The latest water testing by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) claims PFAS levels in the Hawkesbury River are well below national safety guidelines, contradicting previous reports that warned of significant contamination risks.

The EPA tested water at eight locations along the river on January 29, 2025, including near the North Richmond sewage treatment plant, Richmond Bridge, and Windsor Beach. According to the findings, PFAS levels were far below the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Recreational Water Quality Guidelines, meaning the river is deemed safe for swimming and boating.

These results align with previous monitoring by the Australian Department of Defence, which investigated PFAS contamination from RAAF Base Richmond. The EPA insists the community faces a low risk from exposure or consumption and advises checking Beachwatch NSW updates after heavy rain.

However, the findings appear to contradict a Transport for NSW (TfNSW) report on the Richmond Bridge construction, which classified PFAS contamination in the river as a serious hazard. The report revealed that workers building the new bridge are banned from direct water contact due to potential health risks. Instead, they must operate from barges to minimize exposure.

This discrepancy raises questions about government messaging. If the river is safe for recreational users, why are workers restricted from touching the water? The TfNSW report cites PFAS levels exceeding environmental health guidelines under the National Environmental Management Plan (NEMP 2.0). It also warns that using river water for construction purposes could harm local ecosystems and human health.

Associate Professor Ian Wright, an environmental scientist at Western Sydney University, previously told the Hawkesbury Post that PFAS chemicals, known as "forever chemicals," persist in the environment and accumulate in the food chain. These substances have been linked to cancers and other serious health conditions. "A very, very, very small amount of PFAS goes a long way," Wright said. "It’s like one eye-drop in 20 Olympic swimming pools that’s dangerous at that level. And the RAAF base used a lot of PFAS foams over a very long time."

PFAS contamination in the Hawkesbury River stems from decades of firefighting foam use at the RAAF base. While Sydney Water maintains that drinking water meets national standards, it only tests PFAS levels at filtration plants, not in the river itself. Raw water, which includes rivers and dams, is not subject to Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.