Newcastle Coal Port/Toxics
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This page is a record of the toxics problems related to the expansion of Newcastle Coal Port, including the new NCIG Coal Export Terminal, and expansion of the PWCS Kooragang Terminal.
Contents |
[edit] 1 The NCIG Site
The CET Site is on top of old industrial land, the Kooragang Island Waste Emplacement Facility (KIWEF), under the rail spur(s)) and the north bank of the south arm of the Hunter River. it sits on two groundwater aquifers, fill, and estuarine, separated by natural clay.
[edit] 2 the EIS
[edit] 2.1 comments
- There are numerous ground and surface water testing sites for the project, most of which are on the KIWEF land, under the rail spur(s). there are three Surface water testing sites in the part of the channel to be dredged. There appear to be no testing sites within the storage/loading facilities (EIS, fig 4-11).
[edit] 2.2 testing results
all these figures are quoted in the EIS, and referenced to other reports (in parantheses):
- pH values of 8.0 and 8.1 (BHP)
- salinity between 30,000 μS/cm and 45,000 μS/cm, around 37,000 (Sanderson et al. 2002).
- nutrient levels (TN and TP (?)) and turbidity levels exceeded the ANZECC Guideline trigger values for the protection of aquatic ecosystems (Sanderson and Redden, 2001)
- dissolved oxygen levels in the Hunter River between 7.2 and 7.4 mg/L (BHP).
- Phenol levels range from 2 to 15 μg/L (BHP)
A letter from the DEH to BHP Billiton[1] alludes to sediments to be dreged with normalised PAH levels of 75 mg/kg. it also mentions areas that may be disturbed outside the dredging zone wiht PAH levels of 15 mg/kg or more.
[edit] 3 What's Happening
[edit] 3.1 Toxics on land
- How much land will be disturbed? area/volume/weight.
- how much of this is likely to be contaminated?
- What will be done with the contaminated soil?
[edit] 3.2 Dredging
- How much dredging is being done? area/volume/weight.
The Dredging will be taking place in areas 1 and 2, between the Toule Street Bridge, and the river adjacent to the PWCS Kooragang Loader (about 3 kilometers), on the South arm of the Hunter River (NCIG EIS, exec p.27).
- How much of this is likely to be contaminated?
- What will be done with the dredged material?
- on-site
The Dredge material used on-site will mostly be used to fill areas under the storage and loading areas of the terminal (NCIG EIS, exec p.27)
[edit] 4 Types of Toxins found in Newcastle Harbour
According the the Innova report, toxins of concern in the sediment to be dredged include Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH’s) and Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH’s). these come from coal tar contamination from coke ovens in the old BHP steel works (page 1[2]).
Page 5 of the report includes a table of levels of toxics found. these are:
| Anylyte | PQL | Units |
|---|---|---|
| C6-C9 | 2 | mg/kg |
| C10-C14 | 50 | mg/kg |
| C15-C28 | 100 | mg/kg |
| C29-C36 | 100 | mg/kg |
| Total TPH (C10-C36) | - | mg/kg |
| Naphthalene | 0.5 | mg/kg |
| Acenaphthylene | 0.5 | mg/kg |
| Acenaphthene | 0.5 | mg/kg |
| Fluorene | 0.5 | mg/kg |
| Phenanthrene | 0.5 | mg/kg |
| Anthracene | 0.5 | mg/kg |
| Fluoranthene | 0.5 | mg/kg |
| Pyrene | 0.5 | mg/kg |
| Benz(a)anthracene | 0.5 | mg/kg |
| Chrysene | 0.5 | mg/kg |
| Benzo(b)fluoranthene | 0.5 | mg/kg |
| Benzo(k)fluoranthene | 0.5 | mg/kg |
| Benzo(a)pyrene | 0.5 | mg/kg |
| Indeno(1,2,3.cd)pyrene | 0.5 | mg/kg |
| Dibenz(a,h)anthracene | 0.5 | mg/kg |
| Benzo(g,h,i)perylene | 0.5 | mg/kg |
| Total PAHs | - | mg/kg |
| Benzene | 0.2 | mg/kg |
| Toluene | 0.2 | mg/kg |
| Ethylbenzene | 0.2 | mg/kg |
| m- & p-Xylene | 0.2 | mg/kg |
| o-Xylene | 0.2 | mg/kg |
| Arsenic | 5 | mg/kg |
| Cadmium | 1 | mg/kg |
| Chromium | 2 | mg/kg |
| Copper | 5 | mg/kg |
| Lead | 5 | mg/kg |
| Nickel | 2 | mg/kg |
| Zinc | 5 | mg/kg |
| Mercury | 0.1 | mg/kg |
| Total Cyanide | 1 | mg/kg |
| Total Moisture | 1 | % |
| pH | 0.1 | pH |
This list includes some levels of nine out of ten of the substances on the ATSDR's Priority Substances list for 2001.
according to the National Pollutants Index, the level of Benzo(a)pyrene in safe drinking water must be under 0.00001 mg/L[3]. this would make the sediment roughly 25,000 times more toxic than safe drinking water (assuming a doubling in weight when wet, as per the IST report), although of course no-one would be actually drinking the sediment.
[edit] 5 Sources
- ↑ Letter From Tom Kaveney, Director, Ports and Marine Section, Department of the Environment and Heritage, to Mr Ian Pedersen, BHP Billiton Limited, dated 27 June 2006, Filename: DEH Letter to BHPB re boundary acceptability1.pdf
- ↑ Newcastle Harbour Sediments Thermal Desorbtion Trial, Final Report, July 2006, Innova Soil Technology, prepared for BHP Billiton. Available from the Department of Planning, NSW - filename: IST MAIN REPORT _ BHPB Sed Trial 06.pdf
- ↑ Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons National Pollutants index.
