Groundwater prohibition area for Elizabeth South and surrounding suburbs
The EPA will establish a Groundwater Prohibition Area (GPA) for parts of Elizabeth South, Edinburgh, Edinburgh North and Salisbury North due to contamination from past industrial activities.
The EPA has completed a community engagement process and the GPA will come into effect when it is gazetted on 10 August 2023, making it the 10th GPA in South Australia.
The GPA prevents the taking of groundwater (bore water) from the upper three aquifers to a depth of 35 metres. The area is shown in this map.
The suburbs in the GPA have a commercial, industrial and manufacturing history and groundwater has been contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons, chlorinated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethene (TCE) and tetrachloroethene (PCE) and their degradation products, per- and poly-fluroalkyl substances (PFAS) and metals.
The EPA establishes GPAs to protect public health by preventing exposure to contaminated groundwater.
EPA Director Policy, Assessment and Finance Kathryn Bellette said the purpose of establishing GPAs is to protect current and future landholders from accessing contaminated groundwater.
“Past activity in the area includes vehicle manufacturing, vehicle maintenance, other various industrial sites and a railway line,” Ms Bellette said.
Using contaminated bore water for drinking, showering, washing, filling swimming pools, watering lawns or irrigating edible produce over a long period of time is considered a health risk.
For more information visit Elizabth South engage page