The use of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) at the Army Aviation Centre Oakey (AACO) may have contributed to a 4-5 km plume of dissolved phase perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in the heavily-utilised Oakey Creek Alluvium (OCA) aquifer. The OCA is encountered at depths between 20 and 30 m and is a sub-aquifer of the Australian Great Artesian Basin (GAB), which is one of the largest groundwater basins in the world. Land uses in the Oakey region include crop growing, stock grazing, open space, small rural residential allotments and light industrial areas. As a consequence, , there has been a heavy reliance on the beneficial use of groundwater for: drinking, domestic purposes, irrigation of commercial and backyard crops, watering livestock, aquaculture, light industrial and recreational. Oakey Creek, receives surface water overflow sourced from the AACO and is also considered an important recreational asset for the town and region. Based upon the discovery of PFOS/PFOA in a proportion of the community’s drinking water a number of immediate management responses were implemented, including a recommendation against drinking groundwater at hundreds of potentially affected properties. Concerns have arisen in the community regarding potential health effects and economic impacts associated with the PFOS/PFOA impact. Therefore close consultation via meetings, phone hotline, emails, letters, media releases have been critical for both the community and State regulators. Simultaneously to initiating proactive management actions, Defence has also undertaken a number of staged and multi-disciplinary assessments to inform and refine management decisions, including analytical testing of AFFF concentrate, soil, sediment, surface water, groundwater, concrete, animal and plants, ecological risk assessment, risk assessment, hydraulic and solute transport modelling and hydrologic assessment. Prioritising the order and nature of the assessment was an important strategy, for instance discovering the footprint of water extraction/ potential exposure and comparing it with water uses took urgent precedence over understanding the nature and extent of the source zone and/or the fate and transport. Maintaining an electronic data base of communication is an important analysis tool to manage stakeholders and the key issues associated with potential exposure to PFOS and PFOA impacted water.<br/><br/>

Case study: Assessing and managing Australia’s longest PFOS groundwater plume

251st National Meeting (2016)

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