The Minns Labor Government is set to launch the next stage of a major project to clean up the former Truegain industrial site in the Lower Hunter region.
Ford Civil has been appointed by Property and Development NSW (PDNSW) on a $5.3 million project to remediate contaminated soil across almost 1.2 hectares of the former oil refinery at Rutherford near Maitland.
The second stage of work will be guided by a Remediation Action Plan, developed by Property and Development NSW and environmental consultant Ramboll. The remedial works will involve the removal of concrete slabs, excavation of contaminated soil and subsurface infrastructure, backfilling the excavation with clean soil and revegetating or resealing the area. The proposed works have been reviewed and endorsed by a NSW EPA accredited site auditor.
The first stage of the project was completed in 2023 and involved the removal of more than 11,000 tonnes of industrial liquid waste, sludge and above ground infrastructure including storage tanks from the site.
The Truegain site was abandoned in 2016 after the company lost its trade waste permit, had its environment protection licence suspended and entered into liquidation.
In 2021, the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) brought proceedings against Truegain director and former owner Robert Pullinger to recover the cost of cleaning up the site. The Land and Environment Court of NSW ordered Mr Pullinger to pay $1.2 million towards the EPA's costs.
Stage 2 work is expected to start in the coming weeks and be completed by the end of the year.
For more information on remediation of the former Truegain site, visit the Truegain site remediation webpage.
Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said:
"I understand the local community has been waiting for this site to be cleaned up for over a decade.
"Since coming into Government, we have worked to clean up this site so it can be remediated for future use.
"PDNSW's Environmental Management Group has done great work across multiple former industrial sites to clean them up and allow them to be re-used safely by local communities. Sites include the former Waratah Gasworks in Newcastle and former Hunters Hill radium hill refinery in Sydney."
Member for Maitland, Jenny Aitchison said:
"The former Truegain site has been a difficult contamination issue for our community over many years. This next stage of remediation work brings us another step closer to finally putting this matter behind us.
"I am grateful to the NSW Labor government for continuing to invest in the site for the benefit of everyone in Maitland.
"Once Stage 2 works are completed, we will explore options to return this site for future community industrial use."
Property and Development NSW Environmental Management Group Executive Director, Peter Graham said:
"We are delighted to appoint Ford Civil to lead this important remediation work that will return the former waste oil processing site for future safe industrial use.
"The Environmental Management Group will work closely with Ford Civil and the NSW EPA Auditor to ensure this legacy contamination is safely remediated and the risk to human health or the surrounding environment is removed."
Ford Civil Chief Executive Officer Alan Gordon said:
"Ford Civil Contracting are proud to be selected to undertake the remediation works at the former Truegain industrial site. The strategy will include the mitigation and removal of environmental contaminants onsite making it safe for future re-development.
"Ford Civil has extensive experience in the delivery of complex design and construct civil engineering and remediation contracting activities. This includes the recently completed 7.4-hectare former Newcastle gasworks remediation site at Hamilton North."
