likely that consideration of Total Cr is a better risk indicator than considering Cr speciation at any particular time and place.
The findings of the additional investigations undertaken during the Stage 3 works is considered sufficient for the EPA to support a GPA for the Woodville Assessment Area. Please refer to the statement of limitations associated with these works (presented as Appendix R).