Defence developing PFAS management plan for HMAS Albatross

Defence says it is developing a PFAS Management Areas Plan (PMAP) for the area, which will outline activities the organisation will undertake to manage and reduce the risks of PFAS exposure at the base and nearby areas.

PFAS - per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances - are a group of chemicals that include perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), which were widely used in firefighting foams at a number of locations, including defence facilities such as Albatross and the Jervis Bay Range, which also takes in HMAS Creswell, until being phased out in 2004-05.

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The PMAP will guide Defence on a number of factors -

To manage the key sources of contamination such as the former firefighting training area and sewage treatment plant;

Reduce the amount of PFAS in the environment;

Reduce PFAS migration from the base; and

Manage the exposure risks for the community.

Developing the PMAP involves a review of the sources of the contamination and the key ways it is migrating into the wider community.

It also includes a comparison and evaluation of the range of available PFAS management activities to identify possible remediation options for the site.

As part of the PMAP, an Ongoing Monitoring Plan (OMP) is being prepared to outline the sampling program that will be undertaken by Defence to monitor and track the PFAS contamination over the coming years.

Once complete, the PMAP will be reviewed annually, or more frequently if new information or technology arises which has the potential to impact the PMAP objectives.

The detailed environmental investigation into PFAS on, and in the vicinity of Albatross has been completed.

Preliminary site investigations (PSI) into the contamination around the Naval Air Station was completed in September 2016.

In November 2017, the Detailed Site Investigation (DSI) and Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment (HHERA) reports were presented to the local community.

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The DSI involved sampling soil, sediment, surface and ground water to collect information and better understand how PFAS moves through the environment.

The HHERA provides a better understanding of the potential for PFAS exposure to people, plants and animals within the investigation area.

An addendum to this report was published in June 2018 to include some further risks not fully assessed in the HHERA Report.

At that meeting Defence said it was working on ways to stop toxic PFAS chemicals, from migrating off the base.

Defence is engaging with NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA)  and other NSW Government departments to review and comment on the PMAP and OMP prior to public release.

Another community walk-in session is scheduled for the first quarter of this year.

You’ve got to love an acronym - Defence certainly loves to use them.

Anyone who has covered anything to do with PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) will have dealt with any number over the years.

In the latest report alone there were at least five word or name abbreviations.

It can be fun to try and get your head around!

Lets talk PFAS, PMAP, PSI, DSI, HHERA, OMP,  oh and of course, don’t forget PFOS, PFOA or PFHxS.

And for good measure lets chuck in NSW EPA.

If you are baffled, here’s a quick breakdown.