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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 816 asked in the Legislative Council on 13 August 2019 by Hon Dr Steve Thomas

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

FORRESTFIELD–AIRPORT LINK — SOIL CONTAMINATION

816. Hon Dr STEVE THOMAS to the minister representing the Minister for Transport:

I refer to soil excavated from the Forrestfield–Airport Link project and the answers to question without notice 738, asked by me on 6 August, and question without notice 771, asked by me on 7 August and answered on 8 August, on FAL soil transported by the Public Transport Authority from 777 Abernethy Road, Forrestfield, to the Kenwick rail freight facility project.

(1) What is the minimum distance between FAL soil placed at the Kenwick rail freight facility project site and the Woodlupine Brook?

(2) What is the minimum distance between FAL soil placed at the Kenwick rail freight facility project site and any surface water body or wetland area?

(3) What is the seasonal maximum groundwater level at the Kenwick rail freight facility project site and the NorthLink WA project site at which the FAL soil was placed?

(4) Did the PTA, having regard for section 12 of the ''PFAS National Environmental Management Plan'', seek approval from the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation to use the FAL soil at these sites?

(5) If yes to (4), please table the approval documentation; and, if not, why not?

Hon STEPHEN DAWSON replied:

I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. The following information has been provided by the Minister for Transport.

(1) The Kenwick rail freight facility project site is located approximately 200 metres from Woodlupine Brook.

(2) Yule Brook intersects the southern portion of the Kenwick rail freight facility project site. Yule Brook will be modified during construction of the Kenwick rail freight facility and placed in a culvert.

(3) The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation's Perth groundwater map indicates that the groundwater level at the Kenwick rail freight facility project site is six metres Australian Height Datum and 25 metres AHD at the NorthLink project site.

(4)–(5) DWER's ''Factsheet—Assessing whether material is waste'' provides guidance to persons in possession of material on determining whether it is waste or not. In respect of the use of excess fill from the Forrestfield–Airport Link at the Kenwick rail freight facility project site and the NorthLink project site, the Public Transport Authority does not consider the material to be waste. It is not required to seek approval from DWER to transfer excess fill that is not considered to be waste from one location to another. The PTA has informed DWER that soil excavated during construction of the FAL project will be used as engineered backfill at the Kenwick rail fright facility and the NorthLink project site.