Bellevue—Former Waste Control Site
Bellevue—on site remediation has been completedBackground
On 15 February 2001, fire destroyed a liquid waste treatment and recycling facility at 1 Bulbey Street, Bellevue. The facility operator, Waste Control Pty Ltd, subsequently went into receivership and the State is now the registered owner of the site.
Soil and groundwater investigations found a broad range of contaminants including petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated solvents, which can be attributed to historical site operations, the fire and fire-fighting water runoff.
A second source of trichloroethene, a chlorinated solvent, was also identified between the site and the Helena River.
In the first phase of remediation, a permeable reactive barrier (PRB) was installed in 2010, to intercept and treat contaminated groundwater before it reaches the Helena River.
* The former Department of Environment Regulation amalgamated on 1 July 2017 with the Department of Water and the Office of the Environmental Protection Authority, forming the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation.
What Is Happening Now?
The clean-up of the offsite source of trichloroethene near Stanley Street, commenced in June 2016 has now been completed. The technology used was a form of enhanced in-situ bioremediation in which emulsified vegetable oil and specialised bacteria were injected into the soil to break down the contaminants. The success of the bioremediation was determined by performance monitoring over a three year period. The results of the final period of monitoring were submitted to DWER in January 2020. The affected land will be reclassified to reflect the new information in due course.
Lot 2 (directly southeast of the former Waste Control site and extending to the end of Stanley Street) was found to be suitable for continuing commercial and industrial use in mid-2019, when it was reclassified to remediated for restricted use and sold for commercial development.
On the former Waste Control site itself, concrete slabs and services have been removed and disposed at a licensed landfill. The clean-up works were overseen by an independent Contaminated Sites Auditor and monitoring was undertaken to ensure the safety of workers and the environment.
DWER received reports documenting the investigation, remediation and most monitoring works, including a mandatory auditor’s report in mid-December 2019. DWER is currently assessing the documents. A further round of groundwater monitoring was undertaken in late 2019 to confirm the current quality of groundwater. It is anticipated that the former Waste Control site will be ready for sale and redevelopment by mid-2020.
Groundwater Monitoring
2017
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
Technical Reports and Fact Sheets
Background and risk- Clean-up
- Groundwater monitoring
- Stakeholder Discussion Document for Workshop No. 5
Includes remediation strategy for cleaning up the offsite groundwater contamination and conceptual construction plan for the permeable reactive barrier. - Bellevue Stakeholder Update Meeting briefing document
Outlines site progress during 2008 and the first quarter of 2009. The report details the current understanding of the distribution of contaminants at the site and offsite and the remediation strategy for the site. - Detailed Site Investigation - prepared by URS Australia, February 2002
- Parliamentary Inquiry: Bellevue Hazardous Waste Fire Volume 1
- Parliamentary Inquiry: Bellevue Hazardous Waste Fire Volume 2
More Information
DWER will update this page as new information comes to hand. Residents who have concerns or would like more information should visit DevelopmentWA’s website or call DWER's Contaminated Sites hotline on 1300 762 982.
Updated August 2020