A pipeline constructed with out approval by alumina big Alcoa is vulnerable to leaking poisonous chemical substances right into a dam which provides consuming water in Western Australia’s southwest.
The State’s environmental regulator has ordered Alcoa to urgently flush out the pipeline which crosses the Samson Dam, about 100km south of Perth.
It says the pipeline is prone to comprise wastewater contaminated with PFAS, generally known as “forever chemicals” as a result of they’re very gradual to interrupt down and are related to a spread of significant well being points.
Alcoa constructed the pipeline to switch PFAS-contaminated wastewater to a therapy plant at its Willowdale bauxite mining operations.
It did so regardless of an utility to assemble the infrastructure remaining beneath evaluation by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation.
A prevention discover issued to Alcoa stated the development of the pipeline contravened the division’s public consuming water provide safety coverage.
It additionally failed to fulfill containment measures to stop the discharge of PFAS to soil, groundwater or floor waters.
“I consider that a release of PFAS contaminated water through pipeline joints or loss of pipeline integrity to be a real and not remote possibility,” a division inspector stated within the discover.
“PFAS is highly soluble and highly mobile and has the potential to cause impacts to aquatic ecosystems and human health.”
The division additional alleged the pipeline had been constructed in areas the place it might be simply broken by website gear and autos.
Alcoa has been given 48 hours to purge the pipeline with clear water to take away any contamination.
It should then deposit the purged water into an authorised waste disposal facility.
An Alcoa spokeswoman stated traces of PFAS had first been discovered on the WA bauxite operations in 2019, prompting the corporate to cease utilizing firefighting foams containing PFAS compounds and implement testing and containment controls.
The use of a sealed and monitored pipeline was discovered to be the “safest and most effective” manner of transporting the water.
“DWER were informed prior to construction commencing,” she stated.
“The pipeline was used for a short time in 2022 and has not been used since. It is located in a maintenance corridor that can only be accessed by authorised personnel using light vehicles. There have been no leaks from the pipeline.
“Alcoa has a 60-year history of mining bauxite in the south-west of WA without having any negative impact on public drinking water supply.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
