Toxic chemicals in water at popular Australian tourist spot for many years

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Residents in a NSW tourist hotspot have been exposed to cancer-causing “forever chemicals” in their water supply for decades, a major investigation has revealed.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of 15,000 highly toxic, synthetic chemicals resistant to heat, stains and grease, dubbed “forever chemicals” because of their inability to break down.

PFAs detected in Blue Mountains

High-level contamination was detected in the drinking water catchment serving 30,000 people in the Blue Mountains in NSW in mid-2024.

PFAS levels were found to be about 300 times higher than Sydney’s main drinking water source but they still met Australian guidelines for safe drinking water.

A released on Friday zeroed in on three potential sources of contamination — dating as far back as 33 years ago.

Two separate motor vehicle accident sites on the Great Western Highway in 1992 and 2002 near the Medlow Bath township, and the Medlow Bath Rural Fire Brigade station were all identified as possible sources of contamination in the Adams Creek and Medlow catchments.

‘Lack of transparency’ from Sydney Water and WaterNSW

John Dee, a veteran environmental activist who started the Stop PFAS group, has urged the buck-passing between agencies such as Sydney Water, the NSW Environmental Protection Authority and WaterNSW to stop.

“It’s been shown that Sydney Water and WaterNSW have not been fully transparent with the PFAS testing of our local drinking water,” he told AAP.

“It’s deliberately avoiding uncomfortable truths about the true state of water health in the Blue Mountains.”

He called for a single, independent statewide authority with comprehensive responsibility for overseeing PFAS contamination management and removal.

What happens now?

Medlow Dam and Greaves Creek Dam, of which Adams Creek is a tributary, will remain disconnected from the water supply system, WaterNSW said.

The dams will only return when permanent mitigation measures are in place.

Steep terrain, potential PFAS spread over a wide geographical region and extensive disturbance of high-value ecological habitat are all flagged as barriers to remediation.

Is it safe to drink water from these areas?

Health authorities say current drinking water meets existing guidelines and is safe to drink.

But the report did not quantify the current rate of PFAS discharge from potential source areas in surface water and groundwater, nor the total mass of PFAS previously discharged.

Risks to human health and the environment from exposure to PFAS at the source areas have also not been quantified.

Exposure to PFAS increases the risk of testicular and kidney cancer, affecting the immune system and causing developmental damage in children.

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