Tarago community raises more questions over lead contamination

Tarago and District Progress Association president Adrian Ellson has established that the cell, which covers contaminated lead from the rail siding, sits on Veolia Environmental Services' land.

He believed this had led to a breakdown in monitoring and complicated responsibility for its clean-up.

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"I recently spent one hour on the phone with Transport for NSW and they still can't get their head around this," he said.

The EPA recently issued a prevention notice to Transport for NSW (TfNSW) over its "failure to maintain pollution controls" around the cell and the rail siding. It also found that the cell's overlay sand cement capping was "compromised in sections" and that parts of a geotextile layer underneath was "in varying condition."

The EPA has imposed a host of remedial actions, with timeframes for completion.

The lead was recovered after the EPA declared the rail siding a "significantly contaminated site" in 2020. It's believed to be historical and related to a mining load-out facility for lead ore concentrate from Woodlawn Mine.

"Material that had been excavated as a result of the Tarago Rail Loop Extension works was stockpiled in land owned by a third party," a TfNSW spokesman said.

"The stockpile was covered, and additional controls implemented, in order to contain the stockpiled material as an interim measure before finalising remedial options."

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Since then, TfNSW contractors have been responsible for remedial activities. UGL Regional Linx took over this responsibility from John Holland Rail in January, 2020.

Just weeks before the EPA took action, TfNSW representatives informed a community meeting that the cell was in "sound condition." TfNSW told The Post this was based on the contractor's advice.

The community was advised that the sealant and capping on the cell was checked monthly and following 10mm of rain.

Mr Ellson suspected but could not confirm that an inspection regime had failed with the change in contractors. He is trying to access monitoring reports on the cell.

TfNSW will not comment on the claim. However it has accepted responsibility for actions under the prevention notice.

It has also engaged an independent specialist to undertake a review and assessment of the polymer and containment cell. The assessment is to determine an action plan for the preventative works.

"Transport will ensure that an independent specialist oversees the works and will continue to monitor its contractors' inspection and maintenance program," a spokesman said.

"Transport will also re-start the monitoring of air and water quality in the area surrounding the Tarago train station."

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In addition, air and water monitoring stations have installed this week. This testing had ceased in mid-2021.

Mr Ellson expects the clean-up to be "an expensive exercise."

"The real issue is what will be the cost and is it to be borne by TfNSW or Veolia?" he said.

He pointed out the lead was disturbed when TfNSW was constructing a rail siding extension, which largely benefited Veolia, in 2019. The former contributed $6 million for the siding and Veolia - $900,000. This was despite the community preference to have it constructed at the company's Crisps Creek intermodal.

In any case, Mr Ellson said the siding had not achieved its aim of preventing prolonged stabling of Veolia's trains behind the primary school.

Now questions linger over where the contaminated lead will be disposed.

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Mr Ellson argued it should be taken to Woodlawn Mine and placed in already contaminated tailings dams for eventual mining. The company that has bought Woodlawn Mine, Develop Global, has assumed responsibility for the tailings dams' rehabilitation. The company has decided against extracting ore from the dams at this stage but has not ruled it out long-term.

"I'll be encouraging TfNSW to provide a better briefing to the community before they remove any contaminated material," Mr Ellson said.

"I think it's a case of them planning what to do but I hope they come to TADPAI and talk about it and conduct a forum with the community."

TfNSW said it was committed to updating residents as it progressed all its work. Reports would be made available on a dedicated website at transport.nsw.gov.au/

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