Premier Chris Minns will not ask multiple government agencies to explain their nearly decade-long failure to monitor drinking water supplies for “forever chemicals”, a lapse that delayed the closure of a contaminated dam as a precautionary measure after cancer-linked toxins were recently found in it.
Sydney Water and WaterNSW, which are responsible for tap water and the quality of catchments respectively, have been working with NSW Health since 2015 to review the risks of the per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFAS) in the drinking water supply.
Premier Chris Minns will not take steps to investigate authorities’ failure to monitor the drinking water supply for “forever chemicals”.Credit: Janie Barrett
In June, this masthead revealed the agencies had not carried out any widespread monitoring for PFAS.
Asked about the position at the time, a Sydney Water spokeswoman said: “There are no known PFAS hotspots in our drinking water catchments.”
Their collective handling of the issue has been called into serious question after authorities were belatedly pressured into testing by a Herald investigation.
Authorities dramatically shut down a dam in the drinking water catchment after it was found to contain elevated levels of PFAS.
The Herald asked Minns this week if he would investigate how flawed advice was allowed to underpin the handling of forever chemicals risks by NSW authorities.
A spokesman for Minns would not answer directly. He said PFAS monitoring had been added to Sydney Water and WaterNSW’s rigorous testing procedures “out of an abundance of caution”.
“This is appropriate and we welcome the additional testing,” the spokesman said.
“This testing will help reassure the community, provide agencies with up-to-date information, and help ensure levels remain within guidelines.”
Former NSW Australian of the Year and founder of Planet Ark Jon Dee has slammed the years-long failure to test as an “appalling” failure of the government in its duty of care to the public. He threatened to lead a class action lawsuit against the government unless it brought Australian guidelines in line with those in the US.
The spokesman said safe drinking water guidelines were developed at a national level and the national regulator was reviewing the Australian guidelines for PFAS in drinking water.
“NSW Health has requested for this to be completed as soon as possible, while ensuring integrity of the process,” he said.
“NSW government water authorities are prepared to respond to any changes in Australia’s Drinking Water Guidelines, which are developed and managed by health experts.”
The spokesman for Minns said the government and its agencies understood the community’s concerns about PFAS.
“We remain on guard,” he said.
Sampling carried out over recent months has revealed traces of PFAS are widespread across tap water supplies and showed levels in Medlow Dam in the Blue Mountains breached both Australian and more stringent US safety standards.
Minns’ spokesman noted that PFAS was in raw, untreated water and all tap water samples had come back within Australian guidelines.
“Sydney’s drinking water remains safe to drink,” he said.
However, the dam appears to have contributed to elevated PFAS levels in the tap water of about 50,000 Blue Mountains residents, as well as the millions of tourists who visit the region’s world-famous peaks.
While within Australian guidelines, the readings are about four times the level the US will allow its citizens to be exposed to, after it released a major scientific evaluation that found there was no safe level of the “probable carcinogens”. They were also over 300 times the amount in the Warragamba plant.
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