CS Energy has released further results from its PFAS sampling program today.
Callide Power Station General Manager, Ben Hayden, said a new map published on CS Energy’s website summarised the results from sampling conducted on 82 landholder properties this year.
“The latest results finalise about six months of testing in six zones near the Callide Power Station,” he said. “It includes new results from Zone 6 and results from the other five zones that were previously released.
“There has been a significant amount of activity to gather this data and we could not have done this without the help of the landholders. We thank them for their ongoing cooperation.”
The updated map released today shows the inferred extent of PFOS plus PFHxS (which are types of PFAS) in groundwater in six geographical zones.
Of the six zones:
- 82 landholder properties were tested, and of this 82, 23 landholders had at least one sample point over drinking water guidelines. CS Energy is working with landholders on an individual basis to provide an alternative domestic water supply.
- The remaining 59 landholder properties returned results under the drinking water guidelines.
View the map summarising zone 1 to 6 results. (PDF 1.7MB)
Based on advice from hydrogeologists on next steps, CS Energy will focus on four activities over the coming months – resampling landholders’ bores, a technical sampling program, hydrogeology modelling, and work on site at the Callide Power Station.
“We want all landholders to have the opportunity to receive at least two data points about PFAS on their property, so we’ll be offering another round of groundwater sampling over the coming months,” Mr Hayden said.
“Alongside this, our technical experts will be starting a monitoring program each quarter of groundwater and surface water, strategically located in the investigation area. As we have done previously, we will be sharing the results of this work.
“We will continue to work with hydrogeologists to model PFAS movement in the area. And, we will also be doing some further testing and investigation on site at Callide Power Station to help remediation planning.
“This activity will take place in the current sampling area. Insights from these four key work streams will provide us with insights to guide decisions about future work,” he said.
CS Energy will continue to work closely with each landholder, providing them with their results, including their own laboratory report. In addition, CS Energy continue to liaise with Queensland Health, and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Department of Environment and Science about its work to investigate PFAS in the area.
Background
PFAS (per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) are a group of manufactured chemicals present in firefighting foams that were historically used at various Australian sites including civil airports, defence bases, ports and large industrial sites. PFAS is also found in common products such as non-stick cooking pans, fabric, furniture and food packaging.
Health experts are still working to fully understand PFAS. Queensland Health have advised there is currently no consistent evidence that PFAS exposure causes adverse human health effects. Please refer to the Queensland Health fact sheet on CS Energy’s website for further health advice:
Callide Power Station’s use of PFAS over the years was infrequent, and in small quantities for training, testing and emergency response purposes. CS Energy removed firefighting foams containing non-compliant levels of PFAS in 2019 as part of a Queensland Government policy to phase out their use.
For more information visit the Callide PFAS monitoring web page.