Toxic Chemical Threat to Western Australia’s Drinking Water Supply

An Alcoa-approved pipeline could leak harmful chemicals into a dam in Western Australia’s Southwest.

Alcoa was ordered by the state’s environmental regulator to immediately flush out the pipeline that crosses the Samson Dam (about 100km south-east of Perth).

The pipeline could contain wastewater contaminated by Perfluoroalkyl or Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, which are known as PFAS. “forever chemicals” Because they take a long time to break down, and can cause serious health problems.

Alcoa designed the pipeline to transfer PFAS contaminated wastewater to a Willowdale bauxite-mining plant.

It did so despite an application to construct the infrastructure remaining under assessment by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation.

Alcoa was notified in a preventative notice that the construction of the pipeline would be against the department’s public water supply protection policy.

It also failed containment measures to stop the release of PFAS onto soil, groundwater, and surface waters.

“I consider that a release of PFAS contaminated water through pipeline joints or loss of pipeline integrity to be a real and not remote possibility,” A department inspector stated in the notice.

“PFAS is highly soluble and highly mobile and has the potential to cause impacts to aquatic ecosystems and human health.”

Further, the department claimed that the pipeline was constructed in areas where it could easily be damaged by vehicles and equipment.

Alcoa has 48 hours to flush the pipeline with clean water in order to eliminate any contamination

Then, it must deposit the purified water in an authorized waste disposal facility.

An Alcoa spokeswoman said traces of PFAS had first been found at the WA bauxite operations in 2019, prompting the company to stop using firefighting foams containing PFAS compounds and implement testing and containment controls.

A monitored, sealed pipeline proved to be the most effective. “safest and most effective” Transporting water by other means

“DWER were informed prior to construction commencing,” According to the spokesperson.

“The pipeline was used for a short time in 2022 and has not been used since. It is located in a maintenance corridor that can only be accessed by authorised personnel using light vehicles. There have been no leaks from the pipeline.

“Alcoa’s 60-year-old history of mining bauxite south-west WA has not had any adverse impact on the supply of public drinking water.