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The NSW Department of Urban Affairs and Planning (DUAP (now DIPNR)) commissioned two separate reports to assess if the decontamination works of the ADI Site conducted by the Australian Defence Industries Ltd (ADI Ltd) rendered the site suitable for urban uses. DUAP received a Stage 1 Independent Audit Report from CMPS&F Environmental in 1996 and a Stage 2 Decontamination Report form HLA- Envirosciences Pty Ltd in 1999. ADI Ltd commenced investigations to assess the nature, degree and location of chemical contamination in 1990. Preliminary studies identified 43 potentially contaminated sites and formed the basis for additional investigations to delineate the contamination. Remediation Action Plans were developed and progressively implemented over the period 1993 to 1997 as the facilities were decommissioned and buildings demolished. Demolition commenced in 1992/93 in the Kingswood Magazine Area on the western side of the site. The investigations and remediation action plans were progressively reviewed by the NSW EPA and were independently reviewed by CMPS&F Environmental in the Stage 1 Audit. The Stage 2 Audit process was to carry out a comprehensive review of responses made by ADI Ltd to the issues raised in the Stage 1 Audit, review the remediation works and validation and to certify that the land is suitable for residential use; or issue a statement as to the most sensitive land use for those parts of the site where remediation to unrestricted residential use is neither practically or economically feasible; and to identify any further work that the Auditor requires to enable him to issue a certificate or statement of environmental audit. ADI Ltd had divided the site into 9 sectors for the purposes of managing the characterisation, remediation and validation. Validation reports were only available for 8 of the 9 sectors. The Eastern Sector (highlighted below in green) was not fully remediated and validated because of the presence of significant vegetation of high conservation value in this area. Detailed subsurface imaging of the entire Eastern Sector could only have been done if vegetation was removed. The 1999 Auditor found that the majority of the site, except the Eastern Sector and other areas not yet investigated, had been remediated to a level that the site does not pose a risk to the environment and if developed for residential purposes would not pose a risk to human health. Sourced from (Final Site Audit Report - HLA Envirosciences, 1999)
Background The ADI Site was used for the manufacture of munitions, including quality assurance testing, from 1941, when the land was acquired as part of the war effort, until 1994, when manufacturing operations ceased. The main activity on the site was the filling of ordnance (shells and bombs) and ammunition (20 mm cannon) with explosives and propellants, quality assurance testing, storage and related activities. Most of the components were manufactured elsewhere and only small quantities of the most sensitive explosives were manufactured on site. The facility covered 1535 ha at the time of closure. Some test firing of detonators, fuses and smaller ordnance occurred at designated areas. All larger munitions were test fired at Army ranges elsewhere. Off specification or unserviceable munitions were destroyed by boiling out the explosives and propellant, recycling the scrap metal and burning explosive and propellant at designated burning grounds. The residue ash was buried in on site landfills with general waste from the facility. Effluent from the various manufacturing operations was passed through settling ponds, referred to as labyrinths, before discharge to the sewer. A considerable amount of surplus or unserviceable ordnance was brought to the site for disposal and demilitarisation after World War II (1946 -1955) Facilities and associated activities included hundreds of buildings for the assembly, production and storage of bombs (500lb, 1000lb and 2000lb), Quality Evaluation Laboratory (QEL), sampling laboratories, offices, ballistics testing tunnels, open-air pistol and rifle shooting range, workshops and boilerhouse, detonator and explosives testing, chemical storage, waste burning areas, waste trenches and tips, explosives trials areas, settling ponds for waste water, water evaporation ponds, underground fuel tanks, a water tower, CSIRO yards for sheep dipping and storage of agricultural chemicals. Sourced from (Final Site Audit Report - HLA Envirosciences, 1999) It is noted that the storage of low level nuclear waste is not mentioned in any of the DUAP commissioned Audit Reports. Low level nuclear waste was stored on the ADI Site. This pdf document, list of potential contaminants 238kb is from the Stage 1 Audit Report. It contains a map showing the areas of the site investigated by ADI Ltd and then a table of what each site was used for and the possible contaminants in these areas. |
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