Deluding the public

about waterway health

Deluding, deceiving, misleading, conning, duping, hoodwinking and ‘pulling the wool over someone’s eyes’ all has the same meaning, and yet it seems that successive Central Coast local government and State Governments over the past decades have mastered the art of trickery when it comes to reporting on the health of our local waterways. It's a 'Pandora's Box' nobody wants to open!

14 February 2024

ALAN HAYES

 

CENTRAL Coast Council monitors the ecological health of our lakes, estuaries, rivers, creeks and lagoons to evaluate condition, measure change through time and target investment and on-ground works to improve ecosystem health. A healthy waterway is one that supports natural processes, is resilient to change, can recover from human impacts and is relatively stable and sustainable through time.

 

The Central Coast’s waterways form part of the NSW coastal zone and marine estate and are managed through implementation of Estuary and Coastal Zone Management Plans. From the southern shores of Lake Macquarie and the valleys and floodplains of Tuggerah Lakes to the delicate coastal lagoons, rugged Brisbane Water and the shores of the mighty Hawkesbury - the Central Coast’s waterways are extensive and unique. Yet festering beneath the water's surface, north of Wyong, lurks a deathly secret - so shocking, Central Coast Council and the State Government wittingly ignore it.

 

The Central Coast Waterways Report Card 2022-2023 publication once again flushes out evidence of Council and the NSW Government's culpability - massaging the truth about power station pollution. It clearly shows that the Council and the State Government continue to ignore public concerns about waterway protection surrounding the highly pollutive Vales Point Power Station.

 

Not surprisingly, on page 7 of the Waterways Report Card, the map of the northern lakes omits any  image or reference of Mannering Lake off Wyee Bay, which during a heavy rain or storm event drains into Lake Macquarie.

Mannering Lake contains the outlet from Vales Point where nutrient and heavy metal contamination line the lake bed from ash dam leaching. It is where the two major fish kills occurred in September and December 2022. It is also where, according to EPA guidelines, mud crabs from Lake Macquarie are not to be consumed by humans due to their toxicity. Testing by the EPA found levels of cadmium above health screening criteria in these crabs, posing a risk for human consumption.

 

The bottom-dwelling organisms are absorbing the cadmium in the sediment to such an extent that it's becoming unhealthy to eat. This fact is not stated in Council’s glossy report – instead, they selectively extol the health of the Central Coast’s waterways.

 

Professor Melissa Haswell from the School of Public Health at the Queensland University of Technology commended the EPA for carrying out the testing, but said they had missed an opportunity to better communicate with the public.

 

"There does seem to be a bit of a disjoint between the risk assessment and the recommendation," she said.

 

“Coal ash has become one of Australia's biggest waste problems — and a solution is being ignored.”

 

Professor Haswell said that it was important to be clear when communicating this problem to the (Central Coast) population.

 

"I would be very cautious about eating these crabs. I wouldn't be terrified, but I would certainly want to know more if I were someone who does regularly consume food from the lake," she said.

 

Professor Haswell said her area of expertise is studying cadmium, particularly in seafood.

 

"The concern about cadmium is the fact that our bodies can't really get rid of it, so it accumulates," she said.

 

"And a lot of the cadmium ends up in the kidneys and our kidneys can't excrete it, or it excretes it very, very slowly.”

 

Yet Central Coast Council said in their waterways report "For the sixth consecutive year, overall water quality and ecological health in the three southern bays of Lake Macquarie remained excellent."

Environmentalist Mike Campbell, who was one of the leading members of the community group that spearheaded the fight to protect the Central Coast’s major drinking water catchment from being destroyed by longwall coal mining, said “If Council’s report is made for the general public, then why aren’t warnings given in the report to toxic mud crab harvesting? This is a major health concern and so these agencies are negligent by not issuing a warning.

 

On page 18 of the report, Council make the statement under ‘Actions Council has taken to help’, “…cleaned up after (a) significant fish kill on the shores of Lake Macquarie, which was believed to be caused by a naturally occurring black water event”. Yet there is no warning again to the public about the leaching of toxic materials into the water.

 

“This is of particular concern, Mr Campbell said, “as Council well knows that the EPA moved onto the power station site at Vales Point within days of the fish kill event in September 2022, commandeering  equipment at the outlet point to obviously examine what could have gone wrong.

 

“We also know now that it was never a ‘naturally occurring black water event’ as the EPA  lodged a case before the Land and Environment Court on or about  September  6th 2023.”

 

The EPA has commenced proceedings against Delta Electricity in the Land and Environment Court, alleging that the licensee breached section 64 of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (POEO Act) in relation to the September 2022 fish kill.

 

Yet, coincidently, the EPA legal proceedings only commenced in the wake of the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur, Dr Marcus Orellana and Halida Nasic, Human Rights Officer, visit to the Central Coast in August 2002 to personally listen to the issues that residents have on the effects of pollution from coal and coal-fired power stations.

 

The statement issued by Dr Marcus Orellana, make it clear that it was time for the NSW government to take action to protect the health and wellbeing of its citizens.

 

Apart from air pollution that results in burning coal, Dr Orellana said “…there are also health impacts associated with storing coal-ash (a by-product from burning coal) in large dumps near waterways and communities. Coal ash stored in unlined ash dumps contaminates waterways with toxic substances like mercury, selenium, arsenic and cadmium.”

 

Coal ash commonly contains some of the earth's deadliest toxics: arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium and selenium. Most of it gets mixed with water and stored in sludgy, unlined basins commonly known as coal ash dams, which have an unfortunate tendency to leak, leach, flood or spill, sometimes in catastrophic amounts.

 

In addition to the increased risk of spills, scientists say the heavier rains expected to come from a warming planet threaten to bring a more hidden peril - rising water tables that seep into the unlined ash dams, then contaminating groundwater.

 

Heavy metals leaching from coal ash dams can adversely affect aquatic ecosystems, which was evidenced in Lake Macquarie in September and December 2022 from Mannering Lake and into Lake Macquarie.

 

For more than five decades the operators of the former Lake Munmorah power station and now Vales Point and Eraring power stations have accumulated  well over one million tonnes of the toxic substance fly ash, which has been further contaminated by the illegal dumping of asbestos and other unknown substances, according to a 2021 EPA Clean-Up Notice.

 

“How come then that the Council’s Waterways Report, dated October 2023, is allowed to be placed before the public with fallacious information and map omissions without first establishing the facts? Mr Campbell said.

 

Health effects of toxic constituents found in coal ash

 

Lead: The direct exposure to lead can cause major damage to the nervous system. Lead exposure can lead to kidney disease, hearing impairment, high blood pressure, delays in development, swelling of the brain, haemoglobin damage, and male reproductive problems. Both low levels and high levels of lead exposure can cause harm to the human body.

 

Cadmium: The direct exposure to high levels of cadmium is hazardous to the health. More specifically, the lungs directly absorb cadmium into the bloodstream. When humans are exposed to cadmium over a long period of time, kidney disease and lung disease can occur. In addition, cadmium exposure can be associated with hypertension, and chronic exposure of cadmium can cause bone weakness, which increases the risk of bone fractures and osteoporosis.

 

Chromium: The direct exposure to chromium (VI) is hazardous to health. High levels of chromium in drinking water can cause ulcers in the small intestine and stomach when ingested. Skin ulcers can also occur when the exposure to chromium occurs through the skin.

 

Arsenic: When high amounts of arsenic is inhaled or ingested through coal ash waste, diseases such as bladder cancer, skin cancer, kidney cancer and lung cancer can develop. Ultimately, exposure of arsenic over a long period of time can cause mortality. Furthermore, low levels of arsenic exposure can cause irregular heartbeats, nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, peripheral neuropathy and vision impairment.

 

Mercury: Chronic exposure of mercury from coal ash can cause harm to the nervous system. When mercury is inhaled or ingested various health effects can occur such as vision impairment, seizures, numbness, memory loss and sleeplessness.

 

Boron: When coal ash dust is inhaled, the exposure of boron can cause discomfort in the throat, nose and eye - when coal ash waste is ingested, boron exposure can be associated with kidney, liver, brain, and intestine impairment.

 

Molybdenum: When molybdenum is inhaled from coal ash dust, discomfort of the nose, throat, skin and eye can occur. As a result, short-term molybdenum exposure can cause an increase of wheezing and coughing - chronic exposure of molybdenum can cause loss of appetite, tiredness, headaches and muscle soreness.

 

Thallium: The exposure of thallium in coal ash dust can cause peripheral neuropathy when inhaled. Furthermore, when coal ash is ingested, thallium exposure can cause diarrhoea and vomiting. In addition, thallium exposure is also associated with heart, liver, lung and kidney complications.

 

Silica: When silica is inhaled from coal ash dust, fatal lung disease or silicosis can develop and chronic exposure can cause lung cancer. Exposure to silica over a period of time can cause loss of appetite, poor oxygen circulation, breathing complications and fever.

 

And what about Lake Munmorah?

 

According to seasoned community campaigner Gary Blaschke, lies and deception have been the makeup of consecutive governments at all levels overseeing the Central Coast for decades.

 

One issue that has been covered up by the EPA and others is that of PFAS contamination in and around the lands and channels of the former Lake Munmorah power station.

 

PFAS (Polyfluroroalkyl) is a highly toxic suppressant used for fighting fires and training in all power stations for decades and has a history of causing Human Health and Environmental contamination issues. Firefighters, military personnel and others have won lawsuits against the manufacturers of the foam after developing cancer.

 

Although the Australian Government’s PFAS Expert Health Panel has concluded that, while there is no current evidence that suggests a person’s health will be significantly impacted from high levels of PFAS, important health effects cannot be ruled out either.

 

The EPA claim that it is understood that groundwater is generally moving towards the centre of the Munmorah and Colongra sites, meaning that exposure to PFAS from the groundwater is limited, yet the site was found to be contaminated with PFAS. Investigations have found PFAS on and offsite at the Colongra and Munmorah power station sites. Munmorah Power Station, in particular, operated for almost 50 years and during this time, there were occasions that PFAS-containing fire-fighting foams were deployed to deal with issues arising from plant operation.

 

According to the Commonwealth Department of Health “PFAS substances take a long time to break down in the environment and human body, so as a precaution it’s recommended to limit exposure where possible”.

 

The EPA states that seafood from the Tuggerah Lakes system remains safe, however, PFAS has been located within and at the end of the canals at the Colongra and Munmorah Power Station sites.

 

Gary Blaschke said "The operators of the former Lake Munmorah site have recently submitted a development application to council for a water treatment plant on the site. The correct name, however, is a PFAS treatment plant which will operate for the next ten years. Yet the EPA reports on the PFAS issue of Lake Munmorah and Colongra Bay hint that there is no human health or environmental impacts.

 

"Communities of Wreck Bay, down the south coast, or Williamtown near Newcastle were also told the same story when PFAS was first discovered on their lands and waterways. PFAS contamination became an issue when fire fighters begun to show health issues, culminating in the courts recently finding in their favour that PFAS caused their health issues.

 

"Recent correspondence from Origin Energy the operators of the 41 year old Eraring power station indicate there are no problems with PFAS on their site, yet could this be true or be said for that of the 60 year old Vales Point power station?

 

"When the 2021 Public Works Committee Inquiry into coal ash dams recommended that a taskforce be established comprising of state government agencies, unions, industry stakeholders and community groups, seemingly the operators of the largest power station in NSW were not invited to participate."

 

The problem is that PFAS chemicals are now ubiquitous in the environment being concentrated in waterways and sediment, exposing people to the increased risk of some cancers, including prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers. They may also reduce the body's immune system to fight infections, including reduced vaccine response and interfere with the body's natural hormones, increasing cholesterol levels and/or risk of obesity.

 

Called “forever chemicals” because they fail to break down easily in the environment, PFAS has leached into the into water systems, accumulating in the bodies of fish and shellfish that people eat.

 

An American study has found that eating one serving of fish with PFAS could be equivalent to drinking contaminated water every day for a month.

 

A chemical cocktail

 

It's little wonder that the community have been left scratching their heads in disbelief about the validity of the Central Coast Waterways Report Card 2022-2023 - toxic coal ash chemicals and PFAS leaching into our waterways is a recipe for a 'Grim Reaper' disaster!