PFAS contamination is a ticking time bomb, and the Hawkesbury is at the heart of the crisis. These deadly chemicals, once used in firefighting foams at the RAAF base, have polluted our land, water, animals for decades. Yet, governments are still failing to take decisive action. In this five-part series, the Hawkesbury Post investigates the full scope of the PFAS threat, exposing the dangers and the ongoing neglect that leaves our community at risk.

Part One: PFAS in the Hawkesbury: Unseen, Unchecked, Unstoppable

In April, Sydney Water quietly published a report revealing it had been testing drinking water across the Sydney basin for a group of toxic chemicals known as PFAS. Alarming elevated concentrations were found in North Richmond and the Blue Mountains.

Following further emergency tests, WaterNSW shut down Medlow Dam in August after discovering elevated levels of PFAS. Fresh independent testing by Dr. Ian Wright following this found PFAS concentration sat 3.7 micrograms per litre, which is more than 50 times higher than NSW environmental guidelines. The dangerous chemicals were detected in Adams Creek, which feeds into the dam, marking the latest in a growing series of alerts about these life-threatening chemicals in the region.

Richmond is a key area for PFAS contamination - synthetic chemicals dubbed “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down naturally. These substances, often linked to cancer, have been used in everything from firefighting foams to household products like Teflon and activewear. At least one source of Richmond’s contamination is the RAAF base, which used firefighting foams for decades.

While a class-action lawsuit awarded $127 million to 30,000 Australians across seven contaminated sites. This only scratches the surface of the PFAS problem and Governments are rightly scared, because these relatively small payouts are only the tip of the iceberg. In the United States, over 15,000 lawsuits have been filed, many targeting governments, as the full scope of PFAS contamination comes to light.

Government Inaction on PFAS

Despite the mounting evidence, Australian authorities have been slow to respond.“The government is doing very little to slow the increasing contamination in highly exposed and new areas which is impacting our precious waterways and land”, LaTrobe Valley PFAS advocate Tracey Anton says. ”Once contaminated, PFAS is there forever. Government must work harder to protect uncontaminated farmland.”

Richmond is no exception. Elevated PFAS levels were detected along the banks of the Hawkesbury River at Cornwallis Road which sits to the north of the RAAF base. But fears are that the chemical reach around Richmond and Windsor is far wider than reported, with recent flooding accelerating the spread of the chemicals into agricultural land and waterways, including North Richmond.

“It’s not just a human impact. There are ecosystems out there that you would want to be protecting as well. Let’s say you have a prawn that lives in the sediment of water. That’s how we might be exposed,” UNSW Professor Denis O’Connell, a water engineer, told the Hawkesbury Post.

The Richmond Connection

The presence of PFAS in North Richmond is likely linked to the Hawkesbury River, which is tidal up to the Grose River tributary. PFAS runoff from the nearby RAAF base flows into the river below Richmond and, according to Western Sydney University’s Dr. Ian Wright, is drawn back up into the North Richmond water supply.

“PFAS contaminated water has run off into the river below Richmond from the RAAF base but it has come back up the river and been drawn up by Sydney Water into the North Richmond plant:” As well, treated sewage - from the Hawkesbury City Council (HCC) plant - is pumped back into the river in its tidal section. So this means the North Richmond water plant picks up water containing PFAS that has run off from the RAAF side of the river, as well as from the recycled - and PFAS untested water - discharged from the HCC sewerage plant.

Treated sewage from the HCC plant, which is pumped back into the river, has not been tested for PFAS, an HCC spokesperson confirmed. “Council is required to undertake testing of its effluent in order to comply with its Environmental Protection Licenses; PFAS is not a pollutant which Council is required to monitor and report on and no testing for PFAS occurs at any of the sewage treatment plants,” an HCC spokesperson told the Hawkesbury Post. 

This treatment of PFAS as a secretive political hot potato has been backed up by the Hawkesbury Post’s ongoing investigation that shows how dozens of federal and state government departments and statutory bodies, all have some responsibility. These include all state health, agriculture and environment departments as well as Defence, Infrastructure and Air Services Australia at the federal level. Yet the buck appears to stop nowhere. Dr Wright says that the EPA has been negligent in not conducting widespread testing in the Hawkesbury and that testing in September this year by his team in the Blue Mountains showed how far contamination can spread.  

Are We Really Safe?

The National Health and Medical Research Council’s recent review of PFAS concluded that there is “limited or no evidence” linking the chemicals to human disease. This contradicts findings from the United States and the World Health Organisation, which both state that PFAS causes cancer and that no exposure level is safe.

Australia’s allowable levels of PFOA, a key PFAS chemical, are 140 times higher than those permitted in the U.S., despite assurances from political leaders that our water supply is safe.

Former Hawkesbury cattle farmer Alastair McLaren, a victim of PFAS poisoning, described the government’s approach as gaslighting. “When we asked tough questions, we were told there was no problem,” McLaren told the Post. He and his family missed out on compensation because they leased rather than owned their land, and no government assistance is available for PFAS victims.

“When we first started having consultations with Defence in 2018 they segregated anybody that asked some harder questions. When certain issues came up they said, no that’s the Health Department. We went to Health who said no, that’s NSW Environmental Protection Authority, they said no - because it’s agriculture related - that’s the Department of Primary Industry. The DPI said no, that’s Health. And so it went on.” “That’s what half of our case is, the gas lighting. There is no problem, they told us, there’s no fucking problem.”

McLaren’s wife, Kellie, revealed that their entire family has PFAS blood levels in the 95th percentile after consuming beef from Richmond for just three years. The McLarens have since moved out of the Hawkesbury.

Australia Continues to Ignore the Science

PFAS poisons drinking water, waterways, groundwater, crops, and animals, yet no government offers free blood testing. While the U.S. and EU enforce strict PFAS regulations, Australia lags behind. In April 2024, the U.S. introduced its first enforceable drinking water standard, aimed at protecting 100 million people and preventing thousands of deaths.Despite a draft PFAS management plan being released in 2022, Australia has yet to finalise it. Experts remain doubtful it will meet the necessary standards.

“I have no comfort that Sydney Water says that PFAS levels meet Australian standards when we all know that the acceptable levels in the US are far lower, “ Dr Wright says.

Local Hawkesbury councilors are frustrated that governments are not properly briefing them. “On June 10 2024 (for the second time this year) I requested we have a Councillor briefing on the status of PFAS-related chemicals being present in drinking water at North Richmond,” HCC Cr Mary Lyons-Buckett told the Post. “HCC General Manager Liz Richardson said she would request that of Sydney Water and the Department of Defence. But to date we have not heard a response about whether that would be occurring.” Like other councillors who spoke to the Post, Lyons-Buckett noted that “native wildlife, particularly the platypus, are also vulnerable to these classes of chemicals.”

A Long-Awaited Reckoning?

There may be hope on the horizon. On September 18, NSW Health announced plans to help water utilities like Sydney Water test for PFAS. And Senator Lidia Thorpe is leading a push for a new Senate inquiry into PFAS contamination. This could finally break the wall of silence surrounding the crisis and bring justice to affected communities.