The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is consulting with licensed landfill and sewage treatment plant (STP) operators and other stakeholders on proposed new PFAS monitoring requirements.
The draft Landfill and Sewage Treatment Plant PFAS Monitoring Chemical Control Order aims to establish consistent, science-based PFAS monitoring in leachate and groundwater at licensed landfills and treated effluent at Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) facilities across NSW.
NSW EPA A/Executive Director of Regulatory Practice and Services, Arminda Ryan, said the data from this monitoring will inform future regulatory decisions.
"This will help us understand how much PFAS enters the environment from STPs and landfills to determine if further investigation and action is needed to protect the environment," Ms Ryan said.
"To ensure sound data, regular monitoring will be required for leachate, groundwater/surface water and treated effluent and then annual data needs to be submitted to the EPA."
Landfills and STPs were identified as secondary sources of PFAS in the environment by the PFAS National Environmental Management Plan 3.0 released by the Commonwealth earlier this year. Secondary sources are sites that receive or have historically received PFAS indirectly such as through waste streams.
Ms Ryan said that as the science develops on chemicals such as PFAS, it is important that we revise our approach to make sure our regulation and our risk response is fit for purpose.
"PFAS has been used in a wide range of products including as waterproofing agents, in non-stick cookware, textiles and carpets and as a result, PFAS is commonly detected in low concentrations in the environment," Ms Ryan said.
"The presence of PFAS in the environment does not necessarily mean there is a risk to human health, but it is important to understand potential risks and exposure pathways."
A Chemical Control Order is a regulatory tool under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 that allows the EPA to control the use, handling, and disposal of certain chemicals to prevent or minimise an adverse effect on the environment. It can require monitoring or the phase-out of specific chemicals.
Leachate is the contaminated liquid generated in a landfill.
