There are 86 sheep dip sites in the ACT which were possibly sources of arsenic contamination, the Minister for Environment, Land and Planning, Bill Wood, confirmed yesterday (Tuesday 15/11).
Mr Wood was giving a full run-down of possible contaminated sites.
Of the 86, 13 were in urban areas _ six of those in residential areas. The other seven were in non-residential urban areas, such as under roads.
Last week the Minister’s office re-issued an earlier press release saying that “”following his call for information about former sheep-dip sites in the ACT, 13 potential sites have been identified”.
However, his office agreed that the 13 sites are all in the urban areas and there are a further 73 or so sites in the non-urban area of the ACT, some still active sheep dips and some in inaccessible areas.
There were a further 65 landfill sites which could contain toxic material and five other sorts of possible contaminated sites: older petrol station and dry-cleaning sites; grease pits at old sewage works at Weston and Coppins Crossing; a petrol plume at Mitchell and possible PCB’s at Belconnen Naval Station.
One of the six residential sites, involving two houses, registered arsenic readings above acceptable levels and the two families have been moved out.
Mr Wood said the Government had offered to buy their houses to ensure they suffered no financial hardship.
The Canberra Conservation Council said at the weekend that Mr Wood was trying to underplay the extent of the problem, was misleading the public and called for greater resourcing of the Contaminated Sites Unit.
Mr Wood identified the non-residential urban potentially contaminated sites as: under roads in Lyneham, Girlang and Deakin; under a carpark in Kambah; in open paddocks in Kambah and Tuggeranong Homestead and at and oval in Wanniassa. He had been assured that they posed no danger.
The residential sites were identified last week as in: Holder, Ngunnawal, Theodore, Chapman and Isabella Plains.
ANU chemistry professor Ben Selinger said arsenic was a long-term problem, not an immediate threat to life and limb. It was a problem with children playing in the dirt and putting their hands in their mouths. Arsenic also occurred naturally in the soil.
Mr Wood said the number of sites varied as some went on and came off the list after testing.
The Department of Urban Services would consolidate the landfill sites into the list of contaminated sites. The Government had issued a draft strategic plan for management of contaminated sites.
The issue came to the fore when the Minders of Tuggeranong Homestead pointed out it would be folly to build houses on the site because a old sheep dip had caused extensive arsenic contamination.
Mr Wood said he was concerned that no new houses would be built on contaminated sites.