Hunters Hill site remediation

About the project

Following extensive community consultation and research, Property and Development NSW’s (PDNSW’s) Environmental Service Group (ESG) is fixing a 100-year-old contamination issue caused by historic industrial activity at 7-11 Nelson Parade, Hunters Hill.

In 2021, planning approval was granted to remediate the site of the Old Radium Hill Refinery and dispose of the contaminated material at a licensed facility in the United States of America.

This solution obtained strong community support and will permanently resolve a long-standing issue created by the private sector.

Remediation works began in September 2021. The health and safety of the community is the number one priority during site remediation works and the transportation of material.

The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) is supervising the excavation and packing of the contaminated material into sealed bags and containers prior to transport to the USA and regular dust monitoring is undertaken.

Background

From the late 1800s to the early 1900s, a radium processing plant and carbolic acid plant operated on land at Nelson Parade in Hunters Hill.

As a result of previous private industrial activity on the land, soils along the foreshore area of the site contain elevated concentrations of coal tar waste material and heavy metals.

The NSW Environment Protection Authority (NSW EPA) issued a Management Order for the remediation of soil in the foreshore area.

Site soils are also impacted by low-level Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) contained within the processed ore by-product of a uranium refinery that operated on site from 1911 to 1915. Independent experts do not consider the NORM to pose a risk to human health if suitably managed or controlled.

The NSW EPA order does not extend to the soil impacted by the NORM but is being included as part of the remediation project.

Next steps

• Remediation is expected to be completed in 2023.
• ESG will continue to consult with Nelson Parade residents, the local community and stakeholders throughout the remediation process.
• Once the site is remediated, the land owned by NSW Government will be sold.

FAQs

• Remediation of 7-11 Nelson Parade, Hunters Hill - FAQs - April 2021 (PDF, 123.12 KB)

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