Thebarton and Mile End Groundwater Prohibition Area

Chemicals from historical industrial activity have contaminated the groundwater Thebarton and Mile End. These chemicals include volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE) and its degradation products, dichloroethene (DCE), and vinyl chloride (VC). Other chemicals include arsenic, naphthalene and metals including uranium.

Chlorinated hydrocarbons are extremely persistent in the environment and natural degradation is expected to take centuries. They are denser than water and leach through soil and groundwater. They are volatile, carcinogenic and present a potential risk to human health if groundwater is utilised for drinking, showering, washing, filling swimming pools, watering lawns or irrigation of edible produce.

Naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) is present in any ore, tailings or waste material containing uranium. NORM is also within other materials and mineral deposits such as, coal, bauxite, phosphate rock, tin, gold and rare earth element deposits. NORM is naturally present everywhere in the environment, and can be found in all soils and groundwater in the Adelaide metropolitan area. It is also present in the human body and all living tissues.

Generally, the Radiation Protection and Control Act 1982 is administered by the EPA. The Act does not recognise low levels of radioactivity and exempts NORM below a certain level for the purposes of regulation. This is in part due to low levels of radiation being only a fraction of natural exposures and regarded as safe.

Poor quality and polluted groundwater can seriously threaten the health and viability of communities, agricultural operations and the environment. The EPA advises that the groundwater in this area is contaminated and should not be used for any purpose. Coming into contact with it can pose a serious risk to human health.

This is especially the case if you ingest by drinking, water your fruit and vegetables, wash your food or cook with it (even when boiled). When used to water the garden or lawns, fill a pool or top up a rainwater tank, polluted groundwater creates the opportunity for dermal exposure to the chemicals of concern with absorption through the skin.

Contaminated groundwater from bores should also never be used to wash down paths or driveway, or even as grey water for toilet flushing. Preventing the extraction of contaminated groundwater is necessary to protect human health and prevent the spread of contamination.

Community input is an important part of this process and we would especially like to hear from existing bore users, to provide further information on the depth and use of your bore. This information has enabled existing groundwater prohibition areas to target only contaminated aquifers and not impact unnecessarily on existing use of the deeper cleaner aquifers.

Please explore this website to find out more information and tell us your ideas. You can engage with us by:

• Phone 08 8204 2004
• Email
• Request for a private briefing or attending a community information session.