Statement re Testing of Residential Bores in the Botany Area

7 December, 2004

Orica is carrying out a Groundwater Restoration Project, costing $167 million, to remove legacy contamination from the groundwater underneath its site in Botany and nearby areas. This contamination regrettably occurred during a time when environmental standards were less than they are today.

Orica deeply regrets the loss of amenity, which this legacy contamination has caused to its neighbours. We are working hard to address the groundwater contamination with the best available technology and to make reparation.

One aspect of the project is a program of six-monthly testing of residential bores around the Botany Industrial Park. Testing is conducted for volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHCs). The latest round of testing involved 23 groundwater bores in residential properties and was undertaken by environmental consultancy, URS, in early November.

Following the report of the testing, members of Orica’s Botany team personally contacted every resident who has had bores tested and have visited residents where levels have been detected.

Also, Orica informed on December 2, 2004, various authorities including the Department of Environment and Conservation, the NSW Department of Health and the City of Botany Bay of the results of the findings.

Of the 23 bores tested last month:

• Fifteen tests were undertaken within the Groundwater Extraction Exclusion Area, as defined by the Department of Infrastructure Planning and Natural Resources (DIPNR).
• Eight tests were conducted outside the Groundwater Extraction Exclusion Area but inside the adjacent Groundwater Embargo Area as defined by DIPNR. Of these, five were residential bores sampled for the first time. One of these, a residential bore in Collins Street, showed low levels for the first time. Collins Street is situated about 350 metres from Botany Industrial Park.

Of the 23 bores tested last month:

• Four of the backyard bores tested showed detections of volatile CHCs including:
• Three within Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. One of these was outside the Groundwater Extraction Exclusion Area, and was the first instance (from 16 so far sampled) of residential bore contaminated with CHCs outside the extraction exclusion zone; and
• One showing a small increase from 2 ug/L of 1,2-dichloroethane (ethylene dichloride, EDC) in the previous round of testing conducted in May this year, to 4 ug/L of EDC in November this year. This concentration is slightly above the Australian Drinking Water Guideline for EDC of 3 ug/L.

Based on a Human Health Risk Assessment conducted for the Botany Groundwater Project, detection levels are believed not to present a risk to human health for non-drinking uses of groundwater.

Orica had decided to sample additional residential bores in the Collins Street area and has discussed this with the resident whose bore was tested.

We advised DEC last week that the environmental consultants conducting the testing had concluded that the reason for the detection in Collins Street was: "This property lies to the northwest of the Orica Botany site near the former Davis Gelatine site and as such lies crossgradient of the Orica site. However, historical water level data indicates that a cone of depression extended to a depth of 5 m below sea level in the late 1960s and at sea level in the early 1980s due to heavy pumping from industrial production bores. It is possible that contamination from the Northern Plumes was drawn towards these extraction wells resulting in sorption of contaminants to the aquifer. The sorbed contamination may still be slowing desorbing and flowing with the regional groundwater in a southwesterly direction. It should be noted that these contaminants are not being widely detected in downgradient residential areas. However the concentrations are very low and may be attenuated over short distances (< 100 m). It is also possible that volatile CHC contamination detected at Collins Street is from a separate unrelated source to the Orica contamination"

The bore water monitoring is being done to provide better information to the community about the movement of contamination in the groundwater and as part of our commitment to the community to manage and clean up Orica’s contamination of the groundwater.

Over the past 12 months, Orica has arranged for a total of 39 residential bores to be tested. Of those, nine have shown low levels of volatile CHC contamination; not all necessarily associated with Orica’s historic operations. We will continue to invite householders to have their residential bores tested and will report back on the findings.

We continue to remind residents of the long-standing DIPNR requirement to not use bore water within the Groundwater Extraction Exclusion Area. We also advise residents that the testing does not preclude the possibility of other potential contamination from natural and industrial sources.

We invite anyone seeking more information about the bore testing program or the Botany Groundwater Cleanup Project to contact our Community Information service on 1800 025 138 or to visit our web page. Alternatively, residents can contact DIPNR, the South Eastern Sydney Public Health Unit or the Dept of Environment and Conservation.

END