Lake Macquarie community and expert committees
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) established two committees who undertook a review of the management of soil contaminated with lead and lead slag as a result of operations from the former Pasminco Lead Smelter at Boolaroo.
These committees, made up of technical experts and community members, worked in partnership to ensure the residents of Boolaroo, Argenton, Speers Point and the wider community had access to information about the environmental and human health issues associated with the management of exposure to lead around the site.
Both committees were established by the EPA in response to community concern about lead levels in Boolaroo and the effectiveness of the Lead Abatement Strategy which was undertaken on residents' properties up to 2013.
The Lead Expert Working Group (LEWG) was established to evaluate the effectiveness of the Lead Abatement Strategy and other remediation activities and liaised directly with the Lake Macquarie Lead Community Reference Group.
The Lake Macquarie Lead Community Reference Group (CRG) was established by the NSW EPA in May 2015 and provided a conduit to inform the community of the work being undertaken and to provide a voice for the community and facilitate ongoing communication between industries and the local community. Members of the Community Reference Group comprised a chairperson independent of the EPA, representatives from the local community, local businesses, local school communities, and a maximum of two Councillors from Lake Macquarie City Council. The CRG was dissolved in December 2017.
Lead Expert Working Group
The Lead Expert Working Group was established by the NSW EPA in December 2014 to evaluate the effectiveness of the Lead Abatement Strategy, and associated remediation activities, for land impacted by the Pasminco Cockle Creek Smelter in Boolaroo NSW. The Lead Expert Working Group (LEWG) included representatives from the EPA, NSW Health, Lake Macquarie City Council and academia.
Findings and recommendations
In December 2016, the Lead Expert Working Group (LEWG) published findings and recommendations in the Report on Managing Residual Lead Contamination in North Lake Macquarie (PDF 2.5MB).
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) welcomed the LEWG’s report and recommendations to manage legacy lead contamination for properties impacted by the Pasminco Cockle Creek Smelter.
All 22 recommendations in the LEWG report for health, development, and future funding to address the long-term management of lead-related contamination caused by the Smelter were endorsed and financially supported by the NSW government.
Implementation of the recommendations
The 22 recommendations were implemented jointly by the EPA, Lake Macquarie City Council, Hunter New England Health (HNEH), and the (then) NSW Department of Planning and Environment.
All recommendations of the Lead Expert Working Group were completed, with some recommendations requiring ongoing actions.
Some key outcomes of the program include:
- research on take-up of lead and other contaminants in Lake Macquarie
- research on the impact of smelter slag on the groundwater system
- regular reminder (sent by HNEH) for general practitioners to screen high risk children and pregnant women in the area for elevated blood lead levels
- an ongoing community grants program for residents impacted by the smelter
- a Standard Remedial Action Plan to assist impacted residents to remediate their land during the development planning process
- revision to relevant government procedures and guidelines (such as the State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes, Codes SEPP) and Lake Macquarie City Council’s environmental management plan for contaminated land)
- consistent processes for managing contaminated land by public authorities and utility companies working in the area
- financial liabilities framework to hold polluters in NSW to account
A summary of the implementation is provided in the Current status of the LEWG recommendations.
Additional funding has been allocated to Lake Macquarie City Council (until August 2026) to continue managing the contamination legacy from the former Pasminco smelter. The EPA continues to work with Lake Macquarie City Council in overseeing this program.
If you wish to discuss these programs, or other related matters, please contact the EPA’s environment line on 131 555 or info@epa.nsw.gov.au.