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.