EPA names composting facility as major PFAS contaminator of NSW river

A four-month investigation into the discovery of “forever chemicals” in a New South Wales river has identified a composting facility as a major contamination source. 

The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) began an extensive testing program of the Belubula River in the state’s central west after PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, were detected last year. 

In December it honed in on potential contamination sources from three industrial sites in the catchment, including the Australian Native Landscapes (ANL) compost site, a Blayney Council-run landfill and the Newmont Cadia gold mine. 

A type of PFAS, known as PFOS, was detected at 16 of 20 locations it sampled.

All 16 detections breached ecological water quality guidelines for PFOS set by the Heads of EPA Australia and New Zealand (HEPA). 

PFAS are laboratory-made chemicals that persist in the environment, bioaccumulate and are potentially toxic.

The Belubula River weaves through prime agricultural land between Bathurst and Orange, acting as a water source for livestock.

In mid-2024 landholders raised the alarm about the health of the river after discovering foam in the waterway containing PFOS. 

The EPA said the results to date “indicate the risk to livestock is low, but as a precaution, the EPA will be taking soil samples for testing” at properties where livestock graze adjacent to the impacted waterways. 

There are no livestock and irrigation water guidelines for PFAS.

The latest round of EPA testing reaffirms results from October and keeps the spotlight on ANL near Blayney, which is located on a former mine site next to Cowriga Creek. 

The samples taken in December show the highest levels were found in Cowriga Creek downstream of ANL and in Mackenzies Waterholes Creek near Blayney Council’s landfill.

Both creeks are tributaries of the Belubula River.

PFOS levels upstream of the ANL site were 0.0025 ug/L (micrograms per litre), while the results immediately downstream were 0.15 ug/L. 

The downstream result is more than 650 times HEPA’s ecological water guideline for freshwater species.

The EPA also conducted testing near Cadia gold mine which lies to the north of the Belubula River, between Blayney and Orange.

PFOS was detected at 13 of 16 sites tested on the mine while groundwater to the west and south of the site exceeded ecological guidelines in six of 10 bores.

“The groundwater quality appears to pose limited risk to livestock, irrigation, or the surrounding environment,” the EPA said. 

It will now sample Cadia’s tailings facility where mine waste is stored. 

New conditions imposed

As a result of its investigation, the environmental watchdog has added conditions to all three sites’ environmental protection licences and has ordered the operators to carry out preliminary investigations into the presence of PFAS.

The operators of each site must review “all likely products and materials that may have contained PFAS” and have been used or stored on site.

They must also examine if any soils, surface water or groundwater have been impacted by the chemicals and whether they have posed any risks to human or environmental health.

“These assessments will inform the EPA’s future regulatory activities,” the EPA said.

“The presence of PFAS in the environment does not necessarily indicate that there is a health risk, however identifying sites that require investigation is an important precaution to reduce the risk off community exposure to PFAS.”

Australian Native Landscapes must report its findings to the EPA by April 25.

Blayney Council must submit its results to the watchdog by May 9, while Cadia gold mine has until September 26. 

The ABC has contacted ANL, council and Cadia for comment.