Oakey residents told contaminated land is worthless

RESIDENTS of a southeast Queensland town have been told by banks and realtors that their contaminated land is worthless, with many now stranded with no option to escape.

Oakey resident Jennifer Spencer with water from the bore on the Showground Rd property. Picture: David Martinelli

OAKEY residents have been told by banks and realtors that their contaminated land is worthless, with many now stranded with no option to escape.

The Courier-Mail revealed yesterday Oakey, 159km west of Brisbane, has been battling with contamination of the town’s bore water system from the use of toxic firefighting foam at the local army aviation centre between 1970 and 2005.

Residents said the problem was steadily worsening, with bore water test results from several Oakey properties in recent weeks showing contamination levels are even higher than they were in 2014. One property recorded a 50 per cent rise in two years.

CHEMICALS: Oakey groundwater contaminated by army

It is understood real estate agents in the Darling Downs town of 4500 people have refused to show contaminated properties to prospective buyers, convinced the properties are steadily depreciating in value.

West Garth Realty sales manager Wayne Laughton said the affected properties would likely reduce in value when the time comes to sell.

“People in the contamination plume are very concerned and they have reason to be,” Mr Laughton said.

“When those homes sell again we will notice a change and I don’t think it will be a very good one.”

Oakey residents have told The Courier-Mail they have attempted to secure bank loans on their properties but were told by banks that their properties would not meet the criteria for a loan.

Westpac spokeswoman Lucy Wilson said contamination was always a contributing factor to approving loans.

Cattle, horses, sheep, grass and lucin have all tested positive in privately-funded tests for the chemicals.

“For loan applications that involve land with possible contamination, we are conscious of protecting the interests of the purchaser so we go always assess these on a case-by-case basis,” she said.

Another bank spokesman told The Courier-Mail that when a loan application is received it is a requirement that the property in question is appropriately valued.

“We rely on valuations to determine the worth of a property and the amount of money we can lend someone,” the spokesman said.

“We will take into consideration if a property is contaminated but we don’t exclude people on the basis of it.”

It is understood cattle, horses, sheep, grass and lucin have all tested positive in privately-funded tests for the chemicals perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOA), leaving residents concerned for their livestock, land and businesses, leaving Oakey homeowners with no way out of their nightmare.

Shine Lawyers partner Peter Shannon confirmed that banks would not let residents build on contaminated land, leaving many locals stranded.

“Oakey residents are sitting on almost worthless land that is impossible to sell,” he said.

“No one wants to buy earth spoiled by toxic chemicals. For many of our clients, their whole livelihoods are wrapped up in their land. They have pooled their life savings into their estates only to find out the land was saturated in hazardous materials”.

Toowoomba region mayor Paul Antonio said Oakey residents could be assured that their main supply of town water was contaminant-free but would not comment on locals’ concerns about their land value.

“There no relationship between the underground water aquifers and Council’s water supply to the area,” Mr Antonio said.

David Jefferis and Dianne Priddle feel let down by authorities. Picture: Claudia Baxter

STUD breeders Dianne Priddle and David Jefferis have put their business on hold as Oakey’s chemical contamination encroaches on their boundary.

The couple bought the 80ha farm just outside Oakey 10 years ago but in 2014 were told the edge of it was contaminated with PFOS and PFOA.

Mr Jefferis said it was “only a matter of time” before the toxins spread right across the stud farm.

“We don’t feel right producing and distributing studs on a contaminated property,” he said.

“We came here a decade ago in good faith and built something for our children but the authorities have let us down.”

Ms Priddle said the couple approached real estate agents this week but were told their property was worth “nothing”.