In late February Friends of the Earth Australia received information pertaining to a GIPA request from Hunter Water. Hunter Water provide water services to 600,000 people in the Lower Hunter and Newcastle regions of New South Wales. Friends of the Earth requested information pertaining to all Hunter Water detections of PFAS within the region since 2016.
PFAS has been a major problem for residents living near Williamtown RAAF base for over a decade. Following reporting of contaminated groundwater between December 2015 & November 2017 Hunter Water were directed to connect 350 properties at Williamtown, Salt Ash and Fullerton Cove to the Hunter Water reticulated system. The highest PFAS loads in groundwater that occurred at Williamtown occurred prior to Hunter Water providing reticulated water to Williamtown. The GIPA request shows no PFAS monitoring in the reticulated system at Williamtown, Salt Ash or Fullerton Cove since those upgrades were made.
From the GIPA request, the most frequent PFAS detections are located near the Grahamstown Water Treatment plant located about 10km north east of Newcastle, Campvale Canal and bores near Williamtown RAAF base.
20% of Hunter Water's drinking water supply can be provided by the Tomago Sandbeds. Tomago Aquifer and Grahamstown Dam are sources of PFAS. Grahamstown Dam is mainly fed by water from the Williams River, via the Balickera Canal. PFAS has also been detected by Hunter Water 5 times in the Balickera Canal between 2016 and 2025.
In terms of drinking water data for Newcastle and surrounds, multiple locations have had PFAS detected in their drinking water supplies. These levels have been generally been between 2ng/L - 7ng/L (0.002-0.007μg/L) for PFOS and 2ng/L-8 ng/L for PFHxS, but these detections have occurred infrequently. The community of Branxton had a 6:2 FTS* detection of 122ng/L (0.122μg/L) in October 2016, with Medowie having a PFOA detection of 18ng/L in November 2017. Generally though PFAS detections have dropped off considerably from 2016/17. It should also be pointed out that PFAS monitoring in drinking water began in August 2016, probably meaning that totals for 2016 were probably alot higher because only 5 months in 2016 were monitored. It is also likely that PFAS contamination of water supplies was occurring for many years prior to the start of monitoring.
The highest average PFAS levels 2016/17 were found at Warners Bay. The Warners Bay detections over the two year period were 35% of the proposed 2025 guideline levels for PFOS (4ng/L) and only 2.5% of the proposed PFHxS (30ng/L) new guideline levels for PFHxS, proposed by the National Health and Medical Research Council.
By extending data between 2016/25, it is clear that average PFAS detections decrease substantially, to the extent that the highest average levels of PFAS were recorded at Balcolyn, with average PFOS detections being almost 11% of the proposed PFOS 2025 guideline of 4ng/L over the 8 year time frame. PFOS was detected three times at Balcolyn, but was not "detected" (LOD 0.002μg/L) 18 times during the time period. The Environmental Working Group in the United States have suggested a PFAS guideline for all PFAS chemicals at 1ng/L. Balcolyn's average PFOS detection between 2016-2024 was 0.43ng/L.
Grahamstown Dam supplies 50% of drinking water to the region. PFAS has been detected upstream of the dam and in the supply network leaving the dam.
Campvale Canal is a major conduit for PFAS chemicals into Grahamstown Dam via Campvale Pump station. The 9km canal extends from Medowie and flows south and then west. The major question is why is PFAS is so prevalent at Medowie? Medowie is located 7 km north of the Williamtown RAAF base and there have also been recent reports of PFAS pollution in drains near Pacfic Dunes Golf Course located approximately 1km east from the Campvale Canal. The most likely cause of the PFAS pollution in the Campvale Canal could be the Medowie 10 Waste Water Pump Station which is located in close proximity to the Canal at Ferodale Road, Medowie. Sewage can be a major contributor to PFAS pollution of waterways. The PFAS leaving Campvale Pump Station is then "diluted" in Grahamstown Dam by a factor of 10-20 times. George Schroder Pump Station is located a couple of km's west of Campvale Pump Station.
Average PFOS detections at Campvale Canal (Ferodale Road) were >0.005μg/L (5ng/L). Average detections of PFHxS were >0.003μg/L (3ng/L) during the same time period. PFOS was detected in almost 99% of over 170 samples taken between 2016-2020. PFHxS was detected in 63% of samples. The 99% ecological trigger level for PFOS is 0.0091μg/L, meaning that PFOS detections at the Campvale Canal are consistently 500 times higher than the ecological trigger level. It is unclear why PFAS monitoring stopped at Ferodale Road in 2020.
Campvale Pump Station is located ~5km south west of the testing site on Ferodale Road. Average PFOS levels at the Pump Station were 0.0045μg/L (4.5ng/L), with average PFHxS detections at 0.0051μg/L (5.1ng/L). PFOS and PFHxS was detected in almost every one of the 260 samples taken at Campvale Pump Station.
PFAS detections in the East Main, after leaving the George Schroder Pump Station. Average PFOS detections in the East Main were 0.00026μg/L, with PFHxS at 0.00027μg/L. The highest PFOS levels were 0.008μg/L on Feb 19 2019. Three detections of PFHxS at 0.004μg/L occurred during the tests. Two detections of 6:2 FTS (0.016μg/L) and 8:2 FTS (0.007μg/L) occurred in the East Main on 16 July 2018 which explains the highest spike.
Average PFOS detections in the West Main were 0.0002μg/L, with PFHxS at 0.00011μg/L. The highest PFOS levels were 0.008μg/L on August 27 2019. The highest detection of PFHxS at 0.008μg/L on September 6 2022.
Aluminium smelting can be a major source of perfluorocarbon (PFC) emissions. PFC's such as Tetrafluoromethane (CF4) and Hexafluoroethane (C2F6) can be created by Aluminium smelting and are regarded under some definitions as PFAS chemicals. During the destruction of Kurri Kurri Aluminium smelter 22km west of Tomago, PFAS was found in the soil due to past fire fighting training at the smelter. Has similar training occurred at Tomago? Is Tomago Aluminium Smelter a source of PFAS chemicals into the Tomago Sandbeds?
Clearwater, post treatment most likely at Grahamstown Water Treatment Plant. Average PFOS detections were 0.00009μg/L, with average PFHxS detections at 0.00011μg/L. Treatment appears to reduce PFAS totals by between 30-60% and it appears strange that Hunter Water do not employ more stringent measures such as Granular Activated Carbon to significantly reduce PFAS amounts at Grahamstown. The highest PFOS levels were 0.005μg/L detected 11 February 2019 and PFAS chemicals have also been detected in the sludge lagoon at the Grahamstown WTP (average PFOS detections 0.003μg/L). Have years of PFAS tainted sludge, also ending up polluting Tomago groundwater from the water treatment plant itself?
PFAS detected in several bores indicate that the Tomago Sandbed is contaminated with PFAS chemicals at numerous locations.
Bore 1 recorded consistent levels of PFAS during the times that the bore was tested. PFOS averaged 0.007μg/L at Bore 1, with PFHxS averaging 0.15μg/L. Station 2 Bore Water PFAS detections were dominated by PFHxS (av. 0.0068μg/L), PFOS 0.0012μg/L.
Tomago Station 21 bore water recorded the most detections of PFAS near the water treatment plant. Average levels of PFOS at Station 21 were 0.0042μg/L, with PFHxS averaging 0.0034μg/L. Station 21 Bore will be a back up in times of low water availability.
Hunter Water conducted PFAS tests at unspecified locations at Newcastle Airport in May and July 2016. The highest levels of PFOS detected at the airport were 0.33μg/L on May 2 2016. Detections at Newcastle Airport on July 5 2016 were PFOS 0.264μg/L and PFHxS 0.046μg/L.
Stations 7 & 9 were isolated from production in 2014 and the other bores on the Tomago Sandbed have been used infrequently over the previous decade. Hunter Water detected PFOS at Station 9 at 0.17μg/L in May 2015 and again in September 2015. These were the highest levels of PFOS detected by Hunter Water in bore water. Hunter Water first detected PFOS at Station 9 in October 2009 at 0.03μg/L, but testing did not occur again until 2015. It is therefore highly probable that Hunter Water customers would have been exposed to PFAS chemicals prior to the shut down of Bores 7 and 9 in 2014. No information was provided by Hunter Water regarding Station 7 in the GIPA request.
Station 14 is located 7km north east of Williamtown RAAF Base. PFAS in bores from this indicate PFHxS at an average of 0.0077μg/L and PFOS at 0.0011μg/L. Hunter Water has detected PFAS along a 22km stretch of the Tomago Sandbeds. PFAS has also been detected at high levels at the Golf Course north of Williamtown base, by local residents. The highest PFOS levels detected east of Williamtown RAAF Base were based on seven samples detected in 2009, 2015 and 2023.
