Two different soil types from the old Nowra gas works site will go to the University of South Australia for extensive testing.
Shoalhaven City Council will send about 100 kilograms of soil to the Centre for Risk Assessment and Remediation (CERAR) at the University of South Australia. The soil will be used by the CERAR students to help them test and study how to test soils for contaminants that might be found in old industrial sites.
Director City Services and Operations John Wells said Council was only too willing to help the university with soil so that students can gain first hand experience in how to test and propose plans for remediation of contaminated sites.
“If there is a group of university students who one day will conduct testing in real life situations on remediating contaminated sites, then this will be another positive outcome for the old gas works site,” John Wells said.
CERAR has asked for two types of soil from the site with varying ranges of poly-aromatic hydrocarbons.
The gas works site began producing gas in March 1905 and the business was owned and operated by the then Shoalhaven Municipal Council. This manually operated coal carbonising plant served Nowra until
the 1950s.
In October 1962 a mechanical carbonised coal plant was commissioned on the site and operated until 1969 when coal carbonising ceased in Nowra.
Shoalhaven City Council has been working with contractors, Enviropacific Services, since June 2007 on remediating the site. Once the remediation works are complete the site will become a 169 space car park.
For further information contact John Wells on
(02) 4429 3298.
