Question On Notice No. 759 asked in the Legislative Council on 13 March 2018 by Hon Martin Aldridge
Question Directed to the: Minister for Environment representing the Minister for Emergency Services
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
Tabled Paper No: 1287-
View tabled paper
Question
I refer to the former Geraldton Fire Station site at 59 Durlacher Street Geraldton, and I ask:
(a) does the Department of Fire and Emergency Services have control and responsibility for the site;
(b) what is the land tenure and appropriate classifications of the site;
(c) is the site contaminated and, if so, by what;
(d) what assessments have been conducted at the site, by whom, and at what cost;
(e) will the Minister please provide a copy of any contamination assessment of the site;
(f) is there an estimated cost to remediate contamination at the site and, if so, what is the estimated cost; and
(g) what is the Government's intention with the site now that the Geraldton Fire Station relocated some time ago?
Answered on 12 April 2018
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) advises:
(a) Yes.
(b) The former Geraldton Fire Station site is held by DFES under a ‘Crown Grant in Trust’ that deemed it could only be used for the purposes of a fire station.
(c) The site is currently registered as possibly contaminated (under the Contaminated Sites Act 2003) as a result of the use of B-class firefighting foams, namely Aqueous Film Forming Foam, to extinguish fires involving flammable liquids such as petrol and oil. The age of the facility also warrants that the buildings may contain Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM) which are managed through DFES’ ACM Register.
(d) DFES has commissioned GHD environmental consultants (through the Project Managers LandCorp) to undertake initial investigative works. On 22 January 2018 DFES received a Preliminary Site Investigation (PSI) Report. The PSI Report recommends that further Detailed Site Investigations (DSI) take place to assess potential risks posed to relevant receptors which may include waterways, adjacent sites etc. The DSI may also recommend development of management strategies including remediation if necessary. The Geraldton PSI was part of a broader package of investigations that was awarded to GHD. In this context the cost for the Geraldton site is estimated at $5,798.00.
(e) Yes. Please see tabled paper number
(f) No there is no estimated cost to remediate the site.
(g) DFES referred the site to the now Department of Planning Lands and Heritage (DPLH). DPLH was in the process of granting a Management Order over the former site to the City of Greater Geraldton (the City) for community purposes. DPLH has advised DFES that it will not accept transfer of the former site until the City is satisfied that it is suitable for its purposes.