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The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) have declared that land at the former Lake Munmorah Power Station has been declared significantly contaminated and will be cleaned up.

8 May 2024

ALAN HAYES

 

THE NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) says that part of the former Lake Munmorah Power Station site is affected with petroleum hydrocarbon and PFAS pollution, which stems from the historical operation of the coal-fired power station and past use of fire-fighting foams containing PFAS.

 

The site has been fenced off and inaccessible to the public since 2016, limiting potential contamination exposure.

 

NSW Environmental Protection Authority’s Executive Director of Regulatory Operations, Jason Gordon said the declaration is the first step in addressing environmental concerns on the ground.

 

“We know the community will be relieved the clean-up process can finally get underway,” Mr Gordon said.

 

“Making this declaration allows us to regulate the ongoing management of the site and ensure all remediation efforts are carried out safely and in a timely manner.

 

“Removing contaminants like PFAS and petroleum hydrocarbon from the land will better protect the environment and people’s health for current and future generations.

 

“This allows the site to eventually be redeveloped for another use, opening up opportunities for new jobs and investment in the local economy.”

 

But where is the PFAS contaminated soil being removed to, and how will it be ultimately dealt with so as to not cause future human health problems, in particular various cancers? The EPA have not provided details on contaminated soil disposal.

 

As previously reported by the Grapevine. these ‘forever chemicals’ will easily pervade waterways and the food supply chain' - they do not break down in the environment or within the human body.

 

Lake Munmorah Gary Blaschke said that he found it totally repulsive, if not criminal, that the NSW Environmental Protection Authority has now, in May 2024, identified the land at the former Lake Munmorah Power Station to be  declared as a significantly contaminated site and will be cleaned-up.

 

“It was in late September 2017 when Holly Love, Unit Stakeholder Engagement Team of the EPA in Sydney contacted me to discuss that they the EPA, had found PFAS (per-and poly-fluoroalkyl) substances in Lake Munmorah and Colongra Bay on the Central Coast,” said Mr Blaschke.

 

“Holly Love proclaimed that the EPA intended to conduct a series of fish tests to see the extent of the contamination problem, especially in the lakes (lagoons), as they are regularly used for fishing and recreation purposes.”

 

After the September 2017 discussion with Mr Blaschke, on that same day, the EPA put out two Media Releases - one indicating that the investigations were underway and the other regarding Munmorah and Colongra Bay information for residents. Both press releases were very limited in their distribution.

 

Both reports stated that sampling would include areas around the power stations and in the wider Tuggerah Lakes System and an undertaking of a survey of nearby residents to gain a greater understanding of the impacts of PFAS contamination. In particular the EPA said that they intended to identify the key exposure pathways, as PFAS can contaminate seafood and drinking water.

 

The second report went on to say “to date, sampling has been limited and the NSW Government considers that further testing is required to determine if PFAS has migrated offsite, and if there are any potential health impacts to the surrounding areas and local community”.

 

The same report also indicated that studies conducted were looking at impacts on cholesterol levels, male hormones, heart disease, liver changes and other effects, including cancer. To date, the community have not seen nor been privy to the findings, Mr Blaschke says.

 

But what have the EPA actually done?

 

Mr Blaschke said “While taking some period of time to catch a fish or a prawn to be tested, I continued to pressure them for the results.

 

“After stating that I intended to involve the Minister, I surprisingly found out that the EPA had caught five species of fish and some prawns, carried out their studies and put out a fact sheet in December 2018.”

 

The fact sheet went on to disclose that the testing of seafood in the Tuggerah Lakes System was undertaken to determine if exposure to PFAS from consumption of seafood is a risk to the community. It had found that the contaminated groundwater was generally moving towards the centre of Munmorah and Colongra sites, meaning that exposure to PFAS from the groundwater is limited.

 

“I find it alarming that the EPA then went on to say that there was no current evidence to suggest an increase in overall health risks related to PFAS exposure,” said Mr Blaschke.

 

“However, their Expert Panel also said health effects cannot be ruled out at this time.”

 

The EPA claim that testing found seafood from the Tuggerah Lakes system remains safe to eat as part of a balanced diet (no more than 2-3 serves of seafood a week).

 

This statement is at odds with what has been recommended by the Federal Government, who has warned residents in some communities not to drink from waterways, or to eat fish where PFAS contamination is evident.

 

The Grapevine asked the EPA the following questions to qualify their statement:

 

• Who carried out the testing?

 

• Was any PFAS found at all, even if considered safe, in seafood in Lake Munmorah, and, if so, what was the equivalent nanograms per litre of water?

 

A spokesperson for the NSW Environment Protection Authority said "Following the discovery of PFAS contamination at the Lake Munmorah site, the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) requested Snowy Hydro to carry out fish and crustacean sampling in Tuggerah Lakes (Lake Munmorah, Budgewoi Lake, and Tuggerah Lake) as part of our PFAS Investigation Program.

 

"Snowy Hydro began testing in 2018 across a 12 month period to understand concentrations of PFAS in variety of edible seafood, undertaken by qualified professional consultants.

 

"The NSW PFAS Technical Advisory Group reviewed the results and found no precautionary dietary advice was required.

 

"Seafood from the Tuggerah Lakes system remains safe to eat as part of a balanced diet (2-3 serves a week). This advice remains current, and people can catch fish from Tuggerah Lakes and use the area for recreational activities.

 

"Water sampling confirmed PFAS did not exceed recreational water guidelines, as per the PFAS National Environment Management Plan 2022."

 

The EPA did not answer the question "Was any PFAS found at all, even if considered safe, in seafood in Lake Munmorah, and, if so, what was the equivalent nanograms per litre of water?" It can only be concluded that PFAS was found in the seafood sampled.

 

This raises the question: "Why didn't the EPA answer part two of the question asked by the Grapevine?"

 

The Grapevine can also reveal that the only edible species of fish crustaceans tested by the EPA were:

 

• Sea Mullet; Yellowfin Bream; Dusky Flathead; Luderick; Silver Biddy; School Prawns; Eastern King Prawns; and Whiting. Flathead were not included in the testing list, yet this species is a bottom feeder and spends most of its life on the bottom of the sea or lake bed.

 

It is known, and has been previously reported, PFAS has migrated into the Tuggerah Lakes system.

 

In 2023, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared PFOA, a type of PFAS, a category one human carcinogen, which initially raised concerns about 20 years ago. But in Australia, these PFAS contaminatesin water are regulated to a limit of 70 nanograms per litre of water – well above the four nanograms per litre of water combined PFAS and PFOA limit in the US and in Canada. But our acceptable levels for PFAS in water is perilously so much higher, creating a recipe for a future health disaster.

 

In January 2023, Mr Blaschke, after four meetings with a team from the Central Coast and Hunter New England Public Health Unit, NSW Health, NSW EPA and Planning NSW, including many emails to and from Clarence Brown (EPA Manager of Policy, Major Projects and Initiatives Regulatory Policy, Initiatives and Advice), who was appointed to oversee the implementation of the NSW Government response to the inquiry into power stations and their coal ash repositories, it all became too much for Mr Brown and he had his supervisor Ms Nancy Chang (EPA Executive Director Regulatory Policy Initiatives and Advice) aggressively respond to Mr Blaschke by email.

 

“Ms Chang proclaimed that NSW Health advises that the aim is to further consult with relevant groups of the community at an appropriate time,” Mr Blaschke said.

 

“The issue of PFAS contamination was raised with Central Coast Minister David Harris on 10 October 2017. I subsequently received an EPA Media Release back from Mr Harris in July 2019 stating that the Tuggerah Lakes had been given the all clear after PFAS testing, which was obviously flawed with what we now know in 2024.”

 

In that same Media Release the EPA Manager of Strategic Regulation, David Gathercole said “a rigorous PFAS testing regime had been completed and the results were good news for the community”.

 

After years of neglect and cover-ups by consecutive Governments the EPA in their 3 May 2024 media release declare the Munmorah site as a significantly contaminated site, and that Generator Property Management (GPM) is responsible for the active investigation and remediation of the contaminated areas.

 

EPA’s Executive Director of Regulatory Operations, Jason Gordon said “GPM owns the impacted land and is required to keep locals and stakeholders up to date with the progress of its management plan.

 

“The EPA will continue to work with GPM towards a safer and more sustainable environment for the Doyalson community.”

 

To ensure transparency and compliance, an EPA accredited contaminated specialist, known as a Site Auditor, will oversee and review all works completed by GPM and its consultants.

 

In recent years, GPM has been committed to investigating PFAS and hydrocarbon contamination under the environment protection licence for the former Munmorah Power Station, and as part of the EPA’s PFAS investigation program.

 

Pollution issues in other areas of the site, including the coal-ash repository will continue to be regulated under the existing environment protection licence.

 

Yet Mr Blaschke, and local community members, are not convinced that the EPA is being forthright about the PFAS problem or about the health problems of airborne coal dust and coal ash. “A complete new suburb at Doyalson with over fifty homes, a childcare and medical centre, fast food outlets and a service station is to be built and sandwiched between the Munmorah PFAS contaminated area and the Vales Point coal ash dam, which to date is alleged to have caused many of the chronic health and environmental issues in the region.”

 

Will there be any PFAS residual contaminated soil in the new Doyalson suburb, and will it be safe for the new home-owners to grow and eat vegetables and fruit? In Buff Point residents are not allowed to use bore water on their gardens because of PFAS contamination in the soil.

 

Demolition of the former Munmorah Power Station was completed in 2018 after operations stopped in 2012.

 

"The presence of PFAS in the environment does not necessarily mean there is a human health risk," the EPA spokesperson said.

 

Yet PFAS, the 'forever chemical' has been linked to environmental and health issues, including some cancers - a lot remains unknown about the true scale and potential impacts of the problem, including how much has contaminated Central Coast waterways and soil.