Edinburgh Groundwater Prohibition Area (Stages 1 and 2)

Consultation has concluded

Edinburgh airport - photo courtesy Defence Australia

A Groundwater Prohibition Area was established in the stage 1 area on 3 February 2022 from the Edinburgh RAAF Defence Precinct to Port Wakefield Road.

The second stage from the Precinct area to the Barker Inlet was established on 23 February 2023.

The prohibition is required to protect bore users from known per-and-polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contaminated groundwater and the future migration of this contamination.

The purpose of a groundwater prohibition area is to protect both current and future landholders from accessing contaminated groundwater via a bore on their property.

Please view the interactive map below as the depth of the prohibition varies depending on the location within the groundwater prohibition area.

All copies of reports, community updates and information are available on this page. If you cannot find what you’re looking for, or if you have any feedback, questions or concerns, please contact us on: Ph: 08 8429 7245 or email

A Groundwater Prohibition Area was established in the stage 1 area on 3 February 2022 from the Edinburgh RAAF Defence Precinct to Port Wakefield Road.

The second stage from the Precinct area to the Barker Inlet was established on 23 February 2023.

The prohibition is required to protect bore users from known per-and-polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contaminated groundwater and the future migration of this contamination.

The purpose of a groundwater prohibition area is to protect both current and future landholders from accessing contaminated groundwater via a bore on their property.

Please view the interactive map below as the depth of the prohibition varies depending on the location within the groundwater prohibition area.

All copies of reports, community updates and information are available on this page. If you cannot find what you’re looking for, or if you have any feedback, questions or concerns, please contact us on: Ph: 08 8429 7245 or email

Consultation has concluded

Please ask us a question and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Posting your question here allows other visitors to the site to view your question and our answer. If the question is private or identifies a property in any way, we will respond to you privately.

  • What is the testing protocol used in PFAS testing for soil and water?

    Crooga asked about 2 years ago

    Thank you so much for your question.

    The soil and groundwater was assessed during the site contamination audit  of the Edinburgh RAAF Defence precinct, completed in October 2020, to determine the nature and extent of PFAS contamination both in the soil and groundwater. No further assessment of soil will be undertaken unless a new source of contamination is identified.  Groundwater will continue to be assessed twice a year to monitor the movement of the groundwater PFAS plume in the four aquifers upper aquifers in the area.  This biannual monitoring program will be reviewed at the end of this year to determine the continuing frequency of the groundwater monitoring, which is dependent on a statistical analysis of the plume stability.

    Kind regards,

    EPA