The Barangaroo Delivery Authority is committed to ensuring the community, site work force and the environment is protected during both the construction phase and the future operation of the Barangaroo precinct.
As an old industrial site, Barangaroo has historic contamination dating back 200 years. As the old wharf area that makes up Barangaroo has been progressively expanded, material such as excavated soils, building rubble and other waste has been used to fill and reclaim the wharf area. Past land uses have also contributed to the contaminated nature of the site fill material, including the former Millers Point gasworks.
Almost all old industrial sites contain contaminated material as a result of past practices – Barangaroo is no exception. The contamination includes heavy metals, principally copper, lead and zinc, petroleum hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and asbestos.
Barangaroo has high sustainability ambitions, which means we want to manage the contamination in the best way possible, so we don’t leave the contamination problem for future generations. Before construction started, over 800 test samples were taken over a five year period to identify areas and levels of contamination, so that we could assess the extent of the contamination and plan to manage it.
The former Millers Point Gasworks, which covers only a portion of Barangaroo and Hickson Road is regulated under the provisions of the Contaminated Land Management Act 1997 (CLM Act) by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) in the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. It has been classified as a declared contamination area. The declared area is approximately two hectares in total. This includes a portion of the 22 hectare Barangaroo site and part of Hickson Road.
The remainder of the Barangaroo site was not identified by the EPA as being significantly contaminated and is not in the Declaration Area. Nevertheless, these areas do require some management and remediation work.
In the interests of public safety and the environment, strict legislation and best practice benchmarks exist to lead the remediation process.
The Barangaroo Delivery Authority is bound by law to follow a detailed and independently audited due process and reporting structure to ensure the best possible job is done.
This rigorous process is regulated closely by the EPA
An independent Site Auditor, accredited by the EPA, reviews and approves all aspects of the relevant remediation works. The Site Auditor issues Site Audit Statements certifying that remedial action plans are appropriate and/or the remediated land is suitable for use. Site Audit Statements can only be issued when the Site Auditor is satisfied that the remediation works will be and/or have been completed according to all statutory processes and the EPA requirements.
The documents below provide additional information on the remediation of Barangaroo. Visit our publications section and search under remediation for the technical documents and approved remediation plans.
Also, read our Frequently Asked Questions.
Fact Sheets
Remediation Documents
Overarching Remedial Action Plan for Barangaroo
Voluntary Management Proposal
