❓ Question regarding potential contamination at the Waterbank project site in East Perth, including past activities, expected contaminants, and potential impacts on fish, referencing similar issues at Claisebrook Cove. The Minister confirms contamination concerns and outlines potential contaminants.
AnsweredQoN 8694Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
In relation to the design guidelines for the Waterbank project at East Perth on the Swan River, I ask:
(a) could the Minister verify that the guidelines state that past activities may have led to contamination of the site, and that although there has been significant remediation of the site as part of the creation of Waterbank, the site will need to be further investigated and managed;
(b) if so, what are the past activities and what contamination may be expected; and
(c) further to the contamination of fish using the similarly excavated and contaminated site at Claisebrook Cove, what advice has the Minister or his agencies received or requested regarding fish in waters contained and adjoining the Waterbank project?
(a) could the Minister verify that the guidelines state that past activities may have led to contamination of the site, and that although there has been significant remediation of the site as part of the creation of Waterbank, the site will need to be further investigated and managed;
(b) if so, what are the past activities and what contamination may be expected; and
(c) further to the contamination of fish using the similarly excavated and contaminated site at Claisebrook Cove, what advice has the Minister or his agencies received or requested regarding fish in waters contained and adjoining the Waterbank project?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
23 October 2012
Responded by
Minister for Environment
Response time
34 days
(a) Yes. The Waterbank Design Guidelines state that past activities have led to the contamination of the site and the site will need to be further investigated and managed.
(b) The Waterbank site which was previously part of the river was reclaimed in the 1950s, using fill material that is generally of unknown origin. Identified materials include:
· Dredge spoil extracted during the deepening of the Swan River; and
· An array of materials including waste concrete, brick, and timber from buildings, road waste, general waste material (e.g. glass, scrap metal, ceramics) and waste soil.
Potential contaminants include acid sulphate soil material (ASSM), asbestos, hydrocarbons, phenols, metals, pesticides, herbicides and nutrients. In addition to potential soil contamination at the project site, groundwater contamination may also be present due to historical practices and land uses at or near the project site.
(c) Black bream with both male and female reproductive organs have been collected from Claisebrook Cove as part of two recent studies conducted by Curtin University. I am advised that hermaphroditism was first observed in black bream collected from throughout the Swan River and other Australian estuaries in the 1990s. The condition is therefore not specific to the Swan River or Claisebrook Cove; rather it represents a form of hermaphroditism that is now commonly believed to be an integral part of the black bream's biology.
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(b) The Waterbank site which was previously part of the river was reclaimed in the 1950s, using fill material that is generally of unknown origin. Identified materials include:
· Dredge spoil extracted during the deepening of the Swan River; and
· An array of materials including waste concrete, brick, and timber from buildings, road waste, general waste material (e.g. glass, scrap metal, ceramics) and waste soil.
Potential contaminants include acid sulphate soil material (ASSM), asbestos, hydrocarbons, phenols, metals, pesticides, herbicides and nutrients. In addition to potential soil contamination at the project site, groundwater contamination may also be present due to historical practices and land uses at or near the project site.
(c) Black bream with both male and female reproductive organs have been collected from Claisebrook Cove as part of two recent studies conducted by Curtin University. I am advised that hermaphroditism was first observed in black bream collected from throughout the Swan River and other Australian estuaries in the 1990s. The condition is therefore not specific to the Swan River or Claisebrook Cove; rather it represents a form of hermaphroditism that is now commonly believed to be an integral part of the black bream's biology.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
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