ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Newcastle Gas Storage Facility Project Major Project Application Number 10-0133 Volume 2: Appendices 1 – 4 May 2011 Appendices Volume 2 1 Preliminary Contamination Assessment – Tomago 2 Preliminary Contamination Assessment – Hexham 3 Surface Water Assessment 4 Water and Waste Water Servicing Summary Volume 3 5 Flooding Impact Assessment 6 Groundwater Assessment – Tomago 7 Ecological Assessment Volume 4 8 Bush Fire Threat Assessment 9 Cultural Heritage Assessment 10 Socio-economic Characterisation 11 Visual Impact Assessment 12 Traffic Study 13 Noise and Vibration Assessment Volume 5 14 Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Assessment 15 Plume Rise Assessment 16 Preliminary Hazard Assessment ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Newcastle Gas Storage Facility Project Major Project Application Number 10-0133 Volume 2: Appendices 1 – 4 May 2011 CR 6023_8_v3 Coffey Natural Systems Pty Ltd ABN 61005041878 Level 1, 3 Rider Boulevard Rhodes NSW 2138 Australia T (+61) (2) 9736 2400 F (+61) (2) 8765 0762 coffey.com © Coffey Natural Systems Australia Pty Ltd May 2011 Project director Carolyn Balint Project manager Edward Niembro Version: Details: Approved: Date: CR 6023_8_v1 Initial draft to client CB 14/02/2011 CR 6023_8_v2 Second draft to client and Department of Planning CB 24/02/2011 CR 6023_8_v3 Final to client CB 23/05/2011 Appendix 1 Preliminary Contamination Assessment - Tomago PRELIMINARY CONTAMINATION ASSESSMENT NEWCASTLE GAS STORAGE FACILITY LOT 105, DP 1125747, 5 OLD PUNT ROAD, TOMAGO NSW Prepared for: AGL Energy Limited Level 22, 101 Miller Street NORTH SYDNEY NSW 2060 Report Date: 21 January 2011 Project Ref: ENAUWARA04016AA Written by: Submitted by: Reviewed by: Emma Coleman James McMahon Laurie Fox Senior Environmental Scientist Senior Environmental Scientist Principal Coffey Environments Australia Pty Ltd ABN 65 140 765 902 19 Warabrook Boulevard Warabrook NSW 2304 Australia 21 January 2011 AGL Energy Limited Level 22, 101 Miller Street NORTH SYDNEY NSW 2060 Attention: Alex Kennedy-Clark Dear RE: Preliminary Contamination Assessment Newcastle Gas Storage Facility Lot 105 DP 1125747, 5 Old Punt Road, Tomago NSW Coffey Environments Australia Pty Ltd (Coffey) is pleased to provide the report for the Preliminary Contamination Assessment for the Newcastle Gas Storage Facility Project. This report should be read in conjunction with the attached “Important Information about your Coffey Environmental Report”, which provides a general context for this type of environmental report. We trust that the report meets with your current requirements. If you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned on (02) 4016 2300. For and on behalf of Coffey Environments Australia Pty Ltd Emma Coleman Senior Environmental Scientist Coffey Environments Australia Pty Ltd ABN 65 140 765 902 ENAUWARA04016AA-R02.doc 19 Warabrook Boulevard Warabrook NSW 2304 Australia T (+61) (2) 4016 2300 F (+61) (2) 4016 2380 coffey.com RECORD OF DISTRIBUTION No of Report Report File Name Date Prepared for Initials copies Status 1 ENAUWARA04016AA- Draft 1 October 2010 AGL Energy Limited R02a.pdf 1 ENAUWARA04016AA- Draft 1 October 2010 Coffey Environments Australia R02a.doc Pty Ltd 1 ENAUWARA04016AA- Draft 26 October 2010 AGL Energy Limited R02b.pdf 1 ENAUWARA04016AA- Draft 26 October 2010 Coffey Environments Australia R02b.doc Pty Ltd 1 ENAUWARA04016AA- Draft 10 December 2010 AGL Energy Limited R02c.pdf 1 ENAUWARA04016AA- Draft 10 December 2010 Coffey Environments Australia R02c.doc Pty Ltd 1 ENAUWARA04016AA- Draft 12 January 2011 AGL Energy Limited R02d.pdf 1 ENAUWARA04016AA- Draft 12 January 2011 Coffey Environments Australia R02d.doc Pty Ltd 1 ENAUWARA04016AA- Final 21 January 2011 AGL Energy Limited R02.pdf 1 ENAUWARA04016AA- Final 21 January 2011 Coffey Environments Australia R02.doc Pty Ltd Coffey Environments ENAUWARA04016AA-R02.doc 21 January 2011 CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 General 1 1.2 Objectives and Scope of Work 2 1.2.1 Objectives 2 1.2.2 Scope 2 2 STUDY AREA IDENTIFICATION 4 2.1 Location and Setting 4 2.2 Current Surrounding Land Use 4 2.3 Topography and Drainage 5 2.4 Surface Water and Drainage 5 2.5 Geology and Hydrogeology 5 3 SITE HISTORY REVIEW 7 3.1 Scope 7 3.2 Aerial Photographs 7 3.3 Site Observations 8 3.4 Planning Certificates 9 3.5 Titles Search 11 3.6 DECCW, Contaminated Land - Record of Notices 12 3.7 Heavy Mineral Sand Mining History 12 3.8 Tomago Aluminium Smelter 13 3.9 Summary of Site History 13 4 AREAS OF CONTAMINATION CONCERN 15 5 FIELD INVESTIGATION 16 5.1 Soil and Groundwater Sampling and Analysis Plan 16 5.2 Soil Investigation 19 Coffey Environments ENAUWARA04016AA-R02.doc 21 January 2011 CONTENTS 5.3 Groundwater Investigation 20 5.4 Field Quality Assurance/ Quality Control 20 5.4.1 Soil 21 5.4.2 Groundwater 21 5.5 Laboratory Analysis 21 6 SUBSURFACE CONDITIONS 23 6.1 Soil Profile 23 6.2 Groundwater 23 7 INVESTIGATION CRITERIA 25 7.1 Soil Investigation Criteria 25 7.2 Groundwater Investigation Criteria 27 7.2.1 Environmental Values 27 7.2.2 Drinking Water 27 7.2.3 Protection of Aquatic Ecosystems 27 7.2.4 Groundwater Investigation Criteria Summary 28 8 QUALITY ASSURANCE / QUALITY CONTROL RESULTS AND ASSESSMENT 30 8.1 Soil Quality Assurance / Quality Control Results 30 8.2 Groundwater Quality Assurance / Quality Control Results 30 8.3 Laboratory Quality Assurance / Quality Control 30 9 LABORATORY RESULTS AND ASSESSMENT 33 9.1 Soil Results and Assessment 33 9.2 Groundwater Results and Assessment 37 9.2.1 Contaminant Fate Modelling 37 10 ACID SULFATE SOILS 39 10.1 Definition of Coastal Acid Sulfate Soils (ASS) 39 10.2 Significance of ASS 39 Coffey Environments ENAUWARA04016AA-R02.doc 21 January 2011 CONTENTS 10.3 Acid Sulfate Soils Risk Map 39 10.4 Council Policy and Applicable Guidelines 40 10.4.1 Port Stephens Council ASS Policy 40 10.4.2 Applicable Guidelines 40 10.5 Acid Sulfate Soil Results 41 10.5.1 Field Screening Tests 41 10.5.2 Laboratory Results 42 10.5.3 Discussion of Results 43 11 CONCLUSIONS 44 12 LIMITATIONS 45 13 REFERENCES 46 Coffey Environments ENAUWARA04016AA-R02.doc 21 January 2011 LIST OF ATTACHMENTS Important Information about your Coffey Environmental Report Figures Figure 1: Site Locality Plan Figure 2: Sampling Location Plan Figure 3: Groundwater Contour Plan (July – August 2010) Figure 4: Primary Project Area on Acid Sulfate Soil Risk Map Appendices Appendix A: NSW Office of Water Groundwater Bore Data Appendix B: Aerial Photographs Appendix C: Section 149 Certificates Appendix D: Historical Titles Documents Appendix E: DECCW Search Records Appendix F: Borehole Logs and PID Records Appendix G: Laboratory Reports Appendix H: Data Validation Report Appendix I: ASS Field Screening Results Coffey Environments I ENAUWARA04016AA-R02.doc 21 January 2011 ABBREVIATIONS AGL AGL Energy Limited AHD Australian Height Datum ANZECC Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council ASS Acid sulfate soils ASSMP Acid sulfate soils management plan AST Aboveground storage tank BTOC Below top of casing C6-C36 Hydrocarbon chainlength fraction DA Development application DCP Development control plan bgl Below ground level BH Borehole BTEX Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes COC Chemical of concern DLWC Department of Land and Water Conservation (NSW) DO Dissolved oxygen EC Electrical conductivity Eh Oxidation/reduction potential EPL Environment Protection License ESA Environmental site assessment HWC Hunter Water Corporation ID Identification IP Interface probe Coffey Environments II ENAUWARA04016AA-R02.doc 21 January 2011 ABBREVIATIONS LEP Local environment plan LGA Local government area LNG Liquefied natural gas LOR Limit of reporting µg/L micrograms per litre mg/kg milligrams per kilogram mg/L milligrams per litre MW Monitoring well NATA National Association of Testing Authorities NEHF National Environmental Health Forum NEPM National Environment Protection Measure NSW New South Wales NSW DECCW NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (formerly NSW EPA) NSW EPA NSW Environment Protection Authority NOW NSW Office of Water PAH Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon PCA Preliminary contamination assessment PCB Polychlorinated biphenyl PID Photoionisation detector ppm Parts per million PQL Practical quantitation limit PVC Polyvinyl chloride QA Quality assurance Coffey Environments III ENAUWARA04016AA-R02.doc 21 January 2011 ABBREVIATIONS QC Quality control REP Regional environmental plan RL Reduced level RPD Relative percent difference SB Soil bore SEPP State environmental planning policy SGS SGS Australia Pty Ltd SPOCAS Suspended Peroxide Oxidation Combined Acidity and Sulfate SPT Standard penetration test SOP Standard operating procedures SWL Standing water level TAA Total actual acidity TAC Tomago Aluminium Company TD Total depth TDS Total dissolved solid TOC Top of casing TPA Total potential acidity TPH Total petroleum hydrocarbon VOC Volatile organic compound Coffey Environments IV ENAUWARA04016AA-R02.doc 21 January 2011 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report presents the findings of a preliminary contamination assessment (PCA) for the proposed Newcastle Gas Storage Facility Project (the Project) at Tomago for AGL Energy Limited (AGL). The proposed location is a portion of a property known as Tomago Aluminium Land, located in the northern part of Lot 105 in DP1125747 (Lot 105) on 5 Old Punt Road, Tomago, NSW. The Project consists of the construction and operation of a gas plant site, a natural gas pipeline connecting the gas plant site to a receiving station and