Darcy Road drain sampling
The Environment Protection Authority, in consultation with the community, completed a water quality monitoring program within the Darcy Road drain at Port Kembla between November 2020 and September 2021.
This program was to assist the EPA to better understand the water quality discharging to the Port Kembla Outer harbour.
A report (PDF 4.5MB) summarising the monitoring results is now available.
The results indicate that concentrations of some metals are often elevated in Darcy Road drain. The presence of contaminants is not unexpected given the long industrial history of the area. A range of pollutant sources related to both current and historical activities are likely to be contributing to the water quality in the drain.
The report includes the monitoring data, comparisons to recognised water quality guidelines, and recommendations to improve water quality in Darcy Road drain.
The program was implemented in response to the local community identifying elevated levels of metals in the water within the Darcy Road drain. The EPA is working with our licensees and government and community stakeholders to improve water quality in the drain.
