Hunter River Remediation Project - Cleaning Up More Than 80 Years Of Steel Making
The Challenge
A worker at the Hunter River site
BHP Billiton’s Hunter River Remediation Project (HRRP) is a large-scale environmental project that is designed to remediate the Hunter River bed affected by industrial activities associated with the former BHP Steelworks at Mayfield in Newcastle, Australia.
The BHP Steelworks began operation in Newcastle in 1915 and closed in 1999. For much of the time the former Steelworks was in operation, stringent environmental standards that are nowadays commonplace did not exist, contributing to the current need for remediation.
The remediation work is a requirement of BHP Billiton’s own Closure Standard and will deliver on the commitment made by BHP Billiton when the Steelworks closed to remediate the contaminated sediments in the South Arm of the Hunter River adjacent to the site. This commitment at the time of closure was also made in accordance with New South Wales environmental legislation, specifically the Contaminated Land Management Act 1997.
BHP Billiton’s overriding HRRP objective is to safely remove and treat the contaminated river sediments using effective processes and equipment that minimise the potential for impacts on the local environment and communities. Ensuring that the river is rehabilitated is clearly good for the river environment. It is also anticipated that the HRRP will enable further economic growth of the region through the reuse of the river for other commercial needs, including the expansion of the Newcastle Port at the former Steelworks site and Kooragang Island.
The Program
The contaminants in the river bed were generated as a by-product of the steel making process that are likely to have migrated from the Steelworks through drains and spills, and eventually settled in the river bed next to the site.
Since closure of the Steelworks, BHP Billiton’s emphasis has been on completing the appropriate level of planning, investigation and trial remediation necessary to deliver the best outcomes from the project’s implementation.
The remediation process will involve the careful dredging and cement-stabilisation (treatment) of river sediments. The addition of a select cement product to sediments immobilises the contaminants and also makes the material safe to handle and transport. Stringent government approvals regulate this process.
After treatment, the material will be transported by existing roads to nearby Kooragang Island to a disturbed area that has been previously affected by industrial uses, including those related to the former Newcastle Steelworks.
At Kooragang Island, the remediated material will be placed within a new specially engineered landfill which is being designed to prevent interactions with ground and surface waters and satisfy the relevant government requirements. Upon completion, the landfill will be capped and monitored to ensure long term objectives are met.
Design of the emplacement area is also allowing for the construction of light industrial buildings at the site in line with the landowner’s intended final land use.
Critical to the success of the project is a comprehensive engagement program to ensure that the community and other stakeholders are kept well informed and have the opportunity to identify and discuss issues relating to the project.
A variety of mechanisms designed to both inform stakeholders and encourage their participation in the consultation process have been developed, including:
- A free-call 24 hour community hotline (+61 1800 793 177)
- Newsletters and fact sheets
- Project website (www.bhpbilliton.com/hrrp)
- Briefings and meetings with a wide range of local community groups and organisations that may have an interest in the HRRP
- A resident survey conducted in mid 2008 (by local social research consultancy Key Insights Pty Ltd) to gauge public interest and opinion on the project proposal and related issues.
To-date, the emphasis has been on undertaking the level of planning necessary to ensure we 'do it right' and deliver the best outcomes for the Hunter River and the Newcastle community.
There are ongoing preparation and refinement works occurring in the river and on the former Steelworks site. This includes background environmental monitoring and river sediment sampling, and will include in the coming months the construction of environmental controls and small-scale treatment optimisation studies. These works are being undertaken in consultation with the relevant government authorities.
Project planning, including finalising the engineering design and obtaining the necessary government approvals, will continue in 2008. The full-scale remediation works, including dredging, treatment, transport and emplacement, are expected to take approximately two years to complete and are currently scheduled to start in early 2009.
