Tuesday 23rd April 2024 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 23rd April 2024
Ongoing sampling of beach and ocean indicates no impact associated with groundwater on our site. The first round of groundwater well monitoring has been completed, and results are being reviewed in accordance with the VMP.
Tuesday 9th April 2024 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 9th April 2024
Ongoing sampling of beach and ocean indicates no impact associated with groundwater on our site.
Tuesday 26th March 2024 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 26th March 2024
Ongoing sampling of beach and ocean indicates no impact associated with groundwater on our site.
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Update on groundwater monitoring
Groundwater wells have been drilled, and established across the site with the aim to identify a credible source of impact on the groundwater. These will be monitored and sampled over coming weeks
Tuesday 27th February 2024 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 27th February 2024
Ongoing sampling of beach and ocean indicates no impact associated with groundwater on our site.
Tuesday 13th February 2024 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 12th February 2024
Ongoing sampling of beach and ocean indicates no impact associated with groundwater on our site. A series of groundwater wells have been installed to assist in identifying the source of the contamination.
Tuesday 30th January 2024 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 29th January 2024
Ongoing sampling of beach and ocean indicates no impact associated with groundwater on our site. Preparatory work for groundwater wells to be installed inside the tube factory building has commenced. These wells will be used to aid in identifying a potential source of the contamination.
Tuesday 16th January 2024 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 16th January 2024
Ongoing sampling of beach and ocean indicates no impact associated with groundwater on our site.
Tuesday 2nd January 2024 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 22nd December 2023
Ongoing sampling of beach and ocean indicates no impact associated with groundwater on our site.
Tuesday 19th December 2023
Installation has commenced on a series of groundwater wells external to the factory building, as per outlined in the Sampling Analysis and Quality Plan.
Tuesday 5th December 2023 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 5th December 2023
Ongoing sampling of beach and ocean indicates no impact associated with groundwater on our site.
Friday 24th November 2023
Update on groundwater monitoring
This week work has commenced on the first of a series of angled bores. This work is undertaken to provide an understanding of the nature of the impacted bedrock and potential means of migration, and provide a basis for further plans for remediation.
Friday 10th November 2023 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 3rd November 2023
Ongoing sampling of beach and ocean indicates no impact associated with groundwater on our site. Initial locating of wells for the next stage of groundwater investigation has been conducted.
Friday 27th October 2023 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 27th October 2023
Ongoing sampling of beach and ocean indicates no impact associated with groundwater on our site. Initial locating of wells for the next stage of groundwater investigation has been conducted.
Friday 13th October 2023 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 5th October 2023
Ongoing sampling of beach and ocean indicates no impact associated with groundwater on our site.
Friday 29th September 2023 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 18th September 2023
Ongoing sampling of beach and ocean indicates no impact associated with groundwater on our site. SAQP for the next stage of groundwater investigation has been reviewed by the site auditor, and submitted to the EPA.
Friday 15th September 2023 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 5th September 2023
Ongoing sampling of beach and ocean indicates no impact associated with groundwater on our site.
Friday 1st September 2023 – Beach Monitoring
Ongoing sampling of beach and ocean indicates no impact associated with groundwater on our site. The draft SAQP has been sent to the Auditor for review prior to commencing next stage of work.
Friday 18th August 2023 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 18th August 2023
Ongoing sampling of beach and ocean indicates no impact associated with groundwater on our site. A draft SAQP has been prepared to determine the next steps in characterisation of the impact on the groundwater and identification of the source area. This is will inform plans for remidiation activities.
Monday 14th August 2023 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 14th August 2023
Ongoing sampling of beach and ocean indicates no impact associated with groundwater on our site.
Monday 31st July 2023 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 31st July 2023
The final report for Stage 1 of the Groundwater Monitoring and Investigation has been submitted to the EPA for review. Work is under way to finalise the next stage of investigation. This will be reviewed by the accredited Environmental Site Auditor before commencement.
Friday 21st July 2023 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 21st July 2023
Ongoing monitoring of samples taken from MM Beach show no impact from groundwater on MM Site. There is no discernible risk to the community or users of MM Beach.
The final report for Stage 1 of the Groundwater Monitoring and Investigation is under review with an accredited Environmental Site Auditor. This report will inform the next stage of investigation and works.
Friday 7th July 2023 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 7th July 2023
Recent results do not indicate any measurable impact associated with groundwater on our site. There is no discernible risk to the community or users of MM Beach.
Wednesday 28th June 2023
A draft report on off-site investigations has been submitted to the EPA-Accredited Site Auditor for review prior to being finalised. Separately, a detailed Sampling, Analysis and Quality Plan (SAQP) is being prepared to guide a programme of on-site investigations aimed at identifying and investigating contamination source areas.
Thursday 22nd June 2023 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 22nd June 2023
Daily checks of samples from the ocean, sand and rockpools continue. Results do not indicate any measurable impact associated with groundwater from our site. No discernible risk to the community or users of MM Beach has been identified.
Friday 9th June 2023 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 9th June 2023
Recent results do not indicate any measurable impact associated with groundwater on our site. There is no discernible risk to the community or users of MM Beach.
Monday 29th May 2023
Beach monitoring
Consistent with our commitment to EPA and the community, MM has continued to carry out daily sampling of water in rock pools, the Pacific Ocean and sand on MM Beach. Results do not indicate any measurable impact associated with groundwater on our site. There is no discernible risk to the community or users of MM Beach.
Update on groundwater monitoring
Further to our update of 15 May 2023, our consultant is processing Site Auditor comments on groundwater and soil-vapour monitoring. Final reports will be issued to EPA in the next week along with Site Auditor Interim Advice letters.
Next stage of investigations
A final report on off-site investigations will be prepared to conclude the planned off-site investigation programme. Thereafter a detailed Sampling, Analysis and Quality Plan (SAQP) will be prepared for a programme of on-site investigations aimed at identifying contamination source areas and delineating the extent of impacts.
Wednesday 24th May 2023 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 24th May 2023
Recent results do not indicate any measurable impact associated with groundwater on our site. There is no discernible risk to the community or users of MM Beach.
Monday 15th May 2023
Beach monitoring
Consistent with our commitment to EPA and the community, MM has continued to carry out daily sampling of water in rock pools, the Pacific Ocean and sand on MM Beach. Results do not indicate any measurable impact associated with groundwater on our site. There is no discernible risk to the community or users of MM Beach.
Update on groundwater monitoring
A report on groundwater monitoring from wells on the eastern side of Gloucester Boulevarde has been reviewed by the Site Auditor and submitted to EPA. Consistent with our previous update, we confirm that no Phase Separated Hydrocarbons (PSH) has been detected in these wells although some dissolved-phase petroleum hydrocarbon and trichloroethylene (TCE) have been detected in these eastern wells. As previously advised, there is no discernible risk to the community or users of MM Beach.
Ongoing Work
Consistent with our sampling plan, a third round of groundwater and soil vapour monitoring has been completed from monitoring points along the MM eastern boundary and Gloucester Boulevarde. We await final results from the analytical laboratories. Field observations show that no Phase Separated Hydrocarbons (PSH) has been detected in wells on the eastern side of Gloucester Boulevarde.
EPA Declaration
We note that the EPA has made a declaration regarding petroleum hydrocarbon and trichloroethylene (TCE) on, and adjacent to the MM site. We confirm that MM will continue to provide regular updates to EPA as our investigation progresses including the preparation of a Voluntary Management Proposal (VMP).
Friday 12th May 2023 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 12th May 2023
Wednesday 3rd May 2023 – Beach Monitoring
Consistent with our commitment to EPA and the community, MM Kembla has carried out daily sampling of water in rock pools, the Pacific Ocean and sand on MM Beach. Results do not indicate any measurable impact associated with groundwater on our site. There is no discernible risk to the community or users of MM Beach.
Monday 24th April 2023 – Round 1 testing of groundwater wells completed
As planned, testing of groundwater wells on the eastern side of Gloucester Boulevarde has been completed. We confirm that no Phase Separated Hydrocarbons (PSH) have been detected in these wells. A second round of monitoring will be carried out in May.
Friday 21st April 2023 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 21st April 2023
Tuesday 11th April 2023 – Beach Monitoring
Beach Monitoring 11th April 2023
Wednesday 5th April 2023 – Drain Outlet Monitoring
Drain Outlet Monitoring 5th April 2023
Tuesday 4th April 2023 – Daily sampling and testing
Daily sampling and testing of MM Beach has commenced. Results will be published on this page.
Monday 3rd April 2023 – Sample collection
EPA have collected samples from MM Beach in March 2023. The samples show no impact on the beach.
Thursday 30th March 2023 – Drain Outlet Monitoring
Drain Outlet Monitoring 30th March 2023
Friday 24th March 2023 – Sampling of off-site wells
Sampling of additional off-site wells was completed in the last week. Field observations show that wells on the eastern (MM Beach side) of Gloucester Boulevarde are not contaminated with hydrocarbon fuel. Results indicate that impacts are restricted to the western side of Gloucester Boulevarde adjacent to our site. There are no indications that fuel contamination is impacting on MM Beach.
Thursday 16th March 2023 – Drain Outlet Monitoring
Drain Outlet Monitoring 16th March 2023
Monday 6th March 2023 – Additional ground wells installed
MM installed additional groundwater wells on Gloucester Boulevarde in February 2023. The wells have been sampled and we await a report from our consultant, Edison Environmental & Engineering Pty Ltd.
Wednesday 1st February 2023 – Off-site monitoring well installation
From Monday 6 February 2023, the next stage of drilling and off-site monitoring well installation will commence.
Works will be undertaken on the grass footpath on the western side of Gloucester Boulevarde, and along the eastern edge of the roadway. Works will be undertaken under archaeological supervision and under traffic management, ensuring the safety of vehicles and pedestrians in the area.
Drilling and well installation is expected to take approximately one week. Thereafter wells will be sampled before drilling a second set of wells on the eastern side of Gloucester Boulevarde.
While undertaking the works an experienced Aboriginal heritage officer will be engaged to monitor the extracted materials for Aboriginal artefacts which may include stone, wood or glass implements or fragments, bone and shell material which may indicate the presence of a midden site.
The area along MM Beach is a particularly sensitive cultural heritage location and Metal Manufactures is committed to the preservation and protection of Aboriginal objects while undertaking the works. Additionally, all works will be undertaken in a disturbed soil context to further eliminate the risk of harm to any cultural materials located in this sensitive area.
Tuesday 31st January 2023 – Drain Outlet Monitoring
Drain Outlet Monitoring 31st January 2023
Friday 20th January 2023 – Monitoring wells
On 13th January 2023, Edison Environmental & Engineering Pty Ltd conducted the first round of groundwater and soil-vapour monitoring from newly installed off-site wells and existing wells proximal to the site boundary. Results are expected in the coming weeks.
Friday 20th January 2023 – Drain Outlet Monitoring
Drain Outlet Monitoring 20th January 2023
Thursday 22nd December 2022 – Drain Outlet Monitoring
Drain Outlet Monitoring 22nd December 2022
Tuesday 20th December 2022 – Monitoring wells installed
Groundwater monitoring wells were installed along the eastern boundary of the Port Kembla site during the week of 5/12/22. These will be regularly checked as part of an ongoing monitoring program.
The initial checks conducted 19/12/22 indicated some hydrocarbon impact in two of the wells, which is consistent with indications from earlier sampling on site.
Daily checks of MM Beach and weekly testing of drain outlets (refer to results included on this page) continue to demonstrate no issues.
This finding will inform any modifications to the Sampling and Analysis Quality Plan (SAQP) as further work is planned to delineate the extent of the hydrocarbon impact.
The next round of well installation is planned for late January to early February 2023.
Friday 16th December 2022 – Drain Outlet Monitoring
Drain Outlet Monitoring 16th December 2022
Friday 9th December 2022 – Drain Outlet Monitoring
Drain Outlet Monitoring 9th December 2022
Friday 2nd December 2022 – Drain Outlet Monitoring
Drain Outlet Monitoring 2nd December 2022
Thursday 1st December 2022 – First stage of drilling & off-site monitoring well installation
From Friday 2 December 2022, the first stage of drilling and off-site monitoring well installation will commence.
Works will be undertaken on the grass footpath on the western side of Gloucester Boulevarde. Works will be undertaken under archaeological supervision and under traffic management.
Drilling and well installation is expected to take approximately one week. Thereafter wells will be sampled before drilling a second set of wells on the eastern side of Gloucester Boulevarde.
While undertaking the works an experienced Aboriginal heritage officer will be engaged to monitor the extracted materials for Aboriginal artefacts which may include stone, wood or glass implements or fragments, bone and shell material which may indicate the presence of a midden site.
The area along MM Beach is a particularly sensitive cultural heritage location and Metal Manufactures is committed to the preservation and protection of Aboriginal objects while undertaking the works. Additionally, all works will be undertaken in a disturbed soil context to further eliminate the risk of harm to any cultural materials located in this sensitive area.
Friday 25th November 2022 – Drain Outlet Monitoring
Drain Outlet Monitoring 25th November 2022
Tuesday 15th November 2022 – Drain Outlet Monitoring
Drain Outlet Monitoring 15th November 2022
Tuesday 4th October 2022 – Drain Outlet Monitoring
Drain Outlet Monitoring 4th October 2022
Friday 30th September 2022 – Drilling access applications lodged
Applications for drilling access have been lodged with Wollongong City Council as of Tuesday 27 September.
Tuesday 6th September 2022 – Drain Outlet Monitoring
Drain Outlet Monitoring 6th September 2022
Monday 15th August 2022 – Appointment of Masters Surveying
As part of our environmental investigation programme, MM Kembla have engaged Masters Surveying to conduct an assessment of all pits, sumps, and cellars within the Tube Mill. The work will be carried out over the coming months.
Thursday 11th August 2022 – Drain Outlet Monitoring
Drain Outlet Monitoring 11th August 2022
Monday 11th July 2022 – Drain Outlet Monitoring
Drain Outlet Monitoring 11th July 2022
Friday 8th July 2022 – Due diligence assessment of Aboriginal cultural heritage
Paul Knight from Environment and Heritage NSW has been engaged to undertake a due diligence assessment to ensure the significant Aboriginal cultural heritage in the precinct of MM beach is protected during the works required to install monitoring equipment. The protection of Aboriginal Cultural Heritage is legislated through the National Parks and Wildlife Act and MM Metals Port Kembla takes our obligations from a legislative and more importantly a moral perspective very seriously when it comes to Aboriginal heritage. The engagement of Paul Knight, a local Aboriginal custodian demonstrates this commitment by ensuring Aboriginal people can determine the way their heritage is protected.
Friday 1st July 2022 – Drain Outlet Monitoring
Drain Outlet Monitoring 1st July 2022
Monday 20th June 2022 – Drain Outlet Monitoring
Drain Outlet Monitoring 20th June 2022
Friday 10th June 2022 – Drain Outlet Monitoring
Drain Outlet Monitoring 10th June 2022
Tuesday 31st May 2022 – Drain Outlet Monitoring
Drain Outlet Monitoring 31st May 2022
Tuesday 31st May 2022 – Proactive Groundwater Monitoring
MM Kembla has recently implemented a proactive groundwater monitoring program which is over and above the requirements of our site license. This work identified the presence of a light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNPL) in two groundwater monitoring wells located close to the eastern boundary of the Port Kembla site. MM Kembla self-reported these findings to the EPA.
An investigation into the contamination could not identify any obvious source, for example leaks or spills, and all drains are clear.
Further to MM Kembla’s proactive groundwater monitoring program, there will be some works carried out in the area, expected to commence from 6th June.
MM Kembla has engaged specialist consultants, Edison Environmental & Engineering Pty Ltd (Edison), to undertake environmental studies along Gloucester Boulevarde to investigate legacy impacts associated with past operations. Investigations are being undertaken in consultation with EPA and an independent EPA-Accredited Site Auditor.
Works will involve drilling a series of boreholes on the eastern and western side of Gloucester Boulevarde. Drilling will take place with permission of Wollongong City Council over a one week period and involve minor inconvenience to users of the area. Thereafter, Edison will return over the following months to undertake sampling and testing.
We confirm that, based on available data, there is no evidence of any impacts on MM Beach or stormwater.
MM Kembla take its environmental responsibilities very seriously and will keep the community informed as investigations progress.
Wednesday 25th May 2022 – Drain Outlet Monitoring
Drain Outlet Monitoring 26th May 2022
Monday 23rd May 2022 – Accredited Site Auditor
James Davis of Enviroview Pty Ltd has been engaged to provide the services of a NSW EPA Contaminated Land Accredited Site Auditor, accredited under Part 4 of the Contaminated Land Management Act 1997 (NSW) (the Act), to conduct a Site Audit in accordance with Clean-up Notice 3502239 issued by the NSW EPA pursuant to s 91 of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW) dated 8 April 2022.