QFES to move Ayr Fire and Rescue Station due to cancer-causing PFAS chemicals

QFES has confirmed that it is planning to relocate a NQ fire station due to contamination. Here’s the plan.

The Ayr fire station. Picture: Evan Morgan

Queensland Fire and Emergency Service has confirmed that it is planning to relocate its Ayr station due to contamination by a cancer-causing “forever chemical”.

It is strongly suspected that the contamination is caused by per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at Ayr Fire and Rescue Station in firefighting foams used prior to 2003.

The Burdekin Shire Council has confirmed the presence of PFAS in its supply of drinking water since testing began in 2018 but maintains that levels meet Australian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warned this year that there was now no safe PFAS in drinking water and they were likely to cause cancer.

A QFES spokesperson said an additional $4m had been allocated in the 2024-25 Queensland Budget for remediation works associated with PFAS at Ayr Fire and Rescue Station, “including the removal of soil with low levels of PFAS contamination”.

Member for Burdekin Dale Last has slammed the state government for failing to keep the Ayr community safe after it was found that the historic use of firefighting foam had caused carcinogenic compounds to leach into the town’s drinking water. Picture: Chris Burns.

“Further planning around the future of the site will be undertaken, including identification of an appropriate site for a new station that will meet the current and future operational service delivery needs of the Ayr and surrounding Burdekin community.”

Budget documents have confirmed that in addition to the $4m PFAS remediation works at the fire station, $665,000 had been earmarked to monitor the Ayr aquifer for the carcinogens and $20m for the first stage of the new Ayr water treatment plant.

Contaminated water stored at the Ayr Fire Station.

The council confirmed on Monday that PFAS were initially detected at Nelsons Lagoon Borefield in Ayr, which is still in use.

It said state-government funding would allow it to build new infrastructure to include “water from other parts of the supply network including construction of a new 10ML water storage reservoir and duplicate trunk main”.

“The recent announcement of $46.88m to construct a water filtration plant at South Ayr will allow council to abandon the Nelsons Lagoon Borefield when complete.”

A council spokesperson said it had increased water testing, the results of which were shared with the water regulator and Queensland Health.

The Nelsons Lagoon Borefield in the middle of the town of Ayr, Burdekin Shire.

“State-government funding for the Ayr Water Supply Filtration Plant and South Ayr Borefield rejuvenation will allow council to abandon the impacted borefield which has tested positive for PFAS,” they said.

“The project will ensure a safe, reliable source of drinking water into the future for residents in the Ayr, Brandon and Alva communities.”

The council said the project would be in service within two years.

“Council continues to implement measures and strategies to improve water supply reliability from alternate sources in the interim.”

Burdekin MP Dale Last criticised the state government for failing to keep the Ayr community safe “after it was found that the historic use of firefighting foam had caused carcinogenic compounds to leach into the town’s drinking water”.

“The first this community has known of this issue was in 2018 and since then the local council has been unable to adequately plan for a future water source because the current minister and her predecessor have failed to make the extent of the contamination public.”

He said that since the first contamination was made public, his main focus had been to work with council and “do what was needed to ensure the Burdekin’s water supply was secure for the future”.

“As the Member for Burdekin I have asked questions on several occasions with only partial amounts of information forthcoming, which when we are talking about the security and safety of an entire township’s water supply is simply not good enough,” he said.

“It’s pretty clear Labor has been happy to leave a community in the dark and a local council in the lurch especially given the potential health effects on residents.”

Originally published as QFES to move Ayr Fire and Rescue Station due to cancer-causing PFAS chemicals