EIS information guideline  Contaminated land
The EIS should describe and illustrate the nature and extent of any areas listed on the Environmental Management
Register (EMR) or the Contaminated Land Register (CLR) under the EP Act, as well as any potentially
contaminated sites not listed on the EMR or CLR but where the history of site-use or investigations for the EIS
indicate soil contamination to be present.
An EIS needs to assess:
 existing contamination and how it would affect and be managed during the carrying out of resource activities for
the project
 the extent to which proposed activities would cause new soil contamination, and how that would be managed
 the risks to human health and the environment posed by existing and likely soil contamination.
For the purpose of an EIS, in order to identify existing contamination:
 check whether the operational land is listed on either the EMR or CLR
http://www.qld.gov.au/environment/pollution/management/contaminated-land/search-registers/
 undertake an appropriate preliminary site investigation (commonly referred to as a Stage 1 investigation) of the
operational land, taking account of land use history and practices
 undertake more detailed site investigations to locate and quantify land contamination if the findings of the
preliminary site investigation indicate they are needed.
Assess the potential for new soil contamination by:
 identifying the project’s potential sources of contaminants in solid, liquid or gaseous wastes, including dust
dispersal, that could lead to land contamination
 describing the likely dispersion pathways, concentrations and loads of contaminants.
Assess the risks associated with existing and potential contamination with particular reference to:





the potential exposure of sensitive receptors to contaminants, in terms of both consequences and likelihood
planned management strategies to:
remediate existing contamination
minimise the generation and dispersal of new sources of contamination
avoid or manage the exposure of sensitive receptors to contaminants.
The assessment of the possible degradation or contamination of land that could result from any aspects of the
project should not be limited to activities that would result in the land being entered on the EMR or the CLR.
Rather, it should include any activity that could have a detrimental impact on land. Matters that should be
considered include:





disposal to land of any waste water
waste rock disposal
tailings disposal
disturbance of acid sulfate soils
spills at chemical and fuel storage areas.
Acid sulfate soils
For activities that may disturb coastal or inland acid sulfate soils areas, the EIS should propose management
measures that would prevent the contamination of groundwater or surface water. The proposed management
measures should be in accordance with the State Planning Policy 2/02: Planning and Managing Development
Involving Acid Sulfate Soils and the any relevant guidelines, such as the Soil Management Guidelines in the
Queensland Acid Sulfate Soil Technical Manual (Dear et al., DNRM, 2002) and National Guidance for the
Management of Acid Sulfate Soils in Inland Aquatic Ecosystems (Environment Protection and Heritage Council and
the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council, 2011).
EIS information guideline  Contaminated land
Management plan
Develop a best practice remediation and site management plan. The plan should be particularly detailed where the
future use of contaminated land is to be an incompatible or sensitive use, for example land which is to be
transitioned from an industrial use to a more sensitive use such as residential.
The assessment of a contaminated site must be undertaken by a suitably qualified person (SQP) to ensure that
risks associated with any contamination on site are assessed and managed appropriately, and that a considered
recommendation can be made to EHP regarding the status of land on the EMR or CLR.
Useful references and guidelines – Contaminated land
Information about SQP is available at http://www.qld.gov.au/environment/pollution/management/contaminatedland/qualified-persons/
A significant amount of useful information about contaminated land is available from
http://www.qld.gov.au/environment/pollution/management/contaminated-land/.
2