Bore water ban for Hendon area
Using bore water is now prohibited in parts of Hendon, Royal Park, Seaton and Albert Park due to chemical contamination.
The Environment Protection Authority has been investigating groundwater contamination in the area for a number of years, and has previously asked residents not to use their bore water for any purpose.
Residents in 2800 homes had been notified that a groundwater prohibition area (GPA) would take effect from 12 September.
Testing has found a range of chemicals in the groundwater, including petroleum and chlorinated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethene (TCE), dichloroethene (DCE), and vinyl chloride.
The upper aquifers are contaminated to a depth of 10m. Anyone with deeper bores can continue to use them, but this water should be tested before it use.
Mains water and rain water are not affected, and it is safe to eat home-grown produce so long as it hasn’t been irrigated with bore water.
Chlorinated hydrocarbons are known to cause cancer in cases where people have been in contact with them over long periods.
They are also extremely difficult to remove once an aquifer is contaminated, and they remain in the environment for many years, so this groundwater may never be safe to use again.
The Hendon Industrial Area is the primary source of the contamination, but there are at least another 13 contaminated sites in the new GPA.
Several other GPAs are already in place around metropolitan Adelaide, in Edwardstown, Allenby Gardens and Glenelg East.
It is illegal to use groundwater in a GPA, and a maximum penalty of $8,000 applies.
The ban on bore water covers all uses, including irrigating gardens and lawns, drinking, showering, and filling swimming pools, as these are all pathways for people to be exposed to the contamination.
For more information, visit www.engage.epa.sa.gov.au