PCCS has been undertaking various actions to clean up the site in response to the Remediation Order including dust control, removal of materials from the site for reuse, demolition of the plant and environmental management of surface and groundwater.
Furthermore, PCCS has been investigating the best means to remediate the site. After considering a range of options and having sought appropriate technical advice and the views of government on the regulations, the most appropriate remediation methodology for the site's slag materials and contaminated soils has been determined to be containing them in a cell on the site.
Preliminary concept design studies were completed which determined the engineering and environmental requirements for the construction of the containment cell as the central component of the proposed on-site remediation strategy.
Expressions of Interest were sought from qualified parties in May 2005 to participate in the remediation, redevelopment and/or realisation of the site. This process followed extensive consultation with various government authorities and community groups.
The ongoing remediation of the site remained a key objective and ensured the best interests of the environment and surrounding community were taken into consideration.
Stage one involved a call for Expressions of Interest and the selection of a short list. Stage two involved a request for detailed proposals and direct negotiations with the short-listed parties.
An agreement has since been made with an industrial developer to assist the Deed Administrators in determining and implementing the development direction of the site.
A formal submission to the Minister for Planning under Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 to obtain approval for the remediation project was made in July 2006. The submission outlined the proposed remediation strategy for the PCCS site.
The submission was placed on public exhibition during August and September 2006. Several submissions were received and comments were provided back to the Department of Planning. A Community Information Open Day was also held at the Boolaroo Public School as part of the community consultation for the Part 3A application process.
There were a total of 22 visitors on the day. The core component of the strategy involves the construction of an on-site containment cell which will predominantly house the existing slag mounds located on the site plus other contaminated material from other parts of the site The application sought to obtain approval from the Minister for Planning for works including:
1. the staged remediation of PCCS owned lands at Boolaroo;
2. the acceptance onto the Main Site of certain specified waste materials from nominated residential properties in Boolaroo, Speers Point and Argenton (and possibly from the Incitec Fertilisers Limited site at Boolaroo);
3. the construction of a containment cell (or two cells) on the Main Site for the receipt and long term storage of materials arising from the sources noted above; and
4. associated environmental controls and site management during and after remediation. As the various site areas are remediated, they will become available for development for the future uses of industrial, commercial, residential and open space.
Open Space will be the only land use permitted on the cell. Approvals for the redevelopment phases will be sought independently. Approval of the Remediation Project was granted 27 February 2007.
A copy of the Environmental Assessment Report prepared in support of the Remediation Project, and the subsequent Department of Planing Project Approval can be downloaded here
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