THE budget for the clean-up of uranium contamination in Bendemeer has blown out by $50,000, with a council report pointing to the lack of available information on removing the chemical from water supplies for the jump.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
At Tamworth Regional Council’s meeting on Tuesday, councillors will vote on allocating a further $50,000 for the removal of uranium from the Airlie Rd bore at Bendemeer, after a report found the initial funding allocation fell short.
Elevated levels of uranium were detected in underground drinking water supplies for Kootingal and Bendemeer in October last year.
According to a report to be considered by councillors, the initial estimate of $165,000 to install a uranium removal system at the Airlie Rd bore, didn’t cover all of the costs for the clean-up.
RELATED ARTICLES:
In February this year, council approved the $165,000 spend to install a resin filter to capture excessive amounts of the chemical.
“There is limited information to prepare a cost estimated for the work as there are no known treatment plants in Australia actively targeting the removal of uranium,” the report said.
“It now appears that the original estimate of $165,000 was incorrect and to satisfactorily complete the uranium treatment system will cost approximately $215,000.”
While council has completed the “design, fabrication and installation of the uranium removal system”, it was discovered there was a need for additional money during construction, which was “unknown at the time of the initial cost estimate”.
A review by Hunter New England Health found the radiation levels at the Airlie Rd Bore fell well below the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and deemed “no adverse health effects” were expected from historical consumption from the bore.
Subsequent tests on the bore have found uranium readings of less than 0.001 micrograms per litre, well below the guideline for Uranium of 0.017mg/L.
Bendemeer’s primary water supply comes from the Macdonald River.
However, the Airlie Rd bore was opened in January 2015, to act as an emergency source when river stocks were low.
Tests revealed the bore had been contaminated since 2015.
Moonbi-Kootingal has been on reticulated town water supplies since September last year, when it was discovered bores supplying water to the villages had elevated levels of uranium.