Generator Property Management Pty Ltd (GPM) is inviting Central Coast residents to join a newly formed Community Consultation Group to provide input on the clean-up of the former Munmorah Power Station site.
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) recently declared the site “significantly contaminated” due to historical operations.
It is important to note that only part of the site is affected by hydrocarbon and PFAS and is the result of the historical operation of the coal-fired power station and past use of firefighting foams.
GPM is not the originator of these contamination issues; they are a result of long-term power station operation by the Electricity Commission NSW (ECNSW), Pacific Power and Delta Electricity.
Generator Property Management (GPM), a NSW government-owned company managing the site, welcomed the EPA’s decision and is committed to a thorough and transparent clean-up process.
The Community Consultation Group will hold quarterly meetings, inspect ongoing clean-up works, receive updates on investigations and contribute to the development of the long-term remediation plan.
GPM has already engaged ecological specialists who have been involved in assessing PFAS environmental impacts nationally.
They have undertaken detailed sampling and completed an environmental risk assessment that shows limited species impact close to the source and progressively less through the wider power station land.
It is believed that the affected species do not present a likely possibility of upward migration of PFAS through the local fauna food chain.
By joining the community consultation group, residents can have a say in shaping the future of the site and to ensure a safe and sustainable outcome.
GPM has also initiated the construction of a water treatment plant to capture and further reduce the already low levels of PFAS being discharged in water running off where the power station once stood and is awaiting Central Coast Council’s development consent.
Once obtained, GPM will immediately purchase and install this plant with any waste residues to be taken off-site to facilities licensed to receive them.
For more information and to express interest in joining the Community Cconsultation Group, visit the GPM website at www.gpmco.com.au or contact GPM at 1800 817 711 or GPMCC@gpmco.com.au