❓ The Minister for Environment confirms the discovery of PFAS contamination at additional sites in WA since the previous report, primarily related to DFES facilities and waste disposal sites. A table detailing locations and concentrations is provided.
AnsweredQoN 1312Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the potential contamination of soil and water by chemicals known as per and poly fluoro alkyl substances (PFAS) found in fire retardant foam, and I ask: (a) have these substances been discovered in soil or water in Western Australia in any additional locations since the response given to my question on notice No. 465 asked on 31 October 2017; and (b) if yes to (a), where has it been found and in what concentrations?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
14 August 2018
Responded by
Minister for Environment
Response time
9 days
(a) Yes. Since my response to Question on Notice No. 465 was tabled on 7 December 2017, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been found in soil, surface water and/or groundwater at a number of additional sites within State jurisdiction being regulated under the Contaminated Sites Act 2003 (CS Act).
(b) The attached table [see tabled paper no.#] lists these additional locations and provides the minimum and maximum detected concentrations for the three most commonly tested PFAS [perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS)]. Many of the additional sites are current or former Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) facilities and current or former waste disposal facilities.
Similar to my previous response, a brief summary of the management actions required in accordance with the CS Act is included. At several of these sites, other types of contaminants are also present; the classification and management actions consider all types of contaminants at the site.
(b) The attached table [see tabled paper no.#] lists these additional locations and provides the minimum and maximum detected concentrations for the three most commonly tested PFAS [perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS)]. Many of the additional sites are current or former Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) facilities and current or former waste disposal facilities.
Similar to my previous response, a brief summary of the management actions required in accordance with the CS Act is included. At several of these sites, other types of contaminants are also present; the classification and management actions consider all types of contaminants at the site.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.