Hunters Hill site remediation
100-year-old contamination issue caused by historic industrial activity at Hunters Hill.
Historic contamination issue resolved
Our Environmental Management Group has fixed a 100-year-old contamination issue caused by historic industrial activity at 7-11 Nelson Parade, Hunters Hill.
In 2021, following extensive community consultation and research, we received planning approval to remediate the site of the Old Radium Hill processing plant and dispose of the contaminated material at a licensed facility in the United States of America.
This approach had strong community support and would resolve a long-standing issue that the private sector created.
Remediation works began in September 2021. In the later stages of the project the waste material from the site was taken to a facility in Western Australia after it was granted a licence to operate in 2023.
The excavation and removal of the waste material was completed in August 2024.
The health and safety of the community has been the top priority throughout the works and the transportation of material.
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation supervised the excavation and packing of the contaminated material into sealed bags and containers before it was transported for disposal.
Background
From the late 1800s to the early 1900s, a radium processing plant and carbolic acid plant operated on land at Nelson Parade in Hunters Hill.
As a result of earlier private industrial activity on the land, soils along the foreshore area of the site had been contaminated with coal tar waste material and heavy metals.
The NSW Environment Protection Authority issued a management order to remediate soil in the foreshore area.
Soils on the site were also affected by low-level naturally occurring radioactive material. This was in the processed ore that was a by-product of a radium processing plant that operated on the site from 1911 to 1915. Independent experts did not consider the material to be a risk to human health if it was suitably managed or controlled.
The NSW Environment Protection Authority order does not extend to the soil affected by the naturally occurring radioactive material, but we included its removal as part of the remediation project.
Project stages
- An independent environmental expert validation report to confirm the remediation works have been completed.
- An independent NSW Environment Protection Authority site auditor to verify that the remediation work has met management order requirements.
- The government-owned land will be sold for residential use.
Planning approval reference documents
- Hunters Hill Remediation Project – Air Quality Management Plan (PDF 1.99MB)
- Hunters Hill Remediation Project (08_0008) Management Plans (PDF 297.46KB)
- Hunters Hill remediation – Community Communications Plan (PDF 158.35KB)
- Hunters Hill Remediation – Construction Noise and Vibration Management Plan (PDF 3.92MB)
- Hunters Hill Remediation Project (08-0008) – Project Approval (PDF 2.54MB)
- Hunters Hill Remediation – Remediation Action Plan (PDF 14.11MB)
- Hunters Hill Remediation – Remediation Environment Management Plan (PDF 3.64MB)
- Hunters Hill Remediation – Construction Transport and Traffic Management Plan (PDF 10.26MB)
- Hunter Hill – Memo – Proposed Remediation Works (PDF 293.81KB)
- Hunters Hill Remediation – Water Management Plan (PDF 5.24MB)
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation material
- ANSTO – Radioactive contamination of properties – Hunters Hill (PDF 1.5MB)
- ANSTO – Health Physics Report on Radiological Assessment – Hunters Hill (PDF 904.89KB)
- ANSTO – Health Physics Report on Waste Classification of Fill Materials at Hunters Hill – Part 1 (PDF 9.37MB)
- ANSTO – Health Physics Report on Waste Classification of Fill Materials at Hunters Hill – Part 2 (PDF 6.86MB)
- ANSTO – Health Physics Report on Waste Classification of Fill Materials at Hunters Hill – Part 3 (PDF 15.08MB)
- ANSTO – Health Physics Report on Waste Classification of Fill Materials at Hunters Hill – Part 4 (PDF 8.91MB)