Bega Valley
Indicator: Contaminated Sites
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Please note: Text or data highlighted in this colour represent an update to this indicator for the period 2008/09.
What the results tell us for Bega Valley
Bega Valley Shire Council had eight listed contaminated sites as at June 2008. Five of these were fuel/gas store sites (see Table 1). Two of the sites were remediated during the reporting period, with another two sites still being remediated (see below for further details.)
| Location | Remediation and date | Activity | Area (m2) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BP Fuel Tank Farm | Eden - Imlay & Weecon Street | partial | bulk fuel store | 18,400 |
| MOBIL Tank Farm | Eden - Imlay and By Street | n/a | bulk fuel store | 10,384 |
| Fuel Store | Eden - Princes Highway | n/a | fuel store | 4,153 |
| Van Park Shop | Pambula BEACH - CULGOA DRIVE | May-06 | petrol station | 100 |
| Engineering | Pambula (Broadwater) | commenced 2006 | engineering works | 67,460 |
| Ex Gas Works | Bega - Upper Street | n/a | coal gas manufacture | 13,431 |
| Ex Tannery | Bega - Bega Street | n/a | tannery | 26,890 |
| Ex Petrol Station | Tathra - Andy Poole Drive | Apr-08 | petrol station | 730 |
Source: Bega Valley Shire Council
Council notes that the BP and MOBIL tank farms have now been substantially demolished. Remediation has not yet been approved or commenced on the Mobil site. A preliminary study of the former Bega gasworks site study by the owner has confirmed contamination. Council is waiting on a DECC assessment of risk of harm to health or environment from contamination. Contamination has been confirmed at the ex tannery site, but remediation has not yet commenced.
Council recognises that the current listing may not be complete. Council works from the Managing Land Contamination Guidelines 1998 which determine the type of industries that can lead to potential land contamination. Council will continue to use these guidelines as the basis for determining whether previous land uses may have led to potential land contamination. Council also notes that DCP no. 8 "Contaminated Land Management" is set to be reviewed as part of the comprehensive LEP process. Management of contaminated land will continue as required but will be based on compliance with SEPP 55 and the Contaminated Land Management Act & planning guidelines.
Council has also identified 43 potentially contaminated sites at the end of the current reporting period (see Table 2).
| Location | Type of Site |
|---|---|
| Angledale | Nightsoil Depot |
| Angledale | Garbage Depot |
| Bega | Garbage Depot |
| Bellbird | Nightsoil & Garbage Depot |
| Bemboka | Garbage Depot |
| Bemboka | Garbage Depot |
| Bemboka | Nightsoil Depot |
| Bemboka | Nightsoil Depot |
| Bermagui | general purposes |
| Bermagui | Rubbish Depot |
| Bermagui | Sanitary Depot |
| Bermagui | Nightsoil Depot |
| Bermagui | Nightsoil Depot (approx location) |
| Bermagui | Nightsoil Depot |
| Burragate | Landfill (approx location) |
| Candelo | Rubbish Depot |
| Candelo | Nightsoil & Garbage Depot |
| Cobargo | Garbage Depot |
| Cobargo | Nightsoil Depot (approx location) |
| Cobargo | Nightsoil |
| Eden | Sanitary Depot |
| Eden | Sanitary Depot |
| Eden | Rubbish Depot (approx location) |
| Eden | Nightsoil |
| Eden | Nightsoil |
| Eden | Garbage Depot |
| Eden | Rubbish Depot |
| Merimbula | Nightsoil Depot |
| Merimbula | Sanitary Depot |
| North Bega | Nightsoil Depot (approx location) |
| North Bega | Nightsoil Depot |
| Pambula | Rubbish Depot |
| Pambula | Garbage Depot (approx location) |
| Pambula | Nightsoil & Garbage Depot |
| Pambula | Nightsoil & Garbage Depot |
| Quaama | Rubbish Depot |
| Quaama | Nightsoil & Rubbish Depot |
| Tathra | Nightsoil & Garbage Depot |
| Tathra | Garbage Depot |
| Towamba | Rubbish Depot |
| Wolumla | Rubbish Depot |
| Wonboyn | Sanitary Depot |
| Wyndham | Garbage Depot & recycling |
* This list is not complete; other sites will be included as they become known to council
Source: Bega Valley Shire Council
During the 2004-09 reporting period the Protection of the Environment Operations (Underground Petroleum Storage Systems, UPSS) Regulation 2008 commenced. This new regulation requires owners and operators of underground petroleum storage tanks to regularly check for leaks in the fuel tanks and pipes used to store and handle petroleum products. They also need to meet minimum standards in their day-to-day environmental management of these storage systems.
The Regulation was gazetted on 28 March 2008 and commenced on 1 June 2008. It aims to:
- introduce preventative measures to reduce harm to the environment and human health;
- save money and minimise time-consuming remediation by preventing leaks or dealing with them early;
- ensure industry best practice is followed;and
- ensure appropriate validation and decommissioning of systems and sites.
The NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW)* is the regulatory authority in regard the implementation and regulation of the new laws for the first 4 years of the new regulations. After this time (from 1.7.2012) Council will become the appropriate regulatory authority. Under the Regulation, it is against the law to allow or ignore contamination resulting from a leaking or faulty UPSS. The person responsible for a UPSS (usually the owner/operator) is required to have in place:
- a system for detecting and monitoring leaks;
- groundwater monitoring wells at sensitive locations and a program to test them;
- an Environment Protection Plan for the facility; and
- systems in place for record keeping, reporting of leaks and notifying the local council when a UPSS is decommissioned.
Rehabilitated sites
Bega Valley Shire Council has approved remediation of one contaminated site in the Shire during the reporting period, the Pambula Beach ex petrol station site. These works have been completed. Remediation of two other sites has commenced but is not yet complete: the BP Eden tank farm and the Pambula Engineering Works site.
Eden oil tank farm to be remediated
About the data
Information provided by Bega Valley Shire Council
Category 1 remediation works refer to remediation that requires development consent and is defined in Clause 11 of State Environment Protection Policy 55 (SEPP55). The guidelines can be found at: http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/register/pubDetails.cfm?PublicationsID=104 (accessed November 2008)
References
Bega Valley Shire Council (2002) Development Control Plan No. 8 - Contaminated Land, online at http://www.begavalley.nsw.gov.au/Planning_Development/dcp/dcp%2008.pdf .
Office of the Commissioner for the Environment (2004) Australian Capital Region State of the Environment Report 2004, Office of the Commissioner for the Environment, Canberra
DECC (2009) Planning and Development Process for Sites with Underground Petroleum Storage Systems, http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/clm/upssguidelines.htm, viewed 31 August 2009
DECCW refers to the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (formed on 1 July 2009), formerly the Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC).
