DistantNews
Support us
🇦🇺 Australia /Energy & Infrastructure

PFAS slowly moving towards Wagga's drinking water supply, residents fear health risks

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Residents near a military base in Wagga Wagga, Australia, are concerned about PFAS contamination potentially affecting their home-grown food and health.
  • Defence Department assessments indicate low but elevated risks for some properties bordering the Kapooka Military Area, a known PFAS site.
  • Authorities are investigating PFAS levels, with recent detections above drinking water guidelines near a key water source for the city, prompting a review of management plans.

For four decades, Tom Hughes has lived on his property near Wagga Wagga, but the looming threat of PFAS contamination has made his once-bountiful cherry tree a symbol of his unease. "I got 11 kilograms of cherries off that tree one year, but we don't eat them anymore," he said, his voice tinged with resignation. The 88-year-old is wary of harvesting anything from his garden due to the proximity of his home to the Kapooka Military Area, a site known for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances contamination.

I got 11 kilograms of cherries off that tree one year, but we don't eat them anymore.

— Tom HughesA long-time resident concerned about PFAS contamination near his home.

A 2021 assessment by the Department of Defence acknowledged an elevated risk for some individual properties bordering the base, despite deeming consumption of home-grown produce off-base a low risk. For Mr. Hughes, the cherries are now forbidden fruit. He has spent six years seeking information about the 'forever chemicals,' historically used in firefighting foams at the Kapooka Creek site, but his quest remains frustratingly incomplete. "They tell you what they want you to hear," he lamented, feeling dismissed as "one of them low-down people."

They tell you what they want you to hear.

— Tom HughesExpressing frustration over the lack of transparency regarding PFAS contamination.

Concerns have escalated with recent detections of PFAS above Australian Drinking Water Guidelines in groundwater monitoring wells near a bore field that supplies Riverina Water, the local utility. Defence installed new wells in 2024, and February 2025 sampling revealed the elevated levels. A multi-agency group, including Defence, the Environment Protection Authority, NSW Health, and Riverina Water, has been examining PFAS risks. However, a proposed management plan was abandoned in September last year, deemed no longer fit for purpose. The Commonwealth is also suing firefighting foam manufacturer 3M for allegedly withholding information about PFAS's environmental effects, highlighting the broader national concern over these persistent chemicals.

I'm only a member of the public, one of them low-down people. That's what we're treated like.

— Tom HughesDescribing his feelings of being disregarded by authorities concerning the contamination.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog