West Lakes

West Lakes

On 19 August 2020, the EPA was notified of test results in soil collected at the former Port Adelaide Waste Water Treatment Plant, and in groundwater monitoring bores offsite that are located in reserves and other public land. The results showed per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) above relevant guidelines.

Exposure to PFAS may occur through contact with and ingestion of contaminated soil, however this is unlikely to be a concern due to implementation of previous site remediation measures to manage historical cadmium that was discovered in 1999. If you are in the affected zones you will have been sent

On 19 August 2020, the EPA was notified of test results in soil collected at the former Port Adelaide Waste Water Treatment Plant, and in groundwater monitoring bores offsite that are located in reserves and other public land. The results showed per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) above relevant guidelines.

Exposure to PFAS may occur through contact with and ingestion of contaminated soil, however this is unlikely to be a concern due to implementation of previous site remediation measures to manage historical cadmium that was discovered in 1999. If you are in the affected zones you will have been sent a letter in addition to the community update, together with a copy of the report for your property if work was undertaken there previously. If you are unsure please get in contact with us via the details below.

The EPA is advising residents that groundwater (bore water) in this area may be contaminated with PFAS and should not be used for any purpose. Rainwater and mains water (tap water) are not affected.

As a result of the notification, the EPA will be undertaking a program to sample the lake water, groundwater, fish and crustaceans. This work is expected to commence on Wednesday. The EPA will update you of these results as soon as they become available.

The EPA has today written to residents that were impacted previously by the soil contamination, providing a copy of the documentation from previous work offered and/or implemented. The EPA has published information outlining what this means for residents and users of West Lakes. Please see the community update on the right hand side of this page.

If you have any feedback, questions or concerns, please contact us on:

Historical reports, letters and maps

The EPA has a history of work in the West Lakes area, and links to previous documents, letters to residents, media releases, maps and other information is available below:

Key Documents

Letters to residents

Media Releases

Maps

A series of maps has been produced to help inform the public on the West Lakes soil testing program.

  • Map 1 identifies the broad assessment area
  • Map 2 identifies the initial testing locations and highlights the concentrations of cadmium detected at each location
  • Map 3 identifies locations which were targeted in the second stage of testing which commenced on August 30

Below are results maps:

  1. Map 1
  2. Map 2
  3. Map 3
  4. Map 4

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