Clovelly Park toxic scare spreads to another 1400 homes at Mitchell Park
THE Clovelly Park groundwater contamination scandal has now engulfed neighbouring Mitchell Park, where 1400 residents have been warned of a potential threat. SEE THE MAP
THE Clovelly Park groundwater contamination scandal has now engulfed neighbouring Mitchell Park, where 1400 residents have been warned of a potential threat and 140 bores will be dug to track the movement of a toxic subterranean lake.
Drilling will begin next month and results are not expected until late November or early December.
There are no plans for evacuations from the area, bounded by Alawoona Ave, Sturt Rd and the Sturt River, but this has not been ruled out and officials say any such decision will depend on the test results.
No residents will be offered free health checks at this stage and there are no plans to compensate homeowners for any loss in real estate value, says Environment Minister Ian Hunter.
Residents have been told not to drink from bores — there is only one registered bore in the area — and the EPA also is advising people outside the affected area to have their bore water tested, at their own cost.
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Mr Hunter says that “there are no immediate health risks”.
As homeowners and Housing Trust residents search for answers about who to blame for toxic vapour rising from underground water contaminated by trichloroethylene (TCE), the Environment Protection Authority yesterday said the dumping of toxic chemicals had been standard practice in the past.
EPA spokesman Peter Dolan said that before a law change in 1995, there were no penalties for dumping toxins in the hope they would simply evaporate.
The EPA has refused to name at least five potential sources of the contaminates, as affected residents consider a class-action lawsuit for health and real estate compensation.
Mitsubishi Motors, which previously operated a plant bordering the site, notified the EPA that it had detected TCE in groundwater in 2008, while neighbouring automotive company Monroe Australia has engaged private contractors URS to conduct tests which have found TCE rising into houses in Clovelly Park.
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A section of Clovelly Park comprising 31 homes will now be evacuated due to health risks.
The EPA yesterday released a statement saying it would send representatives to community meetings, but would not formally present information to residents, who were expected to make appointments if they needed more information.
“The EPA letterbox dropped approximately 1400 residential and commercial properties in the Clovelly Park and Mitchell Park area to inform the local community of site contamination assessment work to be undertaken, and to invite them to community information sessions,” the EPA statement says.
“The additional testing is required in areas further south into Clovelly Park, and west into Mitchell Park. Consultants working for the EPA will undertake this work from August 2014 onwards. The outcomes of the work, along with regular updates, will be made publicly available.
“The EPA will be holding community information sessions for residents to meet with EPA, SA Health and Housing SA officers to discuss the known contamination in the Clovelly Park area and the upcoming EPA investigations in areas further south into Clovelly Park and west into Mitchell Park.”
The Clovelly Park residents being evacuated are holding their own meeting on Sunday and expect authorities to attend after discussing it with them. In this case, no appointments are necessary.
Mr Hunter said Mitchell Park residents could seek their own health checks, but the Government would not pay for these.
Opposition Leader Steve Marshall the Government should pay for health checks for people in what is now defined by the Government as a “blue zone” of potential contamination.
“The Weatherill Labor Government had this information for five years and did nothing,” he said. “It seems incredible that the State Government has known about groundwater contamination and its effects involving indoor vapours since 2009, yet no testing has yet been undertaken in Mitchell Park.
“Let’s not forget that Premier Weatherill was the environment minister at the time when this testing was undertaken in 2009.
“The ... Government has kept residents in the dark about contamination issues for an extended period of time.”
WERE THE HOUSEHOLD CANCERS LINKED?
TANYA Monro battled breast cancer, watched her two dogs die of cancer and raised two young children in her Mitchell Park home.
Little did she know the Lynton Ave property would be one of 1400 homes in the neighbourhood letterboxed by the Environmental Protection Agency yesterday.
The agency was alerting them to the high possibility the area could be contaminated with trichloroethylene, a harmful chemical that has been linked to cancer.
Ms Monro, 44, is now worried she could have exposed herself, her daughters Laura, 12, and Keeley, 6, and their pets in a potentially toxic suburb.
“Being here as long as we have, in that time I’ve had breast cancer in 2010 and we’ve lost two dogs,” she said.
“One (died) not so long ago with a (cancer) growth on her leg and one had some sort of cancer that they didn’t know.”
Ms Monro said it made her wonder if the cancers were linked.
“They (doctors) don’t know what caused my cancer,” she said.
Ms Monro said she was most concerned about the health of her family.
“One of the girls has eczema, I’ve got eczema and the other has asthma,” she said.
The latest news comes as residents in Clovelly Park were told to leave about 30 properties due to elevated levels of trichloroethylene.
Ms Monro said she emailed the Environment Protection Authority as soon as the story broke about contamination at Clovelly Park given its proximity to her street.
“I contacted the EPA to find out what was going on and if they would test this area because we were so close and it was a fairly blase response saying we’ll keep everybody posted and there was going to be a community meeting,” she said.
Ms Monro said she also feared house prices in the area would plummet as a result of the negative press and test findings.
Community information sessions
These will be held on Saturday and Monday - July 26 and July 28 - at Cooinda Neighbourhood Centre, 245 Sturt Road, Sturt. Saturday will be from 1.30 until 5.30pm and Monday from 6-8.30pm. Appointments are essential.
Call on 1800 770 174 between 8am and 8pm on weekdays to book.
TELL US BELOW: Do you know anyone who has a bore in the area?