Environmental Remediation Programs Capital Facilities & Infrastructure Branch Development Activity 22 February 2013.

Environmental Remediation Programs

Capital Facilities & Infrastructure Branch Development Activity 22 February 2013

Overview

• Background• ERP structure• Current programs / projects• Recent remediation projects• Status of Defence contamination • Why does Defence care?• How does Defence manage contamination?• Challenges ahead• ERP / CFI working together • Questions / discussion

Background

• National Contamination Remediation Program commenced in 2003

• Supports Defence’s Environmental Strategic Plan 2010-14 and Contaminated Land Management Strategy 2011

• Aimed at a risk based approach to manage contaminated sites using a database to record, manage & prioritise sites

Background

ERP Structure

• Sarah Brown – Director• Vicki Pearce – Assistant Director• Scott Callinan – Acting Assistant Director• Scott Heiman – Project Officer• Tye Boyd – Acting Project Officer• Dustin Joseph – Acting Project Officer• Geoff Plunkett – Research Officer• Vacant – Assistant Director

Current Programs

• Conventional Contamination– The general program which commenced in 2003– Predominantly on the Defence estate

• Toxic Remnants of War– Result of the Columboola Old Chemical Weapons project– Mostly off the current Defence estate

• Unexploded Ordnance– Function transferred from PM Branch in March 2012– Combination of both on and off the Defence estate

Current Projects

• $30m remediation project at Point Cook

• Preparing Maribyrnong for remediation

• Ongoing remediation at HMAS Stirling

• UST/AST investigation across estate

• Groundwater investigation at AACO

• Groundwater quality investigation at Amberley

• Ongoing remediation at Mulwala

• Quail Island UXO remediation

• TRW historical research

Point Cook Contamination

Recent Remediation Projects

• Marrangaroo Army Depot NSW – 56 explosive ordnance waste pits• RAAF Learmonth WA – landfills, wastes and fuel plumes• Fleet Base West WA– groundwater plumes• Evans Head NSW – soil hydrocarbon contamination• RAAF Amberley Qld – buried wastes and creek impacts• Mulwala NSW – groundwater plumes• RAAF Tindal, Darwin and Townsville – Fire fighting foam and fuel

plumes • World War II US Army depot at Columboola – Old Chemical Weapons

Destruction

Recent Remediation Projects

Mustard Agent CleanupColumboola Qld

• Stage 1 Preliminary investigations completed at 75 properties.

• Stage 2 Detailed intrusive investigations completed at 61 properties.

• Stage 3 Remediation projects completed at 42 properties.

Status of Contamination Management

How Much More is Out There?

• 2,300 confirmed instances of conventional contamination across 160 properties

• 1,500 instances of UXO contamination listed on the database

• Total identified financial liability - $440m– Only includes those sites where consultant reports confirm

contamination– Only includes current Defence estate– Does not include known UXO or TRW on former Defence

owned or leased

• Defence has a responsibility to remediate contaminated sites resulting from its activities

• Protect human health and the environment

• It is morally the right thing to do

• Polluter pays principle

• Ensures Defence estate meets ongoing capability requirements

• Manage the Commonwealth financial liability associated with contamination

Why Does Defence Care?

Why Does Defence Care?

How Does Defence Manage Its Contamination

• Risk based approach– Highest priorities addressed first

• Assess impacts of change in land use and address accordingly– Divestment– Defence redevelopment

• Meet the spirit and intent of State based environmental legislation

• Don’t ignore it and assume the next project will address it

How Does Defence Manage Its Contamination (cont)

• Conduct investigations in accordance with most stringent investigation guidelines available.

• Panel of experts used to deliver services.

• Expert peer review and advice on each project

How Does Defence Manage Its Contamination (cont)

How Does Defence Manage Its Contamination

Contaminated Sites Register

• Primary management tool

• Details all known contamination on the Defence estate

• Contains links to all known environmental reports

• Provides recommendations for future works or management strategies

• Assist in prioritising sites

Contaminated Sites Register

• Its not just a ‘nice to have’

• The tool that is used to identify financial liability

• ANAO Requirement

• ANAO audits a portion of the CSR each year

• ANAO are progressively conducting more intensive audits

Other Management Approaches• In 2005, Defence became a core partner of the CRC CARE

• Benefits of partnership is to align Defence with industry leaders in contamination research and remediation technologies

• Current projects include:– Investigations into the toxicity and persistence of Aqueous

Film Forming Foam (AFFF) and management technologies;– Investigations into appropriate management of hydrocarbon

and solvent plumes

• Bi annual conference to be held in Melbourne in mid September 2013

Other Management Approaches

• Funding challenges – it is expensive work and competes with other Defence priorities

• Hard to forecast and difficult to predict eg: redevelopment on bases constantly finds new instances

• Unique chemicals used by Defence – need to work with R&D organisations and industry to solve problems

• Need to focus on groundwater protection – Off-site impacts will mean we need to do more

Challenges Ahead

Challenges Ahead

ERP / CFI Working Together

• Review the CSR early

• Update the CSR– Have the consultants do it as part of their scope

• Communicate with us– Tell us how we can assist

• Don’t ignore contamination

• Questions / discussion