Bore water to be tested for contamination around former Finsbury Factory in Woodville

RESIDENTS of 900 homes at risk of contamination from past use of industrial chemicals are being advised not to use bore water for any purpose while the EPA conducts an investigation.

• Other instances of contamination:

• Unley
• Edinburgh
• Thebarton
• Clovelly Park

RESIDENTS of 900 homes at risk of contamination from past use of industrial chemicals are being advised not to use bore water for any purpose while the Environmental Protection Agency conducts an investigation.

On Monday residents in the Woodville North assessment area, north of Torrens Road to Grand Junction road, received advice in a letterbox drop about testing to begin next month.

The EPA will engage consultants to drill groundwater bores in road verges and footpaths, not on private properties, to sample and test groundwater for chemicals and vapour coming up through the soil.

EPA regulation director Peter Dolan said they were particularly interested in chlorinated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethene or TCE but also some petroleum products that may have leached through the soil into groundwater.

“I would be very surprised if it was perfectly clean, I'll put it that way, I think we will find contamination,” he said.

“The question is, is it in a place or form that's going to hurt people or not and that we don't know.

“We're concerned enough that we want to find out, but it's very hard to predict what we will find.”

There is a potential risk to human health from using bore water or from vapour coming up through the soil.

An Environment Protection Authority (EPA) worker tests soil for contamination.

Long-term exposure to TCE has been linked to cancer of the liver or kidneys and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Mr Dolan said the testing would target residential areas around the former Finsbury Factory, which manufactured ammunition during World War II.

Since then other larger manufacturing companies involved in automotive manufacturing have worked in the area known as the Woodville North Industrial Complex.

The EPA conducts assessments where the original polluter no longer exists or cannot be identified.

The EPA has warned people in the Woodville area not to use bore water.

As well as writing to residents, the EPA is conducting a community information session in September and has translated information into Vietnamese, with a Vietnamese interpreter available at the session.

The assessment relates to groundwater (bore water) only and mains water and rainwater are safe to use. Home grown vegetables are safe to eat, provided they are not being watered with bore water.

The EPA provides information about areas under assessment or with confirmed bore water contamination on its website at www.epa.sa.gov.au (follow the link under ‘environmental info’ to ‘site contamination’ then ‘assessment areas’).