Petroleum terminal environmental audit

The Challenge

The Client operates a terminal for storage and distribution of petroleum products located on the Yarra River in the Port of Melbourne. The surrounding land uses includes industrial, residential, public open space and port facilities.

Environment Protection Authority (EPA) recently issued a Clean Up Notice requiring remediation and management of petroleum and related materials; it also required an independent audit of environmental risk by an EPA-accredited Environmental Auditor. SLR was engaged to provide the auditor role. A groundwater remediation system operates to remove light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) and hydraulically control dissolved phase impact.

The terminal has a fire-fighting system using foams containing Per and Poly-fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). A recent addendum to the remedial plan for the site was implemented to investigate the nature and extent of PFAS in soil and groundwater. The SLR auditor has provided oversight, review and verification of PFAS investigations.

Solution

The auditor role is performed by SLR, acting in accordance with the requirements of the Environment Protection Act (Vic) 1970. The Environmental Auditor and our specialist team members have taken an active role in planning, execution and interpretation of PFAS investigations to ascertain environmental risk from PFAS exposure.

This included:

• Providing an opinion on compliance with environmental objectives
• Requesting the environmental consultant to better identify site history and use of PFAS foams
• Independent review and interpretation of PFAS data
• Requested use of Total Oxidizable Precursor Assay to identify the potential for other potential precursor PFAS to be present that were not covered in the analytical suite of 28 PFAS.
• Reviewed the plan for further work programs for on-going assessment of PFAS ahead of any requirements for ecological risk assessment in the adjacent coastal wetlands.