Analysis of a Contaminated Site in Australia - Case Study Example

Environmental Studies (Essay3) Student’s name Institution’s Affiliation Course + Code Professor’s name Date Environmental studies (Essay3) Introduction Contaminated sites are areas, including parcels of land, soil, sediments and surface and groundwater that are polluted with hazardous materials and agents. Such contamination poses health risks to individuals, the environment and environmental management practices. According to a report by ABC Network’s Rachel Carbonell, over one hundred and fifty thousand sites in Australia are exposed to toxic waste contamination. The report states that only a fraction of these sites are going through major cleanups to reduce or remove the potential health risk that the pose to human health (Carbonell, 2013). Rachel states that these contaminants are not being remediated at acceptable rate and consequently, many people are being affected through contraction of non-communicable conditions like cancer. Again, an increased number of potentially contaminated sites are being used for development of commercial and residential uses without factoring the potential health implications of such developments (Carbonell, 2013). In this essay, the article discusses a case study of a contaminated site in the country. Orica’s case study Contamination of sites in the country has been historical in many aspects. However, Orica’s case is one of the most critical in Australia’s history because of the contamination levels that were witnessed. The past ignorance and lack of effective environmental laws and policies led to one of the largest form of contamination that caught not only national but also global focus (Orica Botany HCB, 2004). The groundwater contamination of Orica’s Botany Industrial Park remains a crucial study subject for many research bodies and organizations. As a result of long period of unchecked and unregulated manufacturing activities and poor environmental management practices by a chemical firm, ICI, chlorinated hydrocarbons leaked into the ground for over forty years. These carcinogenic chemical components mixed with groundwater and led to the formation of toxic plume that extended over two kilometers and covered an area of over one thousand households. The plume was extending towards Botany Bay (Orica Australia 2016). However, when the contamination was confirmed after an investigation had been ordered by the New South Wales Environmental Protection Agency (NSW EPA) in 1989, the plant was asked to clean up the area using the best practices at the time. Again, it was stated that it would require about $125 million and take close to thirty years to complete the cleanup process and manage the contamination (Skelsey, 2004). The Site Orica’s Industrial Park is located in a Sydney suburb of Banksmeadow, about eleven kilometres from the city. The park is approximately 74ha and sits next to residential areas and commercial zones of Banksmeadow and Botany located close to the site. On its south, it is surrounded by the port of Botany and Sydney International airport. Other residential suburbs include East Botany, Pagewood, Hillsdale, Malabar and Matriville among others (Orica Australia, 2016). The area was used for manufacturing of chemicals and other related product from its inception in 1942. From inception to around 1997, the areas was owned and run by ICI Australia and was considered the biggest hydrocarbon firm in New South Wales. However, the British owners of the organization sold it to independent investors who acquired controlling shares and renamed the organization as Orica Australia Pty Ltd in 1998. Under the new owners, the site manufactured different chemical components that included hexachlorobenzene, chlorine, sodium hydroxide, and vinyl chloride PVC among other products (Orica Botany HCB, 2004). When the industrial park was divided into nine new parts that shared access and facilities, special purpose organization was established to provide essential common site services. The organization, Botany Industrial Park Pty Ltd (BIP) was tasked with the responsibility of maintaining safety and environmental quality standards (HCB CIS, 2004). Contamination issues In the initial production years, the essence of proper waste disposal and efforts to prevent the contamination of land were not considered as important as today. The environmental assessment, awareness, and quality standards were lower at the time than today. Effectively, the organization produced huge amount of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in its production activities as the by-product. The plant produced mainly plastics and chemical solvents. Hexachlorobenzene is a powder or crystallized chemical that works as a fungicide and wood preservative (HCB CIS, 2004). Environmentally, it is a persistent organic and non-biodegradable chemical contaminant. The compound can attack the skin, nerve, kidneys and liver causing reproductive health problems and cancer. By the time the contamination was confirmed by environmental authorities in New South Wales, the organization had stored over ten thousand tons of HCB in the area close to the park. Additionally, more contaminated material from the remediation and destruction of solvents and vinyl Plants existed in the area. The contaminated wastes were separated and stored in containers on the site. Furthermore, about forty-five square metres of contaminated material that included sand, coal ash and soil were stored in a rubber site on the northern part of the contaminated site (NWS EPA, 2016). Imperatively, land contamination was not the main problem but groundwater. The poor waste disposal measures, leakage, accidental chemical spillage and liquid trade waste over four decades led to the contamination of groundwater in the area. The contamination resulted into the formation of a toxic plume that spread beyond the boundaries of the site. For instance, disposing liquid trade waste into unlined water channels and pits was an approved practice in those days. When ICI created a treatment plant for effluent waster in the park on the Sydney Water started trading wastewater from the site at the time (HCB CIS, 2004). The State commission for pollution control, currently NSW EPA, ordered the company to conduct a survey of the groundwater contamination in the BIP site and its vicinity in 1989. The investigation focused on chlorinated hydrocarbons, mercury and chromium. The results of the investigation confirmed the existence of the contamination of the groundwater for over five decades. Furthermore, a toxic groundwater plume, stretching at extensive two kilometres had developed underneath Banksmeadow (Skelsey, 2004). Subsequently, a second investigation was conducted four years later and focused on the main sources of the contamination. These included the earlier solvent plant, the EDC (dichloroethane) storage tanks, and the former carbon tetrachloride storage facilities, the adjacent filled areas to the railway line, the heavy old drum storage zone, and the old surface drain. Therefore, the New South Wales EPA issued the firm a cleanup notice based on its environmental protection act of 1997. The order required Orica to use the “best practices” to carry out the cleanup of the contaminated groundwater using prescribed chemicals that emanated from the site itself (NWS EPA, 2016). One of the chemicals that caused huge concern in the contaminated groundwater was 2-Dichloroethane (EDC). The chemical is a colourless and oily organic liquid with a sweet chloroform-like smell. The chemical is used in the manufacture of plastics, synthetic textile fibres, and rubber. When exposed to it, it can cause central nervous system disorders, and complications to the kidney, lung, liver, and circulatory system. Furthermore, it can lead to the development of gastrointestinal complications and development of cancer (NWS EPA 2016). The amount of groundwater contaminated was huge and conservative estimates stated that the cleanup could require the treatment of over fifteen million litres of water a day and take at least thirty years to complete the process. Department of Planning declared the site and the vicinity affected by the groundwater plume as groundwater extraction exclusion area. Subsequently, residents were instructed not to use the groundwater for any purpose (Peatling, 2004). The Impact of contaminated site According to the ABC Network’s report, most of the potentially contaminated sites in the country pose health risks to people and the environment. Again, about eighty percent of these sites are found in urban areas with huge populations; a situation that exposes those who reside in these areas. The introduction of such toxic waste into the environment poses huge risks to the human environment (Carbonell, 2013). Common contaminants include arsenic, mercury, and asbestos. Additionally, petroleum and poly-aromatic hydrocarbons consist of the contaminants found in these areas. Orica’s Industrial Park also creates the above names effect. The development of conditions like cancer is attributed to the presence of such components in the atmosphere. Furthermore, the amount of resources used globally means that measures must be put in place to mitigate and remediate these contaminated sites for long-term solutions and prevention of adverse impact on human health and environment. According to Rachel, there are an estimated three million contaminated sites in the world (Carbonell, 2013). Again, the world is spending over one hundred billion dollars to assess, manage, cleanup and remediate these sites. The remediation of the contamination As a result of the manufacturing activities that were stopped, the groundwater beneath Botany Industrial Park and its environs are has been contaminated with chemical compounds called chlorinated hydrocarbons. Therefore, Orica established Botany Groundwater Cleanup project to manage the contamination and prevent the toxic plume from entering Botany Bay. The project achieves this by hydraulically containing contaminated groundwater. It then treats the water so that it cans be in usable standard at its treatment plant (Orica 2016). Conclusion The contamination of the groundwater at Botany Industrial Park by Orica is a demonstration of a much problem that authorities and interest groups must tackle to prevent human health and environmental risks associated with such negligence. Bibliography Orica Australia. 2016. Overview of the Botany Groundwater Cleanup Project, Accessed on October 11, 2016 from http://www.orica.com/Locations/Asia-Pacific/Australia/Botany/Botany-Transformation-Projects/Groundwater-Cleanup/overview-of-the-botany-groundwater-cleanup-project HCB Community Information System (HCB CIS), 2004.Residues in water, Accessed on October 11, 2016 from http://www.oztoxics.org/research/3000_hcbweb/hcb1/issu1.html Orica Botany HCB, 2004. Timeline, Accessed on October 11, 2016 from http://www.oricabotanyhcb.com/timeline.html Peatling, S., 2004. Contested bay clean-up may take 30 years, Sydney Morning Herald, Wednesday17 November, p. 3. Skelsey, M., 2004. $154m to clean up toxic spill, The Daily Telegraph,Thursday14October, p. 17 NWS EPA, 2016. Orica Botany. Accessed on October 11, 2016 from http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/oricabotanycttee/oricaremediatsoilgwater.html Carbonell, R., 2013. Toxic waste threatens over 150,000 Australian sites, ABC News. Accessed on Octiober 11, 2016 from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-16/toxic-waste-threatens-1502c000-australian-sites/4960618 Read More